Comparatives and Superlatives

Comparative Adjectives

For 1 syllable adjectives we add er and use than to compare 2 nouns or activities:

Noun/Activity 1	BE	Comparative Adjective	than	Noun/Activity 2
Giraffes	are	taller	than	dogs.
London	is	older	than	New York.
Swimming	is	cheaper	than	skiing.

If the adjective has consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) sounds and the last consonant is 1 letter, we double the last consonant and add er:

Adjective	C	V	C	C	er	Comparative Adjective
big	b	i	g	g	er	bigger
hot	h	o	t	t	er	hotter
thin	th	i	n	n	er	thinner

We change y to ier for 2 syllable words ending in y:

Adjective	Comparative Adjective
easy	easier
friendly	friendlier

For other adjectives with 2 syllables or more, we use more with the normal adjective and use than to compare 2 nouns or activities:

Noun/Activity 1	Be	more	Adjective	than	Noun/Activity 2
Gold	is	more	expensive	than	silver.
Dolphins	are	more	intelligent	than	sharks.
Climbing	is	more	dangerous	than	sitting.
Markets	are	more	crowded	than	parks.

Some comparative adjectives are irregular:

Tip!
* farther is American English (AmE).
* further is British English (BrE).

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