Alex cooks better than I do.

Please refresh the page to get the latest updates.

Materials Daily News

Adjectives and Adverbs (Comparative)

Intermediate

After this lesson, you will be able to compare two things and say that one has more of some quality than the other.

Exercise 1

Sentence Practice

Is Alex better than Anna at cooking?
Do you feel more comfortable in English or in your native language?
Try this question. It is easier.
Is mathematics easier than history?

Grammar Focus

Comparatives

'Comparative' is short for 'comparative adjective/adverb.' In English, adjectives and adverbs take on different forms when we want to compare two things.

The cup on the left is smaller. The cup on the right is larger.

How do we form comparatives?

There are two ways to form comparatives.

1. short words + '-er': Add -er directly to one-syllable adjectives:

tall: I'm taller than he is.
cheap: This dress is cheaper than that one.

and adverbs:

hard: He works harder than I do.
high: Anna jumped higher than Lisa.
soon: She arrived sooner than I did.

Note that we also add -er to longer words like 'easy,' which end in -y.

easy: This was easier than I thought.
happy: She is happier now that she has a pet.

2. 'more' + long words: Use 'more' before adjectives with two or more syllables:

Tom's car is more expensive than Ana's.
This exercise is more difficult than the previous one.
This painting is more beautiful than that one.

and adverbs:

Please speak more quietly.
We're going to be late. Let's walk more quickly.
He should drive more carefully.

Words with Irregular Comparative Forms

Some adjectives and adverbs do not follow the two rules above:

good (adj) / well (adv) → better
bad (adj) / badly (adv) → worse

Exercise 2

Dialogue Practice

Read the dialogues aloud with your tutor.

Foreign Languages

	Haruto Is Spanish harder to learn than English?
	Mio I think Spanish grammar is more complicated, but Spanish pronunciation is easier.

At School

	Teacher Your son needs to be more attentive in class. He falls asleep.
	Mom I will make sure he sleeps more at night, so he can be more active in class.

At Work

	Andrei I think you should deliver the presentation tomorrow. You are more fluent in English than I am.
	Nina Yes, but you understand the material better than I do.

Shopping

	Grace This coat is cheaper than the first one.
	Hyun-woo Yes, but the first one is prettier and warmer.

Exercise 3

Fill in the Blanks

Fill in the blanks to complete the sentences.

This wine is (tasty) than that one.

A.
more tasty
B.
tastier

Is this TV (cheap) than the one over there?

A.
cheaper
B.
more cheap

Is this TV (expensive) than the one over there?

A.
expensiver
B.
more expensive

Let's race to see who runs (fast).

A.
faster
B.
more fast

She seems (happy) than when I last saw her.

A.
happyer
B.
happier

He became (busy) after his promotion.

A.
busyer
B.
busier

I like Alex and Anna, but Alex is (good) at cooking.

A.
gooder
B.
better

The country's situation has gotten (bad) since the revolution.

A.
badder
B.
worse

Exercise 4

Sentence Building

You just made a new friend from Moscow. Ask them about their city using comparative adjectives/adverbs and the following words.

Example

populated, London → "Is it more populated than London?"

crowded, Hong Kong
quiet, Zurich
large, Beijing
beautiful, Paris
peaceful, Vienna
clean, Tokyo
exciting, New Delhi