Explanation

Comparatives are used to talk about the differences between 2 things or places or people.  They are made from adjectives in 2 ways:

Short Adjectives

With short adjectives, we make comparatives by adding –er to the end of the adjective:

            My CD player cost £30.00, but yours cost £25.00. 

            Your CD player is cheaper than mine.

With some adjectives, we double the last letter:

            London is big, but Moscow is bigger.

Long Adjectives

With long adjectives (usually 2 syllables or more), we add more before the adjective:

            The French restaurant is more expensive than the Italian restaurant.

2 Syllable Adjectives that end in –ly

With 2 syllable adjectives that end in –ly, we make the comparative by changing the y to i, and adding er:

            I was angry when I heard the news, but Nick was angrier. 

Irregular Comparatives

The 3 main irregular comparatives are:

            good – better

            bad – worse

            far – further

Negative Comparatives

The opposite of more is less:

            These shoes were less expensive because I bought them in the sale.

not as (adjective) as  is also used for negatives:

            The FCE examination is not as difficult as the CAE examination in English.

Exercise 1

Correct the factual mistakes (1 sentence is correct):

1. Mt. Blanc is higher than Mt. Everest.

2. Italy is bigger than France.

3. The USA is further from England than Australia.

4. The German population is higher than the Indian population.

5. Chicago is more famous than New York.

6. Living in London is more expensive than living in Manchester.

Answers

Exercise 2

Correct the grammar and spelling mistakes:

1. Chicago is dangerouser than London.

2. New York is biger than Chicago.

3. Americans work more hard than English people.

4. The transport in London isn’t as well as San Francisco.

5. The Americans drive more fast than the English.

6. I’m more happy now I’ve got a new job.

7. Terminator 3 is badder than Terminator 2 or 1.

8. Basketball players are more taller than baseball players.  

 Answers

 Please Note:  This lessons was created and is owned by Jason Anderson (c) 2003. 

Answers

Exercise 1

1. Mt. Everest is higher than Mt. Blanc.

2. Italy is smaller than France.

3. The USA is closer to England than Australia.

4. The German population is lower than the Indian population.

5. Chicago is less famous than New York.

6. Living in London is more expensive than living in Manchester. (True)

Exercise 2

1. Chicago is more dangerous than London.

2. New York is bigger than Chicago.

3. Americans work harder than English people.

4. The transport in London isn’t as good as San Francisco.

5. The Americans drive faster than the English.

6. I’m happier now I’ve got a new job.

7. Terminator 3 is worse than Terminator 2 or 1.

8. Basketball players are taller than baseball players.

Please Note:  This lessons was created and is owned by Jason Anderson (c) 2003.