1. What are comparison?

Comparisons are used to compare two things.
That means saying one is bigger, smaller, fatter, etc..

2. How to make comparisons

Comparison start with adjectives.

There are two main ways to make comparisons:

Which structure to choose depends on how long the adjective is.

For adjectives that are one syllable, add ‘-er’.

Sometimes small changes must be made to suit the adjective ending.

Adjective ending	Example adjective	Comparison ending	Example comparison	Example sentence
–	short	er	shorter	Jules is shorter than that tree.
e	large	er	larger	Poland is larger than the UK.
single vowel + single consonant	fat	single vowel + double consonant + er	fatter	The cats are fatter than pigs.

Adjective	adj. + er	Example sentence
tall	taller	Hamish is taller than his father.
short	shorter	Jodie is shorter than her sisters.
sweet	sweeter	Cola is sweeter than ice cream.
large	larger	A whale is larger than a shark.
nice	nicer	The boss said I should be nicer.
big	bigger	The company is getting bigger.
fat	fatter	I am fatter than I was last year.

Good and bad

The comparison for ‘good’ is ‘better’.
The comparison for ‘bad’ is ‘worse’.

Adjective	Comparison word	Example sentence
good	better	Sherry is better at Italian than Jill.
bad	worse	Malik is worse at singing than you.

For adjectives that are two syllables, both ‘-er’ and ‘more …’ are used.

Which one is used is based on rules:

Adjective ending	Example adjective	Comparison	Example comparison	Example sentence
–	stupid	…er	stupider	This class is stupider than any other in the school.
y	dirty	…ier	dirtier	The house looks dirtier than before we started spring cleaning.
…ing	boring	more …	more boring	Nicky finds films more boring than books.
…en	wooden	more …	more wooden	This Christmas’s toys are more wooden than last year’s.
…ed	tired	more …	more tired	Delia and Noel are more tired than they are telling you.
…ous	famous	more …	more famous	Why are singers more famous than scientists?
…ious	pious	more …	more pious	In his old age Marcus has become more pious.
…ful	cheerful	more …	more cheerful	My mother tells me I should be more cheerful. It is very annoying.

Adjective	Comparison	Example sentence
simple	simpler	He finds maths simpler than history.
shallow	shallower	The water is shallower near the rocks.
spicy	spicier	This curry is spicier than the one your dad makes.
pretty	prettier	Brian’s girlfriend is prettier than his wife.
lively	livelier	Tre’s funeral was livelier than Mark’s party.
broken	more broken	After playing with the toy, it is more broken than it was yesterday.
tired	more tired	Thomas is more tired than before his holiday.
wicked	more wicked	The old man was more wicked than his wife.
pompous	more pompous	Jerry becomes more pompous as he gets older.
playful	more playful	The cat is more playful than the dog.

Comparisons for long adjectives with three or more syllables use ‘more …’.

Adjective	Comparison	Example sentence
interesting	more interesting	This game is much more interesting than the last one.
delicious	more delicious	I think cherries are more delicious than oranges.
fascinating	more fascinating	The TV series gets more fascinating as it goes on.
dangerous	more dangerous	A hippopotamus is more dangerous than a giraffe.
outrageous	more outrageous	Frank’s behaviour is getting more outrageous. We should fire him.
colourful	more colourful	A woodpecker is more colourful than a sparrow.

1. Compare two people you know. Who is taller? Who is fatter? Who is more beautiful/handsome?

2. Think of two superheroes. Compare them, and choose which one would win a fight (and why).

3. Imagine trying to sell something to someone. Tell them why the thing you are selling is better than the thing they already have.