Look at these examples to see how we use comparative adjectives.
The city is more interesting than the countryside.
This house is older than my house.
She's better at cooking now than before.
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
- Grammar test 1
Read the explanation to learn more.
Grammar explanation
We use comparative adjectives to compare two things or show change. The comparative form depends on the number of syllables in the adjective.
Adjectives with one syllable
To make comparative forms with one-syllable adjectives, we usually add -er:
old → older
clean → cleaner
slow → slower
If an adjective ends in -e, we add -r:
safe → safer
nice → nicer
If an adjective ends in a vowel and a consonant, we usually double the consonant:
big → bigger
hot → hotter
Adjectives with two or more syllables
If a two-syllable adjective ends in a consonant and -y, we change -y to -i and add -er:
noisy → noisier
happy → happier
easy → easier
We use more to make comparative forms for most other two-syllable adjectives and for all adjectives with three or more syllables:
crowded → more crowded
stressful → more stressful
dangerous → more dangerous
Exception: You can either add -er/-r or use more with some two-syllable adjectives, such as common, cruel, gentle, handsome, likely, narrow, pleasant, polite, simple and stupid.
I think life in the countryside is simpler than in the city.
It's more simple to live in the city because everything you need is there.
Irregular adjectives
The adjectives good, bad and far have irregular comparative forms:
good → better
bad → worse
far → further/farther
Than
When we want to say which person or thing we are comparing with, we can use than:
Their house is cleaner than ours.
Traffic is slower in the city than in the countryside.
After the race I was more tired than Anne.
Do this exercise to test your grammar again.
- Grammar test 2
Hello,
May I know the difference between more of and more on?
Hello JemJem,
Can you provide a sample sentence with each phrase so we can see what context you have in mind? We'll be happy to explain but it's a lot clearer when we have concrete examples to deal with.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello, sorry. Here you go.
Are my sentences correct?
Hello again JemJem,
I think in this context the best option is simply 'more':
In your sentence 'client facing' is adjectival rather than a noun. We need a noun to use more of. For example, you could say this:
'More on' is used in phrases which already include 'on': focus more on sth, do more on sth, work more on sth etc.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
It is well known that the comparative with -er is used in one syllable but with two or more syllables is used MORE...What about with FRIENDLY ? How many syllables?
Hello SEGPEL,
This is a tricky one because the answers is that there is no rule. Some two-syllable words use -er/-est and some use more/most. For example, we say 'cleverer' and 'the cleverest' but usually 'more stupid' and 'the most stupid'.
The good news is that most can take either form, so while you may use a form which sounds a little odd to a native speaker's ear, you're unlikely to create a form which is straight-up incorrect. For example, it is not wrong to say 'more clever' or 'the most clever', nor is it wrong to say 'stupider' or 'the stupidest'.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
It is really useful for me and I know my level.Thanks for your plans.
What about adjectives like bored, tired, drunk? Why do I say I am more bored than her? Which one is correct: I am more drunk or drunker than her?
Thank you so much.
Hi nathynha27,
There are adjectives that don't follow the patterns described above.
I hope that helps.
Jonathan
LearnEnglish team
It's really useful, thanks for your kind support.