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.

Irregular Comparatives

Some comparative adjectives are irregular:

Adjective	Comparative
good	better
bad	worse
far	farther/further (AmE/BrE)
fun	more fun
well (not sick)	better

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

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