Grammar / Comparative Adjectives
Comparative Adjectives: Explanation, Examples & Exercises
Comparative adjectives compare two people, places or things: short adjectives add -er (cheaper, older), longer adjectives use more (more expensive), and the second item follows than. Use them to talk about differences in price, size, distance, difficulty and almost any everyday choice.
Reviewed by Brando Oxley · 6 Aug 2026
Form
One-syllable adjectives add -er: cheap → cheaper, old → older, long → longer. Adjectives that already end in -e only add -r: nice → nicer, large → larger.
One-syllable adjectives that end in one vowel + one consonant double the final consonant: big → bigger, hot → hotter, thin → thinner.
Two-syllable adjectives that end in -y change -y to -ier: busy → busier, happy → happier, easy → easier.
Longer adjectives (two or more syllables) use more or less before the adjective: more expensive, more interesting, less comfortable.
A few common adjectives are irregular: good → better, bad → worse, far → farther/further.
The person or thing you compare with follows than: The bus is cheaper than the train.
How it is used
Use a comparative to compare exactly two people, places, things or situations: My new flat is smaller than my old one.
Add much, a lot or a little before the comparative to show the size of the difference: much cheaper, a lot busier, a little older.
Comparatives are everywhere in everyday adult decisions — prices, commutes, jobs and plans — so students can practise them with real choices: Is the metro faster than the bus in your city?
Common errors
✗This phone is more cheaper than mine.
✓This phone is cheaper than mine.
Use -er or more — never both together.
✗My brother is older then me.
✓My brother is older than me.
Than compares; then talks about time. They sound similar but are different words.
✗The new stadium is more big.
✓The new stadium is bigger.
Short adjectives take -er; more is for longer adjectives.
✗Her results were gooder this year.
✓Her results were better this year.
Good, bad and far have irregular comparative forms: better, worse, farther/further.
Example sentences
Short adjectives (-er)
- My new phone is lighter than my old one.
- The bus is cheaper than the train, but the train is faster.
- Summer days are longer than winter days.
Longer adjectives (more + adjective)
- The museum was more interesting than I expected.
- Trains are more comfortable than buses for long trips.
- This recipe is more difficult than it looks.
Irregular forms
- Her English is better than mine.
- The traffic is worse on Monday mornings.
- My new office is farther from home, so I leave earlier.
Exercise 1 — Fill the gaps
Complete each sentence, then tap to check your answer.
1.This café is · than the one near my office.(cheap)
2.The film was · than the book.(interesting)
3.My commute is · than it was last year.(bad)
4.Today feels · than yesterday.(hot)
5.She is · than her colleagues this week.(busy)
6.The new stadium is much · than the old one.(big)
7.His second interview went · than the first.(good)
Exercise 2 — Choose the correct form
Tap an option to check it immediately.
1.The train is ____ than the bus.
2.This hotel is ____ expensive than I expected.
3.My new flat is bigger ____ my old one.
4.Her cough sounds ____ today.
5.Winter mornings are getting ____.
Printable worksheet
Comparative Adjectives worksheet (PDF)
The exercises above as a print-ready page with an answer key — preview, then print or save as PDF.