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People and culture
Formation of comparative adjectives

Two ways to form a comparative adjective:

• short adjectives: add ‘-er’
• long adjectives: use ‘more’

Short adjectives: add -er Examples

1-syllable adjectives old, fast, great

2- syllable adjectives ending with -y happy, easy, lazy
Rule: add -er old – older, fast – faster, great – greater

Variation: if the adjective ends with -e, late – later, large – larger, wide – wider

just add -r

Variation: if the adjective ends with

consonant with a single vowel preceding big – bigger, thin – thinner, fat – fatter
it, double the last consonant

Variation: if the adjective ends with -y, happy – happier, angry – angrier, lazy –

change -y to -i lazier

Long adjectives: use more Examples

2-syllable adjectives not ending in -y modern, pleasant, peaceful
all adjectives of 3 or more syllables expensive, intellectual, dangerous

expensive – more expensive

Rule: use more pleasant – more pleasant

peaceful – more peaceful

Note: with some 2-syllable adjectives, both ‘-er’ or ‘more’ can be used
e.g.:
- quiet – quieter / more quiet

- clever – cleverer / more clever

- narrow – narrower / more narrow

- simple – simpler / more simple