Adjectives and Adverbs

Comparing Adjectives: -er or more

We use the comparative to compare two people, things, or situations. We usually add -er to short adjectives or use more with longer adjectives.

Short adjectives → add -er

We usually add -er to adjectives with one syllable.

• tall → taller
  My brother is tall, but I am taller.
• slow → slower
  This car is slower than mine.
• nice → nicer
  This hotel is nicer.

Watch out for the spelling of short adjectives:

• adjectives ending in -y: change y → i and add -er.
  happy → happier
  easy → easier
  pretty → prettier
• adjectives ending in consonant + vowel + consonant: double the final consonant and add -er.
  big → bigger
  thin → thinner
  hot → hotter

Long adjectives → add more

We usually use more with adjectives of two or more syllables (except many adjectives ending in -y).

• careful → more careful
  She is more careful than me.
• comfortable → more comfortable
• interesting → more interesting
• dangerous → more dangerous

Irregular comparatives

Some adjectives have special comparative forms:

• good → better
  This book is better.
• bad → worse
  Today is worse than yesterday.
• many/much → more
  She has more books.
• little → less
  We have less time.
• far → farther/further
  My house is farther away.

Quick reference

• 1 syllable adjective → usually -er
  tall → taller, strong → stronger
• Adjective ending in -y → change y → i + -er
  happy → happier, heavy → heavier
• Long adjective (2+ syllables) → usually more + adjective
  careful → more careful, beautiful → more beautiful
• Irregular forms → learn separately:
  good → better, bad → worse, many → more, little → less

Comparing adjectives

To compare things, we can also use other structures than the comparative and the superlative. Examples of these expressions might include:

• My mom is just as clever as me.
  = me and my mom have the same amount of intelligence
• You aren't as tall as a giraffe, c'mon!
  = you and the giraffe have different height

Structure As... as... (or So...as...)

We use these structures to say that two things are similar to each other, for example:

• He is as tall as me.
• I'm as pretty as you are.
• Your house is as big as ours.

We can also use this expression in a negative form:

• Rhonda isn't as fit as I am.
• Math isn't so boring as French.
• They aren't so nice as we are.

Watch out! The structure So... as... cannot be used with the positive structure.

Structure Comparative + than

We use these structures to compare two things that are different in some characteristic, for example:

• She works harder than him.
• It's more comfortable than your car.
• His son is much older than you.
• We have more cars than they do.

Common mistakes to avoid
Not as bigger as – use either as big as or bigger than, never both together.
Not so clever so – the second word must be as, not so: so clever as.
Not happy than – a comparative needs -er or more: happier than.

So or Such?

Both so and such add emphasis ("very") to the following expression, but they are used before different types of words.

So + adjective/adverb

• He is so nice.
• It was so cold that I stayed in bed.
• She was so tired that she fell asleep.

So is also used with much/many/little/few before a noun:

• so much bread, so many friends, so little time, so few things

Such + noun (with or without an adjective)

• such horrible weather
• such silly people
• I don't know what to do with such information.

Such a/an + adjective + singular countable noun

Before a singular countable noun, we need the article a/an between such and the noun.

• He's such a nice person.
• It was such a good car that I couldn't sell it.
• It is such a pity that you couldn't be there.

Common mistake to avoid
Never say a such – the word order is always such a, never a such.