Foundation grammar · Unit 87 · A2

old/older, expensive / more expensive

Adjectives and adverbs

The comparative compares two things. Short words add -er (older, cheaper); longer words take more (more expensive). Good and bad are irregular: better and worse.

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A What a comparative is

Arthur is 88. His wife Joan is 90. Joan is older.

One suitcase weighs 15 kilos and the other weighs 23 kilos. The second one is heavier.

One coat costs £60 and the other costs £95. The second one is more expensive.

Older, heavier and more expensive are comparative forms. The comparative is -er (older) or more ... (more expensive).

  • Joan is older than Arthur.
  • The red suitcase is heavier.
  • The grey coat is more expensive.

B -er (older, heavier etc.)

Short words (one syllable) take -er:

adjective comparative
old older
slow slower
cheap cheaper
nice nicer
late later

Spelling: one vowel + one consonant at the end doubles the consonant: big → bigger, hot → hotter, thin → thinner.

Words ending in -y become -ier: easy → easier, heavy → heavier, early → earlier.

far → further

  • My brother is young, but my sister is younger. (not 'more young')
  • Is it cheaper to get the bus or the train? (not 'more cheap')
  • Kirsty wants a bigger garden.
  • This jumper is all right, but I think the blue one is nicer.
  • Don't send an email. It's easier to ring them. (not 'more easy')
  • "Is the station a mile from here?" "No, it's further. About three miles."

C more ... (more careful, more expensive etc.)

Longer words (two, three or four syllables) take more:

adjective comparative
careful more careful
polite more polite
expensive more expensive
interesting more interesting
  • You need to be more careful with your money.
  • My job is boring. I'd like to do something more interesting.
  • Is it more expensive to fly or to take the train?

D good/well → better, bad → worse

These comparatives are irregular:

comparative
good / well better
bad worse
  • The weather wasn't very good on Monday, but it's better today.
  • "Are you feeling better?" "No, I'm worse, if anything."
  • Which is worse, a cold or a sore throat?

Exercises

87.1 Read each scene and write the comparative of the adjective (taller, more difficult etc.).

  1. Two brothers stand back to back. One is 1.70 metres and the other is 1.85 metres.

    tall: taller

    taller

  2. There are two slices of bread on a board. One is very thick and the other is very thin.

    thin:

  3. A bike and a sports car are on the same road. The car is far in front.

    fast:

  4. There is a hard wooden chair next to a big, soft sofa.

    comfortable:

  5. There are two pencils on a desk. One is new and the other is very short.

    long:

  6. There are two crosswords. One is for children and the other says 'Experts only'.

    difficult:

87.2 Write the comparative.

  1. young: younger

    younger

  2. warm:

  3. busy:

  4. famous:

  5. dangerous:

  6. bad:

  7. nice:

  8. boring:

  9. funny:

  10. tired:

87.3 Write the opposite.

  1. smaller: bigger

    bigger

  2. slower:

  3. more interesting:

  4. worse:

  5. further:

  6. darker:

87.4 Complete the sentences. Use a comparative.

  1. Our flat isn't very big. We want a bigger one.

    Our flat isn't very big. We want a bigger one.

  2. This book isn't very interesting. I'd like to read something more interesting.

    This book isn't very interesting. I'd like to read something more interesting.

  3. I'm not very old. My sister is .

  4. Callum doesn't drive very carefully. I drive .

  5. This sofa isn't very comfortable. Our old one was .

  6. The weather isn't very good today. The forecast says tomorrow will be .

  7. These shoes aren't very cheap. The ones in the market are .

  8. My coat isn't very warm. Your coat is .

  9. I'm not very interested in football. I'm in rugby.

  10. It isn't very busy in town today. It was last Saturday.

  11. This pizza doesn't taste very nice. The one we had last week tasted .

  12. Cardiff isn't very big. London is .

  13. Leeds isn't very quiet. York is .

  14. These scissors aren't very sharp. Have you got any ones?

  15. The bus isn't very fast. The train is .

See also