How To Make Comparisons In English

How to make comparisons in English

There are some rules to help you make comparisons in English.

1 If the adjective (describing word) is one syllable, you can add -er.
For example, small –smaller;
big – bigger;
nice – nicer.

2 If the adjective has two syllables, but ends in -y, you can change the end to -ier.
For example, lucky – luckier;
happy – happier.

3 Withother English adjectives of two syllables and more, you can't change their endings. Instead, you should use more + adjective.
For example, handsome – more handsome;
beautiful – more beautifuland so on.

4 When you compare two things, use 'than'.
"She's younger than me."
"This exercise is more difficult than the last one."

5 When you want to say something is similar, use 'as – as'.For example, "She's as tall as her brother"
or
"It's as nice today as it was yesterday."

6 When you want to say one thing is less than another, you can either use 'less than' or 'not as– as'.
For example, "This program is less interesting than I thought"
or
"This program is not as interesting as I thought."

7 Remember that some adjectives are irregular and changeform when you make comparisons.
For example, good – better;
bad – worse;
far – further.

Using qualifying expressions

You can vary the strength of the comparison by using "qualifying"expressions.

1. Comparing two things

You can use "a lot", "much", "a little", "slightly" and "far" before "more / less than":

"She's a lot more intelligent than him."
"This car is muchfaster than the other one."
"They are much less wealthy than they used to be."
"He's a little taller than his sister."
"She's slightly less interested in football than him.
"We are far more involved incharity than they are."
When you use these qualifying expressions in English, remember the rules about using -er. If the adjective is one syllable, or ends in -y, add -er:
"He's far taller than...