Comparatives: which one is better? Comparative exercises with -er, more and than
About this lesson
This A2 drill lesson gives comparatives exercises for comparing two people, places or things: -er or more, the spelling rules, better, worse, farther and than.
- Grammar
- One-syllable adjectives + -er (cheaper, nicer, bigger), y → ier, more for longer adjectives, the irregular three, than, questions with Which…? and Who…?, and much for a big difference.
- Topic
- Lena chooses between two neighborhoods: her forum post with neighbors' comments, an email to her mom, a housing ad, her post a month later and her texts.
- Activities
- Sorting, spelling choices, gap-fills, anagrams, a memory game, drag-and-drop, word order, a two-phone table, matching, quizzes and a chat.
What's inside
Chapter 1The rule
Chapter 2Short adjectives: -er
- Sort the adjectives: how do we add -er?Sort into columnsUnlock
- Choose the right spellingChoose the optionTry it
- Write the comparative of the short adjectiveFill in the gapsUnlock
- Unscramble the comparativesAnagramUnlock
- Find the matching pairs: adjective and comparativeMemory gameUnlock
- Drag the right comparative into each gapDrag and dropUnlock
- Put the words in the right orderUnjumbleUnlock
Chapter 3Long adjectives: more, better, worse
- Choose the right form: -er or more?Choose the optionUnlock
- Write the comparative of the long adjectiveFill in the gapsTry it
- Fill in the gaps: irregular comparativesFill in the gapsUnlock
- Fill in the table: compare the two phonesFill in the tableUnlock
- Find the mistake and choose the right wordsQuizUnlock
- Match the beginnings and the endingsMatchUnlock
Chapter 4Than: compare two things
- Fill in the gaps: comparative + thanFill in the gapsUnlock
- Choose the right wordsChoose the optionUnlock
- Put the words in order: comparisons and questionsUnjumbleUnlock
- Write the questionsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Match the questions and the answersMatchTry it
- Read the facts and drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
- Read and choose the right sentenceQuizUnlock
Chapter 5Real life: Maple Hill or Harbor Square?
- Read Lena's post and the commentsReal-life documentUnlock
- Read the post again: true or false?True or falseUnlock
- Read Lena's email to her mom and fill in the gapsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Read the ad and drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
- Read Lena's post a month later and fill in the gapsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Choose the right replies: Lena texts youChatTry it
- Test yourself: choose the right answerQuizUnlock
Chapter 6Homework
- Choose the right comparative: at the zooChoose the optionUnlock
- Fill in the gaps: shopping comparisonsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Sort the adjectives: how do we make the comparative?Sort into columnsUnlock
- Unscramble the comparative formsAnagramUnlock
- Fill in the table: comparatives and their oppositesFill in the tableUnlock
- Read the facts and fill in the gapsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Put the words in the right order: comparisonsUnjumbleUnlock
- Is it correct? Mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
- Choose the right optionChoose the optionUnlock
- Match the two halves of the sentencesMatchUnlock
- Choose the correct sentenceQuizUnlock
- Drag the comparatives into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
- Read Felix's postcard and fill in the gapsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Read the café review and drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
- Read Mia and Jake's messages and fill in the gapsFill in the gapsUnlock
Grammar: comparative adjectives: -er, more and than
A comparative compares two people or things, and than introduces the second one: A plane is faster than a car. One-syllable adjectives add -er; most longer ones take more, a few are irregular, and an adjective never takes both: more cheaper is wrong.
Comparatives: which one is better?
Compare two people or things: adjective + -er or more + adjective, then than.
The pattern: comparative + than
The sentence runs thing, is or are, comparative, than, thing: My new job is better than my old job. For a big difference, add much or a lot: A taxi is a lot more expensive than a bus, never very smaller.
Compare two things
thing 1is / areadjective + -er · more + adjectivethanthing 2
A plane is faster than a car.
This book is more interesting than the movie.
My new job is better than my old job.
A big difference: much / a lot
Put much or a lot before the comparative: Lakes are much smaller than oceans. A taxi is a lot more expensive than a bus. (Not: very smaller.)
How to make the comparative
Add -er to one syllable (cheaper), just -r after e (safer), double after one vowel + one consonant (hotter, but newer), and change y to ier (busier). Longer adjectives take more; good, bad and far become better, worse, farther.
| The adjective | The rule | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| one syllable | + er | cheap → cheaper, tall → taller, old → older |
| one syllable, ends in -e | + r | nice → nicer, safe → safer, large → larger |
| one syllable, ends in one vowel + one consonant | double the last letter + er | big → bigger, hot → hotter, thin → thinner (but: new → newer) |
| two syllables, ends in consonant + y | y → ier | easy → easier, busy → busier, happy → happier |
| most other adjectives of two or more syllables | more + adjective | more modern, more expensive, more beautiful |
| irregular | a new word | good → better, bad → worse, far → farther (or further) |
Questions: Is it…? Which is…?
Yes/no questions start with is or are: Is a horse faster than a dog? – Yes, it is. To choose between two, ask Which or Who and put the options after or: Who is older, you or your brother?
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Is a horse faster than a dog? | Yes, it is. |
| Are your shoes newer than your boots? | No, they aren't. |
| Which is bigger, the sun or the moon? | The sun is. It's much bigger. |
| Who is older, you or your brother? | My brother is. He's older than me. |
Common mistakes
Learners often write more tall, gooder, badder, easyer and biger. Than, not that or then, links the two things: A car is faster than a bike. And w never doubles: slow, slower.
Examples
- Dad is taller than Mom.one syllable: + er
- The new stadium is larger than the old one.ends in -e: + r
- My tea is hotter than your coffee.double the last letter
- Spanish is easier than Chinese for me.y → ier
- This sofa is more comfortable than that chair.long adjective: more
- My cooking is worse than my mom's.irregular: bad → worse
Common mistakes
Tom is more tall than Ben.
Tom is taller than Ben.
short adjective: + -er, not more
This phone is more cheaper.
This phone is cheaper.
-er or more, never both
Your cake is gooder than my cake.
Your cake is better than my cake.
good → better, bad → worse
A car is faster that a bike.
A car is faster than a bike.
compare with than (not that or then)
Spelling and other traps
Not: easyer (easier), biger (bigger), badder (worse), more expensiver (more expensive), biggest than (bigger than). We never double w: new → newer, slow → slower.
More lessons on this grammar: Comparatives and superlatives lessons and exercises
Try the comparatives exercises
Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.
What's in the lesson
- 39 auto-checked exercises
- 6 games
- 1 real-life document
- 1 grammar scheme
- 1 picture
The main objectives of this lesson are to:
- add -er with the right spelling: Your soup is hotter than my soup. In the morning, the subway is busier than the bus, not hoter or busyer
- use more with long adjectives and never together with -er: Gold is more expensive than silver, not more cheaper
- use better, worse and farther: Homemade pizza is better than frozen pizza. The traffic is worse in the morning than at night.
- compare with than and ask which one: Which is cheaper, the bus or the train? Who is younger, you or your cousin?
- Grammar:
- comparatives · -er / more · better / worse / farther · than
- Topic:
- grammar practice · comparing things · neighborhoods · moving · new job
Teaching tips
- Compare two things on the desk: students pick two objects (a pen and a pencil, two phones) and write three sentences with -er, more and better or worse; partners check the spelling.
- Debate the two neighborhoods: after Lena's post, half the class argues for Maple Hill and half for Harbor Square, using only comparatives: It's cheaper. It's more exciting.
- Ask Which is better, A or B?: write pairs on the board (tea or coffee, summer or winter, cats or dogs); students ask each other and answer with a reason: Tea. It's cheaper.
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The whole course: English Grammar Practice · A2
English Grammar Practice · A2 has 28 drill lessons, one grammar point each: the past simple and continuous, used to, comparatives, going to and will, the present perfect, modals, the zero and first conditionals and questions. Each has the rule as a scheme, 43 to 47 exercises that check themselves, 15 of them for homework, and no new words.See the course
- 1Past simple with -ed: moving day!
- 2Past simple irregular verbs: we went, we saw, we bought
- 3Past simple negatives and questions: where did the cake go?
- 4Past continuous: what were you doing at 9 p.m.?
- 5Past simple or past continuous: what were you doing when it happened?
- 6Used to: how things were back then
- 7Comparatives: which one is better?
- 8Superlatives: the best in town
- 9As … as, too, enough: is it the right size?
- 10Adverbs of manner: how did she drive?
- 11Much, many, a few, a little: how much do we need?
- 12Possessive pronouns: whose is it?
- 13Be going to: what's your plan?
- 14Will: what will the future bring?
- 15Present continuous for plans: what are you doing tonight?
- 16Will vs going to: decided before or right now?
- 17Present perfect: have you ever tried it?
- 18Just, already, yet: have you done it yet?
- 19For and since: how long have you known her?
- 20Present perfect or past simple: up to now or finished time?
- 21Must and have to: what are the rules?
- 22Should: what should I do?
- 23Can, could, may: could you help me, please?
- 24Verb + to or -ing: what do you enjoy doing?
- 25Zero conditional: what happens if…?
- 26First conditional: what will you do if it rains?
- 27Articles: a, the or no article?
- 28Subject and object questions: who won the quiz?