Formation of Comparative Adjectives
There are two ways to make or form a comparative
adjective:
- short adjectives: add "-er"
- long adjectives: use "more"
| Short adjectives |
|
|
old, fast |
- 2-syllable adjectives ending in -y
|
happy, easy |
| Normal rule: add "-er" |
old > older |
| Variation:
if the adjective ends in -e, just add -r |
late > later |
| Variation:
if the adjective ends in consonant, vowel, consonant,
double the last consonant |
big > bigger |
| Variation:
if the adjective ends in -y, change the y to
i |
happy > happier |
| Long adjectives |
- 2-syllable adjectives not ending in
-y
|
modern, pleasant |
- all adjectives of 3 or more syllables
|
expensive, intellectual |
| Normal rule: use "more" |
modern > more modern
expensive > more expensive |
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With some 2-syllable adjectives,
we can use '-er' or 'more':
- quiet > quieter/more
quiet
- clever > cleverer/more
clever
- narrow > narrower/more
narrow
- simple > simpler/more
simple
|
|
Exception
The following adjectives have irregular forms:
- good > better
- well (healthy) > better
- bad > worse
- far > farther/further
Use of Comparative
Adjectives >>
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