COMPARATIVE ADJECTIVES EXERCISE 2 (ESL)

Grammar review Comparative adjectives — spelling patterns and irregular forms

This second exercise tests a wider range of adjectives, including several with tricky spelling changes. The core rule: add -er to short adjectives; use more with longer ones.

The three spelling traps for short adjectives:

1. Ends in consonant-vowel-consonant → double the final consonant:
Look for a short vowel sound followed by a single consonant at the end: this pattern requires doubling.
wet → wetter   sad → sadder   red → redder (same pattern applies here)

2. Ends in -y → change to -ier:
Any adjective ending in -y drops the y and adds -ier. There are no exceptions to this rule.
lucky → luckier   dirty → dirtier   busy → busier   noisy → noisier

3. Ends in -e → just add -r:
cute → cuter   rude → ruder   brave → braver   wise → wiser

Irregular forms:
Two of the most common adjectives in English have completely irregular comparative forms. If you don’t know them yet, this exercise is a good opportunity to learn them — they come up constantly.

Two-syllable adjectives ending in -er, -ow, -le, -y usually take -er:
clever → cleverer   narrow → narrower   simple → simpler