COMPARATIVE ADJECTIVES EXERCISE 1 (ESL)

Grammar review Comparative adjectives — formation rules

Comparative adjectives are used to compare two things. In English, how you form the comparative depends on the length and ending of the adjective.

Short adjectives (one syllable) — add -er:
cold → colder   fast → faster   slow → slower   dark → darker

Spelling rules for short adjectives:
Ends in -e: just add -r   nice → nicer   large → larger   brave → braver
Ends in consonant + vowel + consonant: double the final consonant   wet → wetter   flat → flatter
Ends in -y: change y to i, add -er   early → earlier   noisy → noisier

Long adjectives (two or more syllables) — use more:
beautiful → more beautiful   expensive → more expensive   interesting → more interesting

Irregular forms (must be memorised):
A small group of very common adjectives have completely irregular comparative forms that don’t follow any of the patterns above. You’ll encounter at least two of them in this exercise.

Using comparatives in a sentence:
Always use than when making the comparison explicit:
“This road is much wider than the old one.”