Comparatives are one of the first things students get wrong in conversation — and one of the easiest things to fix once you see the pattern. “My brother is more tall than me.” “Maltese food is gooder than I expected.” “This summer is hotter as last year.” Sound familiar? You’re not alone, and by the end of this lesson you won’t make any of them.
This is a B1-level grammar lesson with a short quiz at the end. Read through the rules, look at the examples, and then try the questions yourself. No peeking.
What is a comparative adjective?
A comparative adjective is what we use to compare two things. Two — not three, not five, not all of them. Two. If you’re comparing more than two, you want a superlative, which is a different lesson.
The classic structure is:
[subject] + [be/get] + [comparative adjective] + than + [the other thing]
For example: This coffee is stronger than the one I had yesterday. Or: My new flatmate is friendlier than my last one.
How to form comparatives — the three rules
There are basically three rules, and they depend on how long the adjective is.
1. Short adjectives (one syllable): add ‑er.
- tall → taller
- fast → faster
- cheap → cheaper
- old → older
If the adjective ends in ‑e, just add ‑r: nice → nicer, large → larger. If it ends in a single vowel + single consonant, double the consonant: big → bigger, hot → hotter, thin → thinner.
2. Two-syllable adjectives ending in -y: change the y to i and add -er.
- happy → happier
- easy → easier
- busy → busier
- friendly → friendlier
3. Longer adjectives (two or more syllables): use “more” before the adjective.
- expensive → more expensive
- interesting → more interesting
- beautiful → more beautiful
- difficult → more difficult
Quick test — say the word out loud. If it has three or more syllables, you almost certainly want more. If it has one, you almost certainly want ‑er. Two is the grey area, and that’s where the ‑y exception lives.
The irregular ones (you have to memorise these)
English wouldn’t be English without exceptions. There are only a handful, but they’re all extremely common, so it’s worth committing them to memory.
- good → better
- bad → worse
- far → farther / further
- little → less
- much / many → more
Note: “gooder” and “badder” don’t exist in standard English. “Worser” is something Shakespeare wrote and you shouldn’t.
Common mistakes to avoid
These are the four errors we hear in class almost every week. If you can stop yourself making them, your spoken English will instantly sound more natural.
1. Don’t double up. It’s more expensive, not more expensiver. Pick one form, not both.
2. Use “than”, not “that” or “as”. Malta is warmer than Germany — not warmer that Germany or warmer as Germany. The “as” version is a German/Italian-speaker classic.
3. Don’t compare a noun to a different kind of noun. “The weather in Malta is better than London” sounds odd — you’re comparing weather to a city. Say “better than the weather in London” or “better than London’s”.
4. Subject pronouns after “than” — in formal writing. “She is taller than I (am)” is technically correct. In speech almost everyone says “taller than me” and that’s perfectly fine.
Quick quiz — try these
Choose the correct comparative form. Answers are at the bottom of the page — try all 8 before you scroll down.
- My new apartment is _______ (big) than my old one.
- This exercise is _______ (difficult) than the last one.
- The summer in Malta is _______ (hot) than in Germany.
- His handwriting is _______ (bad) than mine.
- The weather today is _______ (good) than yesterday.
- She speaks English _______ (fluent) than her brother.
- The food at this restaurant is _______ (cheap) than at the one near the school.
- I think Italian is _______ (easy) to learn than German.
Answers
- bigger (short adjective, double the g)
- more difficult (longer adjective, use “more”)
- hotter (short adjective, double the t)
- worse (irregular)
- better (irregular)
- more fluently — careful! “Speaks” needs an adverb, not an adjective. Adverbs follow the same comparative rules.
- cheaper (short adjective)
- easier (two-syllable ending in ‑y)
How did you do? 7 or 8 correct — you’ve got this. 5 or 6 — read the rules section once more and you’ll be solid. Below 5 — don’t worry, this is the kind of thing that clicks fast once you start using it in real conversations.
Practise it for real
Grammar rules are useless until you actually speak them. The fastest way to make comparatives feel automatic is to use them every day until you stop thinking about the rule — and the easiest way to do that is to be somewhere you have to speak English from the moment you order your morning coffee.
That’s basically what an English course in Malta is. Small classes, a teacher who’ll catch the “more bigger” before it leaves your mouth, and the rest of the day spent practising in cafes, on the bus, at the beach. Get a quote here if you want to see what a few weeks would look like for you.
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