If you’re already acquainted with grammar basics, you’ll know that adjectives are essential words for enriching our language. They act as descriptors, modifying nouns and pronouns to paint a clearer picture. Think of words like bright, swift, gentle, and unbreakable – these are all adjectives at work. The English language boasts a diverse array of adjective types, each serving a unique purpose in sentence construction.
Among these, comparative adjectives hold a special place. We turn to them when we need to draw comparisons, highlighting the differences or similarities between two entities. For instance, stating that a salad is a healthier option than a burger uses the comparative adjective healthier to emphasize the salad’s superior health qualities. But comparative adjectives are more than just tools for simple comparisons; they add depth and nuance to our expressions. Let’s delve deeper into the world of comparative adjectives and understand how they function as a Comparative Thesaurus for everyday language.
Two hands holding up signs, one says better and the other says best
Deciphering the Comparative Adjective
A comparative adjective is specifically designed to compare two nouns or pronouns. Its primary function is to indicate that one subject possesses a quality to a greater extent than another. Words like bigger, faster, and smoother are prime examples of comparative adjectives in action. They enable us to express degrees of qualities when placing two items side by side.
Consider this scenario: you have two boxes, one light and one heavy. Using comparative adjectives, you can accurately describe their weights in relation to each other. You might say the heavier box is weightier than the lighter one, or conversely, the lighter box is less weighty. In both cases, you are using comparative adjectives to establish a clear difference in the degree of heaviness between the two boxes. Essentially, a comparative thesaurus of your mind helps you pick the right word to express these nuanced differences.
Comparative adjectives are derived from the positive form of an adjective. The positive form is the base adjective you would typically find in a dictionary – words like kind, quick, and pretty are all in their positive form.
Here’s a breakdown of the rules for transforming positive adjectives into their comparative forms:
- Most single-syllable adjectives: Simply append -er. For example, loud becomes louder. If the adjective ends in -e, add -r only, like large transforming to larger. For adjectives ending in -y, replace the -y with -i before adding -er, so funny becomes funnier.
- Single-syllable adjectives with a consonant-vowel-consonant ending: Double the final consonant before adding -er. For instance, hot becomes hotter, and thin becomes thinner.
- Two-syllable adjectives ending in -y: Change the -y to -i and add -er. Examples include happy becoming happier and silly becoming sillier.
- Two-syllable adjectives ending in -er, -le, or -ow: Add -er at the end. For instance, clever becomes cleverer, gentle becomes gentler, and shallow becomes shallower.
- All other adjectives with two or more syllables: Use more or less before the positive form. For example, beautiful becomes more beautiful, and difficult becomes less difficult.
It’s worth noting that some adjectives offer flexibility. Adjectives like common, polite, and simple can take either the -er suffix or the more/less prefix. However, mixing these forms (like saying “more simpler”) is grammatically incorrect.
Additionally, certain adjectives are irregular and don’t follow these standard rules. These include good, bad, far, and old. Their comparative forms are:
- good becomes better
- bad becomes worse
- far becomes farther/further (While farther often refers to physical distance, and further to metaphorical distance, they are frequently interchangeable.)
- old becomes older/elder (Elder is reserved for referring to people’s age and seniority within families or groups, while older is more generally used.)
When incorporating comparative adjectives into sentences, the word than often follows to connect the two compared items. For example, “My car is faster than yours,” not “My car is faster that yours.”
However, than is not always necessary. Sentences like “This cake is delicious, but the pie is even more so” effectively use a comparative adjective without explicitly using than. The key is to ensure clarity about what you are comparing when using comparative adjectives, effectively utilizing your internal comparative thesaurus for precise communication.
Expanding Your Comparative Vocabulary
Thinking of a comparative thesaurus, we can explore a wide range of adjectives ready for comparative use. Almost any positive adjective that can logically compare two things can be transformed into a comparative adjective. Here’s a selection to illustrate the breadth:
- braver, calmer, colder, drier, more exciting, funnier, less harmful, healthier, more intriguing, less irritating, keener, lighter, milder, nicer, less obvious, prettier, more qualified, quicker, less rigid, more thoughtful, less useful, vaster, warmer, younger, zippier
Placement of Comparative Adjectives in Sentences
Comparative adjectives are versatile in sentence structure. They can be placed directly before the noun or pronoun they modify or used as a subject complement with a linking verb (like to be, to seem).
- She opted for a brighter color for the walls.
- Looking at the two options, he chose the less complicated route.
- The company aims to make their new software more user-friendly and faster.
- Modern smartphones are significantly more powerful than their predecessors.
Illustrative Sentences with Comparative Adjectives
Let’s examine comparative adjectives in sentence form, highlighting their usage in context. The comparative adjective in each example is bolded.
-er Comparative Adjectives
These sentences showcase comparative adjectives formed with the -er suffix.
- The summer days are getting longer.
- We moved to a quieter neighborhood.
- He needs to run faster to catch up.
- Begin with simpler exercises before attempting complex routines.
more Comparative Adjectives
Longer adjectives typically use more for their comparative forms. More indicates a greater degree of a quality.
- The second half of the movie was more captivating.
- Between the two apartments, this one is more spacious.
- Generally, comedies are more popular than dramas.
- They upgraded to a more luxurious suite.
less Comparative Adjectives
For longer adjectives, less indicates a lower degree of a quality when comparing two items.
- A bicycle is a less expensive mode of transport than a car.
- They sought a less crowded beach.
- She pursued a less stressful career path.
- He wanted a less complicated recipe.
Irregular Comparative Adjectives
The irregular adjectives good, bad, far, and old have unique comparative forms.
- This new coffee blend tastes much better than the last one.
- She felt better after a good night’s sleep.
- Making a mistake is bad, but not learning from it is worse.
- She is my elder sister.
- The library is further/farther from here than the park.
In informal contexts, badder sometimes emerges as a slang comparative of bad, but worse remains the standard in formal communication.
- These small issues are manageable, but we need to address the bigger, worse problems urgently.
Guidelines for Effective Use of Comparative Adjectives
Like other adjectives, comparative adjectives can precede nouns/pronouns or serve as subject complements. You can even use multiple comparative adjectives to describe a single noun/pronoun:
- He traded his old phone for a newer, faster model.
- Compared to rabbits, squirrels are smaller, quicker, and noisier.
- She wanted a design that was bolder and more innovative.
However, remember these grammatical rules when using comparative adjectives:
-
Comparative adjectives are exclusively for comparing two items or people. For comparisons involving more than two, use superlative adjectives.
❌ Incorrect: Among all the planets in our solar system, Jupiter is the larger.
✅ Correct: Among all the planets in our solar system, Jupiter is the largest.When comparing categories (like apples to oranges), even if they represent groups, it’s still a comparison between two categories, thus requiring a comparative adjective.
❌ Incorrect: In terms of wealth, he is the richest than everyone else in the company combined.
✅ Correct: In terms of wealth, he is richer than everyone else in the company combined.Even with conjunctions linking multiple comparisons, if each comparison is still between two items at a time, comparative adjectives remain correct.
✅ Correct: This phone is faster than the old one.
✅ Also correct: This phone is faster than the old one and more user-friendly. (Two separate two-item comparisons linked by “and”).If you’re comparing something to every member of its group or indicating the highest degree overall, opt for a superlative adjective, not a comparative one.
❌ Incorrect: Out of all the cars in the race, this one is the faster.
✅ Correct: Out of all the cars in the race, this one is the fastest. -
Avoid using both -er and more/less together. Choose the correct comparative form of the adjective.
❌ Incorrect: This new software is more easier to use than the old one.
✅ Correct: This new software is easier to use than the old one.❌ Incorrect: He is more cleverer than he seems.
✅ Correct: He is cleverer than he seems or He is more clever than he seems. -
Unless used as a subject complement, comparative adjectives are typically preceded by an article or possessive pronoun.
❌ Incorrect: Of the two options, I prefer cheaper option.
✅ Correct: Of the two options, I prefer the cheaper option.❌ Incorrect: She traded her old bag for nicer one.
✅ Correct: She traded her old bag for a nicer one.❌ Incorrect: John is older son.
✅ Correct: John is their older son.
Enhance Your Writing Precision
Just as a comparative thesaurus enriches your vocabulary for comparisons, tools like Grammar Coach™ can refine your writing accuracy. These resources help identify and correct grammatical errors, including the proper use of comparative and superlative adjectives. By understanding and correctly applying comparative adjectives, you can make your writing clearer, more descriptive, and more impactful.
