Comparatives

  • A2 · Elementary
  • Grammar lesson
  • 60 min

Comparative adjectives: colder, windier, bigger, more expensive, better and worse, with than, and as … as (LA isn't as cold as Chicago). From two sisters comparing Chicago and Los Angeles to a debate about which is better: summer or winter, cats or dogs.

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bigger thanas heavy asnot as cold as

What's in the lesson

  1. 1Warm-up
  2. 2Reading: two sisters, two citiesReading comprehension
  3. 3What does it mean?Grammar exercise
  4. 4Find the comparativesGrammar exercise
  5. 5How comparatives workGrammar rule
  6. 6Choose the right formGrammar exercise
  7. 7Compare themGrammar exercise
  8. 8Say it another wayGrammar exercise
  9. 9Questions for your teacherGrammar exercise
  10. 10Say it naturallySpeaking practice
  11. 11Which is better?Speaking practice
  12. 12About youGrammar exercise
  13. 13Wrap-up

Homework

  1. 1Homework: my old phone and my new phoneGrammar exercise
  2. 2Homework: find the mistakeGrammar exercise
  3. 3Homework: two placesDiscussion

Two slides from the lesson

Warm-up

A few questions about you before we start.

  1. Do you have a brother or a sister? How are you different?
  2. Which city in your country do you like? Why?
  3. Do you prefer hot weather or cold weather?

Grammar rule

How comparatives work

Making the comparative

AdjectiveComparativeRule
one syllable: cold, small, highcolder, smaller, higher+ -er
ends in -e: nice, large, safenicer, larger, safer+ -r
one syllable, one vowel + one consonant at the end: big, hot, wetbigger, hotter, wetterdouble the last letter + -er (but not w: slow → slower)
two syllables, ends in -y: easy, windy, happy, busyeasier, windier, happier, busiery → i + -er
other adjectives with two or more syllables: expensive, famous, beautifulmore expensive, more famous, more beautifulmore + adjective
irregular: good, bad, farbetter, worse, fartherlearn them

Use than before the second thing: Chicago is colder than LA. (than, not then)

To make the difference big, use much: much colder, much more expensive.

as … as

as + adjective + as = the same: My bag is as heavy as yours. not as + adjective + as = less: LA isn't as cold as Chicago. (= Chicago is colder.)

-ed and -ing adjectives always take more: more tired, more boring, more interesting (not boringer). A few two-syllable adjectives can take both forms: quieter or more quiet, simpler or more simple.
Use -er or more, never both: not more colder, not more better.

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