Comparative Degree of Comparison: Rules, Examples and Exercises

 Comparing two people, places, or things is something we do every single day, whether we are saying a friend runs faster than us or that one movie is more interesting than another. In English grammar, we use the comparative degree for this. It belongs to a larger system known as the degree of comparison, which also includes the positive and superlative degrees, but the comparative degree is the one we reach for whenever exactly two things are being placed side by side.

This article focuses on the comparative degree of comparison. You will learn what it means, how it is formed, where it fits next to the positive and superlative degrees, and how to avoid the mistakes students most often make while using it. 

Table of Contents 

• What is the Comparative Degree of Comparison?
• Rules and Structure for Using the Comparative Degree of Comparison
• List of Comparative Degree Words
• Comparative Degree of Comparison Examples in Sentences
• When Not to Use the Comparative Degree of Comparison
• Comparative Degree vs Superlative Degree
• Common Errors in Using the Comparative Degree
• Tips to Master the Comparative Degree of Comparison
• Comparative Degree of Comparison Exercises
• Frequently Asked Questions on Comparative Degree of Comparison

What is the Comparative Degree of Comparison?

The comparative degree is the form of an adjective or adverb used when two nouns or pronouns are being compared to show which one holds a greater or smaller amount of a particular quality. It sits in the middle of the degree of comparison scale: positive degree simply states a quality without any comparison, comparative degree compares that quality between two items, and superlative degree compares it among three or more.

In simple terms, whenever a sentence needs the word’than’ to complete its meaning, you are almost certainly looking at the comparative degree. For example, saying a river is deep only describes it, but saying a river is deeper than a pond immediately tells us how the two compare. That shift from a plain description to a measured difference is exactly what the comparative degree does.

 

Rules and Structure for Using the Comparative Degree of Comparison

The comparative degree follows a fairly predictable sentence pattern: Subject + verb + comparative adjective/adverb + than + object of comparison

For example: This bridge is longer than that one.

Here are the main rules that govern how the comparative form is built.

• Short, one syllable adjectives take ‘-er’ plus ‘than’. Add ‘-er’ to the end of most one syllable adjectives, then follow it with ‘than’. Tall becomes taller than, fast becomes faster than, and cheap becomes cheaper than.

• Adjectives that already end in ‘e’ only need ‘-r’. Words like wide, safe, or rare simply take an ‘-r’ ending, giving you wider than, safer than, and rarer than.

• Adjectives ending in a single vowel plus a single consonant double that final consonant. Big becomes bigger than, thin becomes thinner than, and sad becomes sadder than. Doubling the last letter keeps the vowel sound short.

• Two syllable adjectives ending in ‘y’ change the ‘y’ to ‘i’ before adding ‘-er’. Tidy becomes tidier than, funny becomes funnier than, and busy becomes busier than.

• Longer, multi syllable adjectives use ‘more’ or ‘less’ instead of an ending. Rather than altering the word itself, you place ‘more’ or ‘less’ in front of it. Generous becomes more generous than, complicated becomes more complicated than, and expensive becomes more expensive than.

• Some adjectives and adverbs are irregular and must simply be memorised. Good becomes better than, bad becomes worse than, far becomes farther or further than, and little becomes less than. These do not follow any spelling pattern, so they need to be learned individually.

• Comparative adverbs follow a similar split. Short adverbs such as soon, hard, and fast add ‘-er’ (sooner than, harder than), while longer adverbs such as carefully or quickly use ‘more’ or ‘less’.

• ‘As...as’ can express an equal comparative relationship. When two things are equal rather than unequal in a quality, ‘as + adjective + as’ is used instead of ‘-er...than’ or ‘more...than’. For instance, this laptop is as fast as that one.

 

List of Comparative Degree Words

Here is a list of words in their positive degree of comparison and comparative degree of comparison forms.

Short, one syllable words (‘-er’)

Words ending in ‘e’ (add only ‘-r’)

Words with a short vowel plus single consonant (double the consonant)

Two syllable words ending in ‘y’ (change ‘y’ to ‘i’)

Longer words (‘more’ or ‘less’)

Irregular comparative forms

Comparative Degree of Comparison Examples in Sentences

Here are some examples of how to use comparative degree of comparison in  sentences.

• My new backpack is lighter than my old one.

• The traffic on Monday morning was worse than on Friday evening.

• Riya's presentation was more detailed than Aman's.

• This coffee tastes stronger than the one from yesterday.

• The second half of the movie was less predictable than the first.

• Our new apartment is quieter than the one we rented last year.

• He finished the marathon faster than most of the other runners.

• The lake looked calmer than usual this morning.

• Learning to swim was easier than I expected.

• Her explanation was clearer than the one in the textbook.

 

When Not to Use the Comparative Degree of Comparison

Although the comparative degree is useful, it should not be used in every situation.

When Describing Only One Thing

Incorrect: This painting is more colorful.

Correct: This painting is colorful.

When Comparing More Than Two Items

Incorrect: Among all the participants, Sara is taller.

Correct: Among all the participants, Sara is the tallest.

When No Comparison Is Intended

Incorrect: The building is bigger.

Correct: The building is big.

When the Meaning Is Already Comparative

Avoid unnecessary comparison when the context already indicates comparison.

 

Comparative Degree vs Superlative Degree

Most of us often confuse with comparative degree and superlative degree. The table below shows the difference between comparative an superlative degree.  

Common Errors in Using the Comparative Degree

• Double Comparatives

• Incorrect: This method is more easier.

• Correct: This method is easier.

• Missing ‘Than’

• Incorrect: My bicycle is faster yours.

• Correct: My bicycle is faster than yours.

• Using Comparative for More Than Two Items

• Incorrect: Of all the houses, this one is larger.

• Correct: Of all the houses, this one is the largest.

• Incorrect: She is gooder at mathematics.

• Correct: She is better at mathematics.

• Comparing Unlike Things

• Incorrect: The salary of this job is higher than the company.

• Correct: The salary of this job is higher than that of the other company.

 

Tips to Master the Comparative Degree of Comparison

• Count the syllables in the adjective first. One syllable words usually take ‘-er’, while three or more syllable words almost always take ‘more’ or ‘less’.

• For two syllable adjectives, when in doubt, ‘more/less’ is usually the safer choice, though common exceptions like happy, easy, and simple take ‘-er’.

• Read the sentence aloud. If it needs a ‘than’ to make complete sense, the comparative degree is likely required.

• Keep a running list of irregular forms such as good/better, bad/worse, and far/farther, since these cannot be worked out from spelling rules.

• Practise by comparing everyday objects around you, such as two chairs, two books, or two routes to work, and describe the difference using a comparative sentence.

• Proofread for double comparatives by checking whether both ‘more’ and an ‘-er’ ending have been used together by mistake.

 

Comparative Degree of Comparison Exercises

Exercise 1: Complete the Sentences

Fill in the blanks with the correct comparative form.

1. This puzzle is __________ (easy) than the previous one.

2. The red jacket is __________ (expensive) than the blue jacket.

3. My new desk is __________ (large) than the old one.

4. The second movie was __________ (good) than the first.

5. The village road is __________ (narrow) than the highway.

Answers:

1. easier

2. more expensive

3. larger

4. better

5. Narrower

Exercise 2: Rewrite Using the Comparative Degree

1. The mountain is high. The hill is not as high.

2. A train is fast. A bicycle is not as fast.

3. The first essay was interesting. The second essay was more interesting.

4. My brother is strong. I am not as strong as him.

5. The black bag is heavy. The gray bag is not as heavy.

Answers:

1. The mountain is higher than the hill.

2. A train is faster than a bicycle.

3. The second essay was more interesting than the first essay.

4. My brother is stronger than I am.

5. The black bag is heavier than the gray bag.

Exercise 3: Identify the Errors

1. This question is more simpler than that one.

2. Rahul is taller from Mohit.

3. Of all the players, Tara is faster.

4. This solution is more better than the old one.

5. She is happiest than her sister.

Answers:

1. easier

2. taller than

3. fastest

4. better

5. happier