ESL Grammar: COMPARATIVE ADJECTIVES (16) – Review of Comparative Adjectives

This ESL grammar lesson reviews comparative adjectives. Students practice writing either “more adjective than / adjective -er than” or “as adjective as” or “not as adjective as” to complete various sentences.

ESL Grammar: Comparative Adjectives with “Adjective + -er”

Structure:

• Noun 1 + Verb + Adjective + -er + than + Noun 2

Usage:

• This form is used with short adjectives (typically one syllable) or adjectives ending in -y. It shows that one thing has more of a quality than another.

Examples:

• Tall → Taller: The giraffe is taller than the horse.
• Fast → Faster: The car is faster than the bike.
• Happy → Happier: She is happier than she was last week.

ESL Grammar: Comparative Adjectives with “More + Adjective”

Structure:

• Noun 1 + Verb + More + Adjective + than + Noun 2

Usage:

• This form is used with longer adjectives (typically two syllables or more) and helps to indicate that one thing has a greater degree of a quality compared to another.

Examples:

• Beautiful → More beautiful: The sunset is more beautiful than the sunrise.
• Interesting → More interesting: The movie is more interesting than the book.
• Expensive → More expensive: The hotel is more expensive than the hostel.

ESL Grammar: Comparative Adjectives with “As + Adjective + As”

Structure:

• Noun 1 + Verb + as + Adjective + as + Noun 2

Usage:

• This structure is used to compare two things that are equal in a particular quality. It shows that both things share the same degree of a quality.

Examples:

• Tall → As tall as: The tree is as tall as the building.
• Smart → As smart as: She is as smart as her friend.
• Bright → As bright as: The lamp is as bright as the sun.

ESL Grammar: Comparative Adjectives with “Not as + Adjective + as”

Structure:

• Noun 1 + Verb + not as + Adjective + as + Noun 2

Usage:

• This form is used to show that one thing has less of a quality compared to another. It indicates that one noun is not as much of a certain quality as the other noun.

Examples:

• Tall → Not as tall as: The hill is not as tall as the mountain.
• Good → Not as good as: This restaurant is not as good as the cafe.
• Clean → Not as clean as: This room is not as clean as the kitchen.

The English grammar lesson below reviews the comparative adjective structures taught thus far in a clear and simple manner that is easy for beginner or intermediate English learners to understand. Our series of ESL grammar lessons on subjects and verbs introduce these concepts and reinforce them through helpful and instructive exercises.

This lesson is available for free download, and you can download many more English grammar lessons focusing on all different parts of speech (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs and lots more!) in our comprehensive, beginner-level ESL grammar textbook Great, Great Grammar! (Book 1: Parts of Speech).