O que é comparative adjective

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Índice Show

What is a Comparative Adjective?
Forming Comparatives
Irregular Comparatives
What is the Difference Between Comparative and Superlative Adjectives?
Beware of Double Comparatives
Summary: What are Comparative Adjectives?
Formation of Comparative Adjectives
Use of Comparative Adjectives

Comparative Adjective Definition: A comparative adjective is an adjective that compares the traits of two nouns side-by-side.

What is a Comparative Adjective?

Adjectives are words used to describe nouns, and when a writer wishes to compare the descriptions of two nouns side-by-side, it requires the use of a comparative adjective.

Comparative Adjective Examples:

The tree in the front yard is taller than the one in the backyard.
- Taller = comparative adjective that is used to compare the height of the two trees
Christina often bragged that she was prettier than her classmates.
- Prettier = comparative adjective that is used to compare the looks of Christina and her classmates.

Forming Comparatives

In English, there are different ways to turn a word into a comparative adjective, depending on the adjective you are using.

One-syllable words: you simply add –er to the end of the word in order to form a comparative adjective.

Tall becomes taller
Smart becomes smarter

Two syllable words not ending in “y”: include the word “more” before the adjective

Anxious = more anxious
Charming = more charming

Two syllable words that end in “y”: drop the “y” and add –ier

Pretty = prettier
Clumsy = clumsier

With three or more syllable words: include the word “more” before the adjective

Mysterious = more mysterious
Disgusting = more disgusting

Ending in consonant-vowel-consonant: If your word ends with the pattern of consonant-vowel-consonant, you will want to double up the ending consonant before you add –er to the end.

Big = bigger
Sad = sadder
Fat = fatter

Irregular Comparatives

While most comparative adjectives can be formed using the methods above, irregular comparative do exist in English.

Examples of Irregular Comparative Adjectives:

good = better
bad = worse
little = less
much = more

What is the Difference Between Comparative and Superlative Adjectives?

Comparative vs. Superlative Adjectives: While comparative adjectives are used to make comparisons between two nouns, superlative adjectives are used for comparisons of three or more nouns.

Superlative adjectives compare qualities of nouns from greatest to least degree.

Superlative Adjective Examples:

I have the tallest tree in the neighborhood.
- tallest = superlative showing the tree is at the top of limits in comparison to the others.
Lindsey is the least charming real estate agent.
- least charming = superlative showing that Lindsey is at the bottom of the limits in comparison to the other agents.

Beware of Double Comparatives

Occasionally, writers will get overzealous with their desire to describe, which can create a double comparative, which should never appear in your writing.

For example, here is a double comparative along with two options for fixing it.

Jason was more smarter than the students in his class.
- More smarter = double comparative.

To fix this, delete “more” and only use the comparative adjective, smarter.

Jason was smarter than the students in his class.

Or, use a superlative instead of a comparative adjective.

Jason was the smartest student in the class.

Summary: What are Comparative Adjectives?

Define comparative adjective: In summary, comparative adjectives are used when the writer is showing the differences between a quality that two nouns possess.

Michelle is more fashionable than her older sister.
- more fashionable = comparative adjective

When we talk about two things, we can "compare" them. We can see if they are the same or different. Perhaps they are the same in some ways and different in other ways. We can use comparative adjectives to describe the differences.

We use comparative adjectives when talking about two things (not three or more things).

In the example below, "bigger" is the comparative form of the adjective "big":

A1 A2
A1 is bigger than A2.

Formation of Comparative Adjectives

There are two ways to make or to "form" a comparative adjective:

short adjectives: add "-er"
long adjectives: use "more"

Short adjectives: add -er	examples
1-syllable adjectives	old, fast
2-syllable adjectives ending in -y	happy, easy
RULE: add "-er"	old → older
Variation: if the adjective ends in -e, just add -r	late → later
Variation: if the adjective ends in consonant, vowel, consonant, double the last consonant	big → bigger
Variation: if the adjective ends in -y, change the y to i	happy → happier

Long adjectives: use more	examples
2-syllable adjectives not ending in -y	modern, pleasant
all adjectives of 3 or more syllables	expensive, intellectual
RULE: use "more"	modern → more modern expensive → more expensive

With some 2-syllable adjectives, we can use "-er" OR "more": quiet → quieter/more quiet clever → cleverer/more clever narrow → narrower/more narrow

simple → simpler/more simple

Exception: The following adjectives have irregular forms: good → better well (healthy) → better bad → worse

far → farther/further

Use of Comparative Adjectives

We use comparative adjectives when talking about 2 things (not 3 or 10 or 1,000,000 things, only 2 things).

Often, the comparative adjective is followed by "than".

Look at these examples:

John is 1m80. He is tall. But Chris is 1m85. He is taller than John.
America is big. But Russia is bigger.
I want to have a more powerful computer.
Is French more difficult than English?

If we talk about the two planets Earth and Mars, we can compare them as shown in the table below:

	Earth	Mars
Diameter (km)	12,760	6,790	Mars is smaller than Earth.
Distance from Sun (million km)	150	228	Mars is more distant from the Sun.
Length of day (hours)	24	25	A day on Mars is slightly longer than a day on Earth.
Moons	1	2	Mars has more moons than Earth.
Surface temperature (degrees Celsius)	22	-23	Mars is colder than Earth.

Although we use comparative adjectives when talking about two things (not three or more things), in fact one or both of the things may be a group of things.