Using
Comparisons:
There are two ways to make a comparison in English.
1.)
Use more in front of the adjective.
--It's
more exciting.
2.)
Add -er to end of the adjective.
--A
bus is cheaper than a taxi.
To
complete a comparison, use than.
--I
am older than my wife.
For
most one-syllable adjectives, use -er: older, wiser, etc. For
most two and three-syllable adjectives, use more: more recent.
For two-syllable adjectives ending in -y, use -er. Note that the
y is changed to i in words such as busy (busier) and pretty (prettier).
It
is sometimes hard to decide whether to use more or -er in a comparison.
In fact, there are many common adjectives that use either form
(such as able, angry, cruel, friendly, polite, quiet, simple,
etc.). Listening and practice with speaking the language will
help you more than any number of rules. Finally, note the following
irregular forms:
good-->better
little-->less
bad-->worse
far-->farther
Adverbs
can also be used in comparisons. More is used with adverbs that
end in -ly:
slowly-->more
slowly
careful-->more carefully
Use
-er with one-syllable adverbs: faster, harder, sooner, closer,
etc.
Note
these irregular forms:
well-->better
far-->farther
badly-->worse
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