# data[].attributes.body
Students will search online for sentences using comparative adjectives and share their findings with the class. They'll explain why the adjectives are used comparatively, enhancing their understanding of the concept.

# data[].attributes.body
Using a computer, students will create virtual flashcards of adjectives. They will then practice converting these into their comparative forms, either individually or in pairs, reinforcing their understanding through repetition.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
With help of these 12 cards you can ask students to form sentences and say which object, animal or who is heavier, faster, better, slower, smaller newer, happier, younger, colder, hotter, worse or thinner than the other one.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
With help of these 12 cards you can ask students to form sentences and say which object, animal or who is heavier, faster, better, slower, smaller newer, happier, younger, colder, hotter, worse or thinner than the other one. - ESL worksheets

# data[].attributes.body
The teacher creates a digital sorting game on a smartboard or computer, where students categorize words into adjectives and their comparative forms. This interactive activity prompts critical thinking and group engagement.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Try these free, fun MOBILE-FRIENDLY adjective order games for ESL learners to test your understanding of English adjective grammar. All games have answers available.

Beginner to Intermediate Games
50 adjective games in which you make phrases with the adjectives in the correct order. For example:

black a dog big ⇒ a big black dog

Intermediate to Advanced Games
100 topic-based adjective games in which you make sentences with the adjectives in the correct order. For example:

well-known . Glastonbury music a festival British is ⇒ Glastonbury is a well-known British music festival.

You can play these games on your smartphone, tablet or desktop, so bookmark these pages and keep coming back to practise* your English!

* British English vs American English
verb: practise BrE; practice AmE
noun: practice BrE/AmE
See: Practice or practise?

Learn about adjective order.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Fun, free online games where you put adjectives in the right order. Mobile-friendly. Helps you learn English adjective order. Ideal for ESL learners.

# data[].attributes.body
In small teams, students will compete in a timed relay, using a computer to transform a list of adjectives into their comparative forms. This energetic activity encourages quick thinking and teamwork.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
We often describe something by comparing it to something else. And, when two items are compared, we enter into the land of comparative adjectives. For example, we might say, "This fireplace is bigger than the last one." When a word ends in -er, it's a good indication you 're looking at a comparative adjective.

Other giveaways are the words "more" or "less." For example, "It's more expensive to drive a German car than an American car." Not too difficult, right? Let's explore several examples of comparative adjectives.

Bright and Brighter Light Bulbs

Comparative Adjectives That Add -er

When you have single-syllable adjectives (such as tall), you typically add -er to form the comparative adjective (tall becomes taller). This isn't universally true, as some multi-syllable words also receive an -er ending, but it's a good rule of thumb to follow.

In the list below, we'll start with the root word and then look at its comparative form.

Bold - Bolder

Bright - Brighter

Calm - Calmer

Dull - Duller

Fast - Faster

Gross - Grosser

High - Higher

Large - Larger

Light - Lighter

Mean - Meaner

Neat - Neater

Odd - Odder

Plain - Plainer

Quick - Quicker

Rich - Richer

Soft - Softer

Weak - Weaker

Young - Younger

Sometimes, you have to double the last letter before adding the -er ending. Generally, the rule is that you double the last letter of a single-syllable adjective ending with consonant + vowel + consonant.

Here are a few examples:

Big - Bigger

Dim - Dimmer

Fat - Fatter

Fit - Fitter

Flat - Flatter

Mad - Madder

Sad - Sadder

Tan - Tanner

Exception to the Rule(s)

Since we're discussing grammar, you won't be surprised to learn there's an exception coming. As mentioned, certain two-syllable words take the -er ending instead of "more" or "less." Many, though not all, of those two-syllable words end in -y. When there's a two-syllable word ending in -y, change the "y" to "i" before adding -er.

Here are some examples:

Clumsy - Clumsier

Deadly - Deadlier

Dusty - Dustier

Fancy - Fancier

Guilty - Guiltier

Happy - Happier

Itchy - Itchier

Lonely - Lonelier

Nasty - Nastier

Pretty - Prettier

Risky - Riskier

Silly - Sillier

Smoky - Smokier

Tasty - Tastier

Wealthy - Wealthier

Worthy - Worthier

Comparative Adjectives That Add "More" or "Less"

When dealing with root adjectives that are two syllables, you generally place "more" or "less" before the adjective in lieu of the -er ending. Here are some examples:

Bitter - More (or less) bitter

Clever - More (or less) clever

Modern - More (or less) modern

Polite - More (or less) polite

Tired - More (or less) tired

On a final note, anything with three or more syllables automatically uses the "more" or "less" formula. For example, "important" becomes "more important" and "expensive" becomes "more expensive."

Beautiful - More (or less) beautiful

Difficult - More (or less) difficult

Expensive - More (or less) expensive

Interesting - More (or less) interesting

Important - More (or less) important

Irregular Adjective Forms

Finally, like irregular verbs, we have irregular comparative adjectives. When you're comparing two items, the following adjectives take on an entirely new word form.

Bad - Worse

Far - Farther (or further)

Good - Better

Little - Less*

*There's a small stipulation to "less." Depending on the context, you could also say "littler." For example, "Joan is litter than Sarah." Typically, we'd use "smaller" in cases like this. A good way to distinguish between the two is to remember it's "less" if you're discussing quantity and "littler" if you're discussing physical size. For example, "I have little time, but you have less time."

Using Comparative Adjectives

When comparative adjectives are at play, the sentence generally follows this formula:

Subject (Noun) + Verb + Comparative Adjective + Than + Direct Object (Noun).

However, you can make the comparison without using the word "than," as you can see in these example sentences:

Jill is faster than Todd.

My brother is clumsier than me.

You might be tall, but I am taller.

I need to buy a more modern phone.

You can also add a quantifier to the comparative adjective to show degrees of difference in the comparison:

I found this assignment a little easier than the last one.

My new car is a lot quieter than my old rickety one.

I love that we live much closer to the beach now.

This winter was considerably colder than last winter.

When using comparative adjectives to describe two items, one or both of those items may be a group. For example:

Caspar is fatter than my other cats.

I like cats better than dogs.

Superlative Adjectives

Does all this leave you wondering more about comparisons? Are you on the edge of your seat wondering how to compare three or more things? The answer to that is superlative adjectives.

These modifiers compare three or more things. Typically, superlative adjectives use -est (instead or -er), and "most" and least" (instead of "more" or "less"). Take a look at these examples:

Your pretzel may be big, but I've got the biggest pretzel ever made.

That's the most important lesson you'll ever learn in life.

For more on that, check out these examples of superlative adjectives.

Compare with Accuracy

There you have it! Comparative and superlative adjectives are tricky, given all those twists and turns. But, fear not! The fastest way to become a grammar pro is to read, read, read. For more practice, print out this helpful lesson plan for comparative and superlative adjectives.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We often describe something by comparing it to something else. And, when two items are compared, we enter into the land of comparative adjectives. For example, we might say, "This fireplace is bigger than the last one." When a word ends in -er, it's a good indication you 're looking at a comparative adjective.

# data[].attributes.body
Create an online quiz where students have to choose the correct comparative form of an adjective from multiple choices. This can be done individually or as a team activity, with immediate feedback enhancing learning.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Comparative Adjectives Quiz | Grammar | EnglishClub

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Multiple-choice quiz to test understanding of English Club's grammar page on Comparative Adjectives like older, harder, prettier and more beautiful. For ESL learners and teachers.

# data[].attributes.body
Students will write short stories on the computer incorporating as many comparative adjectives as possible. Later, they'll share these stories with the class, promoting creativity and practical application.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
This comparatives adjectives story is about brother rivalry. It's about two boys that love to compete with each other. One boy is older, taller and no matter how hard his brother tries, he's always the best. Until they eat their dinner...

In this comparatives adjectives story, students have to fill in the blanks with the words at the bottom of the story. Which comparative adjective should go into each blank?

After students finish the story, they can practice reading it aloud. Can they think of their own comparative adjectives story for other sports? For example, long jumpers try to jump farther than their opponent.

Comparatives Adjectives Story - Brother Rivalry

Once upon a time, there were two brothers named Ed and Ted who always competed against each other. No matter how hard Ted tried, Ed always did everything better.

See, Ed was 1 year older than his brother Ted. And when they measured their heights, Ed was always one foot taller than his brother.

They loved kicking the soccer ball, but no matter how hard Ted tried, Ed always kicked the ball farther than his brother Ted. When they played basketball too, Ed always jumped higher than his brother too. Finally, when they ran to the finish line, Ed was always a couple of seconds faster than Ted.

Ted was going to give up on being the best because his brother was always better than everything he did.

Ed and Ted were both exhausted. Their mom called them back into the house for dinner. They sat down at the table but it was Ted who was hungrier than his brother because he ate his whole meal.

At that point, both boys realized that you can't be better at everything than your brother in life.

Related Adjectives and Grammar Worksheets

If you need more grammar and adjectives worksheets, see our free printable activity sheets below.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Comparatives Adjectives Story - Brother Rivalry - ALL ESL

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This comparatives adjectives story is about brother rivalry. It's about two boys that love to compete with each other.

# data[].attributes.body
Students will use spreadsheet software to create charts comparing adjectives with their comparative and superlative forms. This visual aid helps them understand the progression and differences between forms.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Comparison of adjectives in English Grammar - Regular and irregular forms and examples

# data[].attributes.body
Utilize online educational games that focus on comparative adjectives. These games provide a fun way for students to practice and reinforce their knowledge in an interactive setting.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
You can set this page as a homework task for a group of students; doing so will give you a record of who has completed the task. Visit the teacher's section for more information.

You can share this page by using the link below.

This is a game for learning English (ESL) with a specific focus on comparatives

The game uses pairs of images that show a difference. For example a tall person and a short person. These pairs are matched with the comparative form of an adjective. For example 'taller'. The comparative forms describe the meanings conveyed in the pairs of images.

The comparative form is always made by taking the image on the left as primary. The image on the left is always the subject of the sentence and the image on the right is always the object.

The game has 2 main screens. First there is a screen where you can view pairs of images and read a phrase that describes the comparison. You can click on adjacent images to scroll through them. The aim of this screen is to review the images and give an idea of the differences. On this screen you can also select which set of content you would like to use. To start the game, you click on the 'play' button.

The second of the main screens is the game screen. This shows pairs of images and requires you to make comparatives phrases to describe the differences. To make the phrases, you first have to select which adjective to use (remembering that the left image is always the subject). Then you are presented with 3 different forms of the adjective and you have to select which form is the accurate way to make the comparative. For example, the very first pair of images shows an elephant and a mouse. First, you choose the adjective 'big' and then you select the word 'bigger' to describe the difference. Once you have made 12 phrases, the set is complete and you get a score.

There are 6 different sets of content:

Each set of content has 12 pairs of images and a matching comparative phrase. The sets were chosen on the basis of how easy there were to represent visually. It would have been good to use comparative forms of adjectives like 'intelligent' or 'nice', but those are difficult to show in an image.

There is a scoring system in which you get points for correct answers. Getting answers correct in a row - without any mistakes - dramatically increases the score you get. There is also a timer through which you can get more score for answering quickly. Unlike other games, the timer does not cause a game over. A timer can make the game more interesting, but a lot of people email me feedback to say that it is often quite frustrating when it ends the game. The timer running out does however end the streak of correct answers. In this way, it is hoped that it can be engaging, but not so frustrating.

For comparative forms in English, the general rule is that words with 3 or more syllables use 'more' while shorter words just add 'er' or 'ier'. I did not think it was possible to teach or show this rule in the game; rather, students just have to know this and then look at or read the words. This game, like all the others, is really more about practicing things that students have already been taught in the classroom and is not really about instruction. I tried to use as many longer 'more' adjectives as I could; also, I managed to get good-better and bad-worse included.

It is hoped that learning can take place with this game by repeatedly forming comparative phrases. A student looks at the picture to stimulate the meaning, then through making the comparative phrase, the words are associated with the meaning.

Email me with any comments or feedback. You can use the contact page or just add a comment below

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This is a mini game to practice comparative sentences in English. It is mainly for ESL students to learn and reinforce comparative forms and make comparisons between vocabulary items.

# data[].attributes.body
Students will create short video presentations explaining the rules of forming comparative adjectives. This task enhances their understanding through teaching and allows for creative expression.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Video class explaining how to use comparative and superlative adjectives with interactive oral exercises

# data[].attributes.body
Students write sentences using comparative adjectives and then swap computers with a peer for review and feedback. This activity fosters peer learning and the ability to critique constructively.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A high school English teacher discusses how he improved the peer review process in his classroom after early attempts came up short.

©Shutterstock/wavebreakmedia

Having students participate in a peer review can be an extremely rewarding endeavor, but English teachers often run into issues during the process. Students may not feel comfortable or confident enough to provide feedback. Sometimes students are overwhelmed because their partners' work has too many problems. Whatever the case, there are ways to make the experience valuable for the students who are reviewing their peers' work and for those getting their work reviewed.

There are lots of tools teacher can use to conduct the peer review, even if class time is limited. Digital sharing can be a great, useful homework assignment. Tools like Turnitin.com and Google Docs are good options for completing a peer review at home, but so is old-school printing and exchanging paper copies.

The benefits for teachers of infusing lessons with peer review include incorporating lessons in working with others and in giving and reviewing feedback, helping students improve their final products, teaching about audience in the writing process, and practicing grammar, just to name a few. But problems arise in the traditional process that many teachers use.

The peer review process that I made the mistake of planning early on as a teacher looked a lot like the one I had experienced as a student: I paired students up or they picked their partners. I gave them some questions to answer or some tasks to complete, like underlining the thesis, finding exemplary sentences, noting areas of confusion, fixing grammatical errors, etc. When the pair finished the exercise, they would discuss their comments.

This process seemed to work at the time, but after talking with students, I learned that it hadn't really worked all that well. Unhelpful comments like "good job" were mixed in with a comma added here or there, but the exercise ultimately didn't move the final product as far as I had hoped.

"My partner's essay was so much better than mine was that I didn't feel like I could even help her."

"I didn't want to hurt my partner's feelings."

"There were so many mistakes, I didn't know where to start."

When I talked it over with my students, they gave me feedback like this:

Improving the Peer Review Process

This feedback prompted me to examine the process more closely and involve students in remaking the peer review exercise. I tried to remove some of the barriers that prevented the process from working the way I wanted it to by incorporating the following ideas.

1. Scaffolding matters: I used more student-produced samples to look at as a class. Using exemplars and examples gave the students models to compare their own writing to, and it gave them a venue for examining what constructive feedback looked like compared to the unhelpful feedback they were used to providing or receiving.

Additionally, I used samples from students in other sections of the same course (anonymously, of course) or student samples from prior years' assignments, which gave my students the language necessary to discuss areas of strength in their peers' work and areas in need of improvement. This common language was a necessary prerequisite that I thought my students already had when I was starting out.

2. A narrow approach is valuable: To help students focus and alleviate their fears of inadequacy, I limited their roles in helping their peers by asking them respond to one area of a partner's work. Focusing in on one area helped them feel less overwhelmed and more confident in their ability to identify and help fix a problem in their partner's essay.

During initial peer review sessions, I directed the class to look at one particular area (e.g., introductions) and modeled the types of questions good writers ask their editors. The more developed our language became in discussing writing, the more freedom I gave the pairs to choose which area to examine and critique.

3. Fostering a culture of constructive criticism: Additionally, I needed to address the concern of hurting someone's feelings. I accomplished this, at least in part, by doing class peer reviews. I also strove to create an environment where criticism was embraced. How did I do that? I worked to demonstrate to my students that the writing process is something of value and that in real life we all need the help of others to make ourselves better. Fixing this problem really evolved into creating a classroom climate that accepted faults and imperfection.

4. Timing is everything: Lastly, peer reviews are typically done before the assignment is due. Unfortunately, this tells students that the writing process is over when an assignment is turned in. I added subsequent peer reviews to revisit the same assignment with the same or different partners the day the assignment is due and again after it's been graded. Why? Because the writing process is never over, and improving products that have been graded is an opportunity for students to see peer and teacher feedback can be used to drive their improvement and growth.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A high school English teacher discusses how he improved the peer review process in his classroom after early attempts came up short.