When we describe the world around us, we often talk about how things are similar or different.
We compare people, places, animals, objects, and even situations, sometimes without thinking about it!

In English, there are several ways to make comparisons.
You might already know the basic forms:

• Comparatives show differences.
• Equatives show similarities.
• Non-equatives show small or polite differences.

Here you can find more details:

Comparatives, Non-equatives and Equatives

But English allows us to go further. We can make stronger comparisons to emphasize big differences, and we can use adverbs to compare actions. For example, how people speak, drive, or work.

Comparing with Adjectives and Adverbs

A. Short adjectives and adverbs

Add -er / -ier to short adjectives or adverbs.
Use than to compare.

Type	Form	Example
Short adjectives (1 syllable)	adjective + -er + than	“Millennials cook more at home, their food is healthier than before.”
Adjectives ending in -y	change -y → -ier	“Fresh food is tastier than fast food.”
Short adverbs	adverb + -er + than	“He runs faster than his brother.”

B. Long adjectives and adverbs

Use more / less + adjective/adverb + than for longer words.

Type	Form	Example
Long adjectives (2+ syllables)	more + adjective + than	“This café is more comfortable than that one.”
Adverbs ending in -ly	more + adverb + than	“Millennials exercise more regularly than older generations.”
Opposite idea	less + adjective/adverb + than	“Fresh food is less fattening than fast food.”

Stronger Comparisons

We can make comparisons stronger using words like much, far, or a lot before the adjective.

Form	Example
much / far / a lot + comparative	“This city is much bigger than my hometown.”
much / far + more + adjective	“Electric cars are far more expensive than gas cars.”

🟢 Tip: These words make the difference sound stronger or more surprising.

Irregular Comparatives

Some adjectives and adverbs don’t follow normal rules.

Adjective/Adverb	Comparative	Example
good / well	better	“She cooks better than her brother.”
bad / badly	worse	“Their diet is worse than before.”

Non-Equatives and Equatives

Non-Equatives
→ Use not as + adjective/adverb + as to show difference (in a polite or softer way).

• “Millennials are not as hard-working as their parents.”
• “This café isn’t as quiet as the one downtown.”

Equatives
→ Use as + adjective/adverb + as to show equality.

• “My town is as peaceful as yours.”
  → Add emphasis with just as or almost as.
• “This park is just as beautiful as the beach.”
• “This phone is almost as fast as my laptop.”

Comparing Nouns

We can also compare how many or how much people or things there are.

Form	Example
more + noun	“More millennials are happy to pay a higher price for eco products.”
fewer + plural noun (countable)	“Fewer adults own their homes today.”
less + uncountable noun	“Millennials earn less money than their parents.”

🧠 Grammar Focus

Type	Form	Example
Short adjectives	adjective + -er + than	“New York is bigger than Boston.”
Long adjectives/adverbs	more / less + adj/adv + than	“Tokyo is more crowded than Seoul.”
Stronger comparisons	much / far / a lot + comparative	“London is far bigger than Oxford.”
Irregular adjectives	better / worse/ further	“This café is better than that one.”
Irregular adverbs	well/ badly/ fast/ hard	“John runs faster than Mike”.
Non-equatives	not as + adj/adv + as	“This hotel isn’t as clean as that one.”
Equatives	(just/almost) as + adj/adv + as	“The park is just as nice as the beach.”
Nouns	more / fewer / less + noun	“Fewer people drive to work now.”

✨ Remember:

• Use -er or more to show differences.
• Use as … as to show similarities.
• Add much / far / a lot to make your comparison stronger.
• Use not as … as to sound polite.
• Use more / fewer / less to compare amounts.

Let’s Practice!

Practice 1

Practice 2

Speaking

Look at the prompts in the cards and make sentences using comparatives.

Practice 1

Practice 2