Intermediate English · 18 min
Comparatives
The point
Short adjectives take -er plus than. Long adjectives take more plus than. Good becomes better. Bad becomes worse. Do not use more and -er together.
Form and use
A comparative puts two things side by side. A short adjective takes -er and then than: bigger than, smaller than, later than. A long adjective does not take -er. It takes more, then the adjective, then than: more useful than, more expensive than. Never join more and -er. More bigger is wrong.
Read the full set. This room is bigger than that one. This note is more useful than the old one. This plan is better than that plan. This result is worse than the last one. This desk is farther than the door. This path is further than the lane. This copy is less clear than the first. This room is as big as that one. This note is not as useful as the old one.
A few adjectives are irregular. Good becomes better, not gooder and not more good. Bad becomes worse, not badder and not more bad. Far becomes farther or further. Less is the opposite of more, and it stands before the adjective: less useful, less clear. Do not write less bigger. Use smaller, or not as big as.
As plus the base adjective plus as says the two sides are equal: as big as, as useful as. Not as plus the adjective plus as says one side falls short: not as late as, not as expensive as. Than follows only a comparative, not a base adjective. Bigger than is complete. Big than is not. Keep the second noun or a pronoun after than.
Don't translate it like this
Don't say
This is more better.
Say
This is better.
이것이 더 낫습니다.
Better already means more good.
Short examples
This room is bigger than that one.
이 방이 저것보다 큽니다.
This note is more useful than the long one.
이 메모가 긴 것보다 유용합니다.
This desk is smaller than that one.
이 책상이 저것보다 작습니다.
The new plan is more expensive.
새 계획이 더 비쌉니다.
Her result is better than mine.
그녀의 결과가 내 것보다 낫습니다.
This copy is worse than the first.
이 사본이 첫 번째보다 더 나쁩니다.
The station is farther than the shop.
역이 가게보다 더 멉니다.
This note is less clear than that one.
이 메모가 저것보다 덜 분명합니다.
This room is as quiet as the next one.
이 방은 옆 방만큼 조용합니다.
The path is not as long as the road.
그 길은 도로만큼 길지 않습니다.
Questions
Every question has to be right to close this point.
Answer every question, then check.