Comparative constructions allow comparisons to be made between two words in English. All comparatives are either adjectives or adverbs, but they often vary in appearance. This handout will address the different types of comparisons the English language allows.†

Comparatives
Comparative constructions in English use this formula: X {is/has/verb} {MORE/LESS/–er} A than Y Here are examples for each part of speech: Emily is prettier than Julie. Adjective John makes more mistakes than Joel. Adjective Thomas eats slower than us. Adverb Thomas eats more than us. Adverb More vs. –er
As seen in the above examples, some comparatives are created with more and some are created with the –er ending. Knowing which to use with adjectives and adverbs is often difficult because usage varies. These three guidelines taken from The Grammar Book can help you determine which to use, though they are not foolproof:

1. Use –er with one-syllable adjectives and adverbs and with those two-syllable adjectives ending in –y, –ple, –ble, and occasionally –tle and –dle: taller happier simpler faster noisier humbler harder dirtier idler


2. Use either –er or more with two syllable adjectives that take the following weakly stressed endings: –ly /liy/: friendlier, more friendly –ow /ow/: mellower, more mellow –er /ər/: cleverer, more clever –some /səm/: handsomer, more handsome Note that there are also some two-syllable adjectives without any of the above suffixes which can take either –er or more (e.g., stupid, quiet).


3. Use more with other adjectives and adverbs of two or more syllables: distant, exact, useful, wretched, etc. arrogant, intelligent, beautiful, etc.

Less vs. Fewer
The distinction between these words is much less complicated than that of more vs. –er. While more is used with both count and noncount nouns, fewer is used only with count nouns while less is used only with noncount nouns. The count and noncount nouns in the following examples are underlined: Dr. Testaburger assigns fewer papers than Dr. Doring. Count Sara eats less food than Jeanie. Noncount Keep in mind that while this rule is important in formal writing, it is often ignored in common speech. Other Comparative Constructions
Here are a few examples of other comparative constructions you might run into:

Type of comparison	Example
Comparing two different properties of the same object.	The student is smarter than he is athletic.
Comparing two or more properties of two or more objects.	Wendy loves her dog more than I love chocolate.
Comparing with a measure phrase as the standard of comparison.	Lisa is shorter than six feet tall.
Comparing with an absolute adjective as the standard of comparison.	Harry is badder than bad. (i.e., he is terrible!)
Comparison modifying a cardinal number.	Jerry has more than five dollars.
Measure phrase modifying the comparison.	Jorge is five years older than Margaret.
Comparison expressing a progressive change of state.	Cheering for the Yankees is looking more enticing.
Comparison with of plus a predicate noun.	Jeff is more of a fool than I thought.
Comparison expressing a conditional relationship.	The greater the salinity, the higher the density.
Comparison expressing preference.	John looks for trouble more than safety. (i.e., more than = rather than)

(Clece-Murcia 497-498)

Superlatives
Superlatives are formed following the same rules as comparatives, but instead of more/-er, superlatives are created with the word most or the –est ending. Unlike comparatives though, superlatives do not compare two nouns or verbs. Instead, they indicate that one noun or verb is greater than (or superlative to) all the rest. For example:

Comparative		Superlative
Emily is prettier than Julie.	Adjective	Emily is prettiest.	Adjective
John makes more mistakes than Joel.	Adjective	John makes the most mistakes.	Adjective
Thomas eats slower than us.	Adverb	Thomas eats slowest.	Adverb
Thomas eats more than us.	Adverb	Thomas eats most.	Adverb