Grammar reference

Functions and notions

Comparison

Comparative and superlative adjectives

We use comparative adjectives to compare two people or things.

  • Moon Rock is smaller than Pittsville.
  • The train is more expensive than the bus.
  • Jill is better than Wendy at languages.

We use superlative adjectives to compare more than two people or things.

  • Sydney is the biggest city in Australia.
  • The plane is the most expensive way to travel.
  • Alison is the best swimmer in her school.

For information about forming comparative and superlative adjectives see Adjectives, Comparatives and superlatives.


Comparative and superlative adverbs

We use comparative and superlative adverbs to compare how people or things do something. To form them, we generally add more (than) and the most to an adverb.

  • You speak French more fluently than me, but out of all of us, Jill speaks French the most fluently.

Add -er (than) and the most to hard, fast, early and late.

  • You need to study harder if you want to pass the exam.
  • Of everyone in the office, Peter always arrives the earliest.

Well and badly are irregular.

  • You sing better than Marcia, but Nelly sings the best.
  • Lee behaved worse than I expected, but Ron behaved the worst.


Less and the least

We use less (than) and the least with adjectives and adverbs to mean the opposite of more (than) and the most.

  • He's less famous than his older brother.
  • This is the least comfortable bed I've ever slept on!


Comparing nouns

We use more (than) and the most to compare nouns.

  • It's not fair. We do the same job, but he earns more money.
  • August is the month when I have the most free time.

We also use less (than), fewer (than), the least and the fewest to compare nouns. We use less (than) and the least with uncountable nouns, and fewer (than) and the fewest with countable nouns.

  • I have fewer friends than you, but I see them more often.
  • This is the year in which the least rain has fallen since records began.


Double comparatives

We use comparative + and + comparative to say that someone or something is changing.

  • Your English is getting better and better.
  • We have less and less free time.


the … the …

We use the + comparative + clause, the + comparative + clause to show how a change in one thing is linked to a change in another thing.

  • The more you exercise, the fitter you get.
  • The longer I live, the less I understand.

A short version of this structure, usually ending with the better, can be used in response to a question or another statement.

  • "How strong do you like your coffee?"
    "The stronger, the better."


For information about like and as, and the structure as … as see Functions and notions, Similarity.