Comparative adjectives with the use of than
Learn how to use than with English comparative adjectives, plus how to compare amounts using more with countable and uncountable nouns, at A2 level.
With comparative adjectives, we use than to compare two people, things, places, or times.
Form: subject + be + comparative adjective + than + person or thing
- “My bag is heavier than your bag.”
- “This book is more interesting than that one.”
- “Today is colder than yesterday.”
Building a Comparison with “Than”
The comparative adjective shows the difference. Than introduces the second person or thing in the comparison.
| Adjective | Comparative | Example with “than” |
|---|---|---|
| tall | taller | “Mia is taller than Ben.” |
| large | larger | “Canada is larger than France.” |
| comfortable | more comfortable | “Trains are more comfortable than buses.” |
| good | better | “This restaurant is better than the other one.” |
| bad | worse | “The weather is worse than yesterday.” |
Short adjectives usually take -er. Longer adjectives usually use more. For two-syllable adjectives, -y changes to -ier (happy → happier), while many others use more (modern → more modern). Some common adjectives are irregular, such as good → better and bad → worse.
What Comes After “Than”?
After than, we can use a noun, a pronoun, or a full clause:
- noun: “Mia is taller than Ben.”
- pronoun: “Mia is taller than me.”
- full clause: “Mia is taller than I am.”
In a full clause, use than + subject + auxiliary verb: Mia is taller than I am or We have more time than they do. In everyday English, object pronouns such as me, him, and her are common after than. A full clause such as than I am is more formal and is common in careful writing.
We can also avoid repeating a noun with one, ones, or a possessive pronoun:
- “This phone is cheaper than the old one.”
- “My bag is bigger than yours.”
When the second item is already clear from the conversation, we can leave out than: That hotel was expensive. This one is cheaper.
Comparing Quantities with “Than”
We can also use more, fewer, and less before nouns to compare quantities. This is a second comparison pattern: it compares an amount or number, rather than describing a quality with a comparative adjective. Keep than before the second part of the comparison.
| Form | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| more + plural countable noun + than | a larger number | “I have more books than my sister.” |
| more + uncountable noun + than | a larger amount | “We have more time than they do.” |
| fewer + plural countable noun + than | a smaller number | “She made fewer mistakes than last time.” |
| less + uncountable noun + than | a smaller amount | “I have less money than my brother.” |
Use fewer when you can count the items separately, such as books, cars, and mistakes. Use less with uncountable nouns such as time, money, and coffee.
Equality with as ... as
Use as + adjective + as to say that two people or things are equal: This route is as fast as the train. Use not as + adjective + as when they are not equal: My new phone is not as expensive as my old one.
Common Mistakes
| Incorrect | Correct | Why? |
|---|---|---|
| “She is more better than me.” | “She is better than me.” | Better is already comparative. |
| “This test is more easier than that one.” | “This test is easier than that one.” | Do not use more and -er together. |
| “There are less cars than yesterday.” | “There are fewer cars than yesterday.” | Cars is a plural countable noun. |
| “I have fewer money than you.” | “I have less money than you.” | Money is uncountable. |
| “My bag is heavier then yours.” | “My bag is heavier than yours.” | Than is used for comparisons; then refers to time. |
Use than when you compare. Then refers to time: We ate dinner, then we watched a film.
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Key Takeaways
- Use comparative adjective + than to show the difference between two people or things.
- Use -er with many short adjectives and more with many longer adjectives, but never use both together.
- A noun, pronoun, or full clause can follow than.
- Use fewer with plural countable nouns and less with uncountable nouns.
- Use as ... as and not as ... as to compare equal and unequal things.
- Use than, not then, to introduce the second part of a comparison.
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Comparative Adjectives
42 wordsLast updated October 14, 2026