Comparative adjectives with the use of than
Grammar learning path:Comparing qualities, actions and quantitiesWith 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.”
1. 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. Some common adjectives are irregular, such as good → better and bad → worse.
2. 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 everyday English, object pronouns such as me, him, and her are common after than. 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.”
3. Comparing Quantities with “Than”
We can use more, fewer, and less before nouns to compare quantities. 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.
4. 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. |
Quick check
Try one question now
Check your answer when you are ready.
5. 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 than, not then, to introduce the second part of a comparison.
Was this lesson helpful?
Vocabulary in this lesson
Play a word to hear it, then mark it as known or save it to study.
Save words from this lesson
Save any of these 30 words and review them later.
Comparing qualities, actions and quantities
A2Comparative Adjectives
30 wordsLast updated August 23, 2026