UNIT 4 LESSON 05: COMPARATIVES

Let’s talk about clothes and accessories!🔄

👥 COMPARING PEOPLE

When we compare two people or things, we can use a comparative adjective.

Look at these examples:

Tom is tall.

Jack is taller than Tom.

The word taller tells us that Jack is taller when we compare him with Tom.

⭐ The basic structure

Person / thing + BE + comparative + THAN + person / thing

Jack is taller than Tom.

Football is more exciting than golf.

My bike is faster than my old bike.

📏 SHORT ADJECTIVES

With many short adjectives, we add -er.

Adjective	Comparative
tall	taller
short	shorter
fast	faster
slow	slower
strong	stronger
young	younger
old	older
small	smaller
big	bigger

💡 Examples

Emma is taller than Lucy.

A cheetah is faster than a horse.

Basketball players are often taller than gymnasts.

My new trainers are better than my old trainers.

✏️ HOW DO WE SPELL COMPARATIVES?

There are a few simple spelling rules to remember.

1️⃣ Most short adjectives → -er

tall → taller

fast → faster

young → younger

2️⃣ Adjectives ending in -e → add -r

nice → nicer

large → larger

3️⃣ Short adjectives ending in consonant + vowel + consonant

We usually double the final consonant.

big → bigger

hot → hotter

⭐ Don’t worry!

You don’t need to memorise every spelling rule at once. The most important thing is to recognise and use common comparative forms.

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🌟 LONGER ADJECTIVES

With many longer adjectives, we use:

MORE + ADJECTIVE

For example:

interesting → more interesting

exciting → more exciting

comfortable → more comfortable

beautiful → more beautiful

difficult → more difficult

💬 Examples

Football is more exciting than golf.

This chair is more comfortable than that chair.

My new trainers are more comfortable than my old shoes.

Swimming is more relaxing than running.

⚖️ -ER OR MORE?

Here’s an easy guide:

Short adjective → -ER

fast → faster

tall → taller

strong → stronger

Longer adjective → MORE

exciting → more exciting

comfortable → more comfortable

interesting → more interesting

⭐ Remember!

taller than

faster than

stronger than

but:

more exciting than

more comfortable than

more interesting than

🏆 IRREGULAR COMPARATIVES

Some very common adjectives are different.

Adjective	Comparative
good	better
bad	worse
far	farther / further

For A2, remember especially:

good → better

bad → worse

Examples

Football is better than golf for me.

Today is better than yesterday.

This food is worse than the food at home.

🏀 SPORTS COMPARISONS

We can use comparatives to compare sports.

Basketball is faster than golf.

Swimming is more relaxing than boxing.

Football is more exciting than golf.

Tennis is more difficult than walking.

💬 Your turn!

Complete the sentences:

Football is __________ than golf.

Swimming is __________ than running.

Basketball is __________ than tennis.

Choose your own adjective!

👦 TWO SPORTS FRIENDS

Read about Alex and Ben.

Alex and Ben are good friends, but they are very different. Alex is 12 and Ben is 14. Ben is taller than Alex, but Alex is faster.

Alex loves running and football. Ben prefers basketball because he is taller and stronger.

Alex thinks football is more exciting than basketball. Ben doesn’t agree! He thinks basketball is more exciting.

They both enjoy sport, but they like different activities.

🔎 Let’s check!

1. Who is older?
2. Who is taller?
3. Who is faster?
4. Who is stronger?
5. What sports does Alex like?
6. What sport does Ben prefer?
7. What does Alex think is more exciting?
8. Do Alex and Ben agree about the most exciting sport?

🧠 COMPLETE THE SENTENCES

Choose the correct comparative.

1. A giraffe is __________ than a dog.
   tall / taller
2. A car is __________ than a bicycle.
   fast / faster
3. Basketball is __________ than walking.
   exciting / more exciting
4. My new shoes are __________ than my old shoes.
   comfortable / more comfortable
5. Today is __________ than yesterday.
   good / better
6. This exercise is __________ than the first one.
   difficult / more difficult

✅ Answers

1. taller
2. faster
3. more exciting
4. more comfortable
5. better
6. more difficult

👕 COMPARE TWO PEOPLE

Choose two people.

They can be:

• two friends.
• two family members.
• two sports players.
• two imaginary characters.

Complete:

__________ is taller than __________.

__________ is younger than __________.

__________ is faster than __________.

__________ is stronger than __________.

__________ is more __________ than __________.

Now write 5 sentences comparing them.

🏆 A2 CHALLENGE

Write 6–8 sentences comparing two people, two sports or two things.

Try to use:

• at least three -er comparatives.
• at least two more + adjective comparatives.
• than.
• better or worse.

For example:

My brother is taller than me. I’m faster than him. He is stronger than me, but I’m more active. I think football is more exciting than basketball. My brother thinks basketball is better. We don’t agree, but we both love sport!

🎮 GAMES — COMPARATIVES

Practise comparing people and things!

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📝 Resumen

En esta lección de inglés A2 aprenderás a comparar dos personas, cosas o actividades utilizando comparatives. Practicarás la formación de comparativos con -er para muchos adjetivos cortos y con more + adjective para muchos adjetivos más largos, además de utilizar than para establecer la comparación. También aprenderás dos formas irregulares muy frecuentes, better y worse, y terminarás creando tus propias comparaciones.