Comparative adjectives are used when describing the differences between ONLY two items.
For example, take the two words: orangutan and rhinoceros
•Rhinoceros is a longer word than orangutan; or
•Orangutan is a shorter word than rhinoceros.
Comparative adjectives, used to describe only two items, can be used to describe groups of items as long as there are only two groups.
For example:
•Their swim team was faster than our swim team
Comparative Adjective Suffixes
With one syllable adjectives and sometimes two syllable adjectives, especially those ending in "y", we add the suffix "er". When the adjective is multi-syllabic we sometimes use the the terms "more" or "less" to describe the comparison. Never use both "er" and "more" or "less". E.g., The meal was more better than last night. This is INCORRECT.
For example:
•big, bigger
•happy, happier
•obnoxious, more obnoxious
•careful, less careful
Note:
•When the adjective ends in "e" just add an "r". (E.g., late, later)
•When the adjective has a consonant, vowel, consonant ending, double the ending letter and add "er". (E.g., red, redder)
•When the adjective ends in a "y", change the "y" to "i" and add "er". (E.g., early, earlier)
Remember: There are always irregular forms that don't follow these rules. E.g., good, better; bad, worse; little, less.
