Comparative Form Chant - Kenneth | Learn English at EnglishCafe

Listen to this grammar chant focusing on the comparative form. Repeat each phase to help you learn the rules and structure of the comparative form. If you have trouble following, use the text of the chant. It's a good idea to try the chant a few times before looking at the text!

That house is big.

Yes, it's bigger than mine.

What form was that?

It's called the comparative.

It depends on the syllables.

What's a syllable?

A syllable is a unit of sound.

Big - one syllable

Modern - two syllables

Difficult - three syllables

What are the rules for the comparative?

The rules are easy!

One syllable add '-er'

Tom is taller than Pete

How about two?

Two or more syllables  add 'more' plus the adjective

Math's more difficult than history.

What about 'happier'?

Words ending in 'y' take '-ier'

I'm certainly happier than before because I know the rules!

Don't forget the exceptions!

Which exceptions?

Good and Bad

Good, better, bad worse

Tom's better than Pete at algebra.

Tom's worse than Pete at history.

Let's practice some more.  

One syllable -  

Tom is richer than Pete.

Two syllables or more -  

Rain is more depressing than sunshine.

Adjectives ending in 'y' -  

Peter is happier today than yesterday.

Comparative forms, they are easier than you think!

More Help

The comparative form is very similar to the superlative form. The difference between the two is that the comparative form compares two things, while the superlative form makes a statement that something is the most beautiful, the easiest, etc. The superlative can be used when there are three or more objects. For example, if you want to talk about all the cars on your street, you might use the superlative to say that one car is the fastest, or the most beautiful of all the cars. On the other hand, if you would like to compare your car with your friend's car, just use the comparative form because you are comparing only two objects. You can find a superlative form chant as well to help you learn both forms together.