Unit
87 old/older expensive / more expensive
A
I’m 92. I’m 93.
old older heavy heavier expensive more expensive
Older / heavier / more expensive are comparative forms.
!e comparative is -er (older) or more … (more expensive).
B older/heavier etc.
Short words (1 syllable) → -er:
old → older slow → slower cheap → cheaper
nice → nicer late → later big → bigger
Spelling (→ Appendix 5): big → bigger hot → hotter thin → thinner
Words ending in -y → -ier:
easy → easier heavy → heavier early → earlier
Rome is old, but Athens is older. (not more old)
Is it cheaper to go by car or by train? (not more cheap)
Helen wants a bigger car.
!is coat is OK, but I think the other one is nicer.
Don’t take the bus. It’s easier to take a taxi. (not more easy)
far → further:
A: How far is it to the station? A mile?
B: No, it’s further. About two miles.
C more …
Long words (2/3/4 syllables) → more … :
careful → more careful polite → more polite
expensive → more expensive interesting → more interesting
You must be more careful.
I don’t like my job. I want to do something more interesting.
Is it more expensive to go by car or by train?
D good/well → better bad → worse
!e weather wasn’t very good yesterday, but it’s better today.
‘Do you feel better today?’ ‘No, I feel worse.’
Which is worse - a headache or a toothache?
older than … / more expensive than … ➜ Unit 88 the oldest / the most expensive ➜ Unit 90
Exercises Unit
Look at the pictures and write the comparative (older / more interesting etc.).
87
1 heavy 2 big 3 slow
tortoise
snail
heavier
4 expensive 5 high 6 dangerous
4000 m
5000 m
Write the comparative.
1 old older 6 good
2 strong 7 large
3 happy 8 serious
4 modern 9 pretty
5 important 10 crowded
Write the opposite.
1 younger older 4 better
2 colder 5 nearer
3 cheaper 6 easier
Complete the sentences. Use a comparative.
1 Helen’s car isn’t very big. She wants a bigger one.
2 My job isn’t very interesting. I want to do something more interesting .
3 You’re not very tall. Your brother is .
4 David doesn’t work very hard. I work .
5 My chair isn’t very comfortable. Yours is .
6 Your idea isn’t very good. My idea is .
7 !ese flowers aren’t very nice. !e blue ones are .
8 My bag isn’t very heavy. Your bag is .
9 I’m not very interested in art. I’m in history.
10 It isn’t very warm today. It was yesterday.
11 !ese tomatoes don’t taste very good. !e other ones tasted .
12 Britain isn’t very big. France is .
13 London isn’t very beautiful. Paris is .
14 !is knife isn’t very sharp. Have you got a one?
15 People today aren’t very polite. In the past they were .
16 !e weather isn’t too bad today. Often it is much .
