The rule, as people use it
To compare two things, short adjectives take -er and then "than": cheap, cheaper than; old, older than. Long adjectives use "more" instead: more expensive, more comfortable. For the top of a group, short ones take -est and long ones take "most", and both need "the": the cheapest, the most expensive.
Where's the line between short and long? One syllable takes -er. Two syllables ending in -y change to -ier: busy, busier; happy, happiest. Most other words of two or more syllables take more and most. A few very common words go their own way: good, better, the best; bad, worse, the worst; far, farther, the farthest.
The mistake to watch is doubling up. "More bigger" and "more better" are very common, and they sound wrong to every listener, because the -er already means more. Pick one: "bigger", or "more comfortable", never both.
For "the same", use "as ... as": "My phone is as old as yours." In the negative, it's a soft way to say less: "The hotel wasn't as nice as the photos." People often choose this over "worse", because it sounds kinder.
Examples
Tap a sentence to hear it. Say it after the voice.
Fill the gap
Type the missing words, then check. The full sentence plays when you get it.
- 1
The blue shirt is (cheap) than the white one.
- 2
This sofa is (comfortable) than the old one.
- 3
Rohan is the (tall) person in our class.
- 4
I feel much (good) today, thanks.
- 5
That was the (bad) movie I've ever seen.
- 6
Mornings are (busy) than afternoons here.
- 7
This is the (beautiful) park in Toronto.
- 8
The test wasn't as (hard) as I thought.
Practice · 3 min
Choose two places you know well, like two cities, two stores or two restaurants. Write five sentences comparing them, out loud first: one with -er than, one with more than, one with better or worse, one with the -est or the most, and one with "not as ... as". Read them again and check that no sentence has "more" and -er together.
Say it today
Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.