Three Step English for Intermediate Learners - Learn #19 - Making Comparisons - Review
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Let's look at the sentence pattern. This pattern is the structure that all of our examples will follow. Verb phrase is comparative adjective, then verb phrase. Let's see how a line from the dialogue follows this pattern. Starting a business is easier than you might think.

In this sentence, starting a business is the first verb phrase. The verb in the phrase is starting. The phrase is followed by is to connect it to the comparative adjective. Easier is the comparative form of the adjective easy. Following the comparative adjective is than. This connects it to the second verb phrase. Make sure not to use the word then with an e.

The second verb phrase is "you might think" with "think" being the verb. Let's break down how we make the comparative form. It's an essential part of this lesson. Comparative forms are usually formed based on the number of syllables in the adjective. For one syllable adjectives, typically we add -er to the adjective. For example, "old" becomes "older", "clean" becomes "cleaner".

If the adjective ends in "e", simply add "r". For example, "safe" to "safer" and "nice" to "nicer". For adjectives ending in a single vowel followed by a consonant, double the consonant before adding "er". For example, "big" to "bigger" and "hot" to "hotter".

For two syllable adjectives, if it ends in a consonant and Y, we change Y to I and add ER. In the case of easy, it follows this rule. We also have happy to happier. For other adjectives with two or more syllables, we add more or less before the adjective. For example, more crowded, more dangerous, or less interesting.

While most adjectives enter the comparative form by placing the word "more" before the adjective or appending -er after it, there are a few which are completely different from their root word. "Good" becomes neither "more good" nor "gooder" but "better." The comparative form of "bad" is not "batter" or "more bad" but "worse." Now let's look at some speaking examples.

Exercising is more efficient than eating healthy. Can you see how the pattern applies here? Exercising is the first verb followed by is. More efficient is the comparative form of the adjective efficient and is followed by than. Eating healthy is the second verb phrase. Next. Playing tennis is more expensive than jogging.

Playing tennis is the first verb phrase. More expensive is the comparative adjective, and jogging is the second verb. Let's try one more. Fishing is more fun than you can imagine. Fishing is the first verb. More fun is the comparative form of fun. This is an exception to the rule of adding -er to the end of short adjectives to make them comparative. A lot of people make the mistake of saying funner.

you can imagine is the second verb phrase. Another one: Learning an instrument is more challenging than you might think. Learning an instrument is the first verb phrase, followed by the comparative adjective "more challenging" and then the second verb phrase "you might think." One last example: Playing baseball is more exciting than playing basketball.

Playing baseball is the first phrase. More exciting is the comparative adjective, and playing basketball is the second phrase.