Key rules for using comparative adjectives
1. For short adjectives with one syllable, add –er
The month end financial report is taking longer than I thought to finish.
Our B2B sales are always stronger in the second quarter of the year.
2. For adjectives with two syllables, add –ier, when the adjective ends in –y. For other adjectives, use more or less in front of the adjective.
Emailing reports to the team is easier than distributing paper documents.
Our production department needs to be more careful with quality issues.
3. For adjective with three or more syllables, we use more or less
The CEO has a private jet, it’s more comfortable than and quicker than flying commercial.
Our latest products are more interesting and less expensive for our customers than the previous range.
4. Use as ... as for similarity and not as ... as for difference
Our main competitors are as good as we are at marketing, but their products are not as good as ours.
5. Modify or qualify an adjective by using: a little, a lot, much more, much less, far more, far less
Our overseas sales are a little better this month.
The new operating system is much more stable than the old one.
Our latest messaging service is much less complicated to use.
We can see far more attractive investment opportunities in emerging markets this year than here in the domestic market.
Our clients are far less interested in just price than the overall quality of service we provide to them.
6. You can use a double comparative
The more I work, the more successful I am.
7. Use more and more / less and less to describe strong increase/decrease in something
The technology market is becoming more and more competitive.
The number of complaints received is less and less thanks to our new service initiative.