Comparatives - the Basics

Superiority

Look at the following examples:

1. Tuition fees are higher in the US than in France.   

2. Tuition fees are lower in France than in England.

3. In the US, It is cheaper to attend a university in the state where your parents are resident than another state.

HIGH, LOW and CHEAP are short adjectives with 1 syllable.

In the comparative form, you add – er + than.

4. Finding time to have a student job is easier in the US than in France.

EASY is an adjective with 2 syllables BUT it ends in –y. You add – ier + than.

5. British universities are more expensive than French universities.

EXPENSIVE is a long adjective with 2 or more syllables. You add more + adjective + than.

You can also add less + adjective + than.

6. In the UK, the situation for students in 2018 is worse than it was for students in 1998 when tuition fees were first introduced.

WORSE is the adjective BAD in its comparative form.

Exceptions

Like in French, some adjectives are irregular in their comparative form

Equality

Look at these examples:

1. Studying in the UK is now almost as expensive as studying in the US.

2. I thought I would be homesick and lonely: but in fact studying away from home is not as bad as all that.

3. As soon as I was 18, I wanted to leave home and study in another country.

Structure = as + adjective + as

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