Adjective

comparative (comparative more comparative, superlative most comparative)

Positive comparative

Comparative more comparative

Superlative most comparative

1. Of or related to comparison.
2. Using comparison as a method of study, or founded on something using it.
3. Approximated by comparison; relative.

In grammar, the comparative is the form of an adjective or adverb which denotes the degree or grade by which a person, thing, or other entity has a property or quality greater or less in extent than that of another, and is used in this context with a subordinating conjunction, such as than, as...as, etc.

Structure

The structure of a comparative in English consists normally of the positive form of the adjective or adverb, plus the suffix -er, or (in the case of polysyllabic words borrowed from foreign languages) the modifier "more" (or "less"/ "fewer") before the adjective or adverb. The form is usually completed by "than" and the noun which is being compared, e.g. "he is taller than his father is", or "the village is less picturesque than the town nearby". "Than" is used as a subordinating conjunction to introduce the second element of a comparative sentence while the first element expresses the difference ("our new house is larger than the old one"). There is less water in Saudi Arabia than there is in the United States; but however, there are fewer people in Canada than there are in California.

Two-clause sentences

For sentences with the two clauses other two-part comparative subordinating conjunctions may be used:

1. as...as ("The house was as large as two put together.")
2. not so / not as ...as ("The coat of paint is not as [not so] fresh as it used to be.")
3. the same ... as ("The market square is just the same as I remember it to be.")
4. less / more ... than ("It cost me more than I had hoped.")