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A1 Movers comparatives: bigger, smaller, longer practice

A1-A2A1 Movers40 questionsUpdated

A1 Movers asks children to compare two pictures, two animals or two people, and that needs comparative adjectives. This page practises the -er ending, the word than, the spelling changes and the two irregular forms children meet first: better and worse.

What this task tests

  • Forming comparatives with -er for short adjectives: taller, smaller, longer.
  • Using than after the comparative.
  • Spelling changes: big becomes bigger, happy becomes happier, nice becomes nicer.
  • The irregular forms good and better, bad and worse.
  • Using more with longer adjectives: more beautiful, more difficult.
  • Superlatives at a basic level: the biggest, the tallest.
  • Choosing a sensible adjective to compare two things in a picture.
  • Understanding a comparison heard in a listening task.
  • The pattern as big as for things that are the same.

How to do it

  1. Step 1:

    Compare real objects

    Two pencils, two books, two children. A visible difference makes the sentence obvious and true.

  2. Step 2:

    Teach the -er ending first

    Short adjectives cover almost everything a Movers child needs. Leave more beautiful until the -er pattern is automatic.

  3. Step 3:

    Make than non-negotiable

    Bigger than, never just bigger. Practise the two words as one chunk from the start.

  4. Step 4:

    Sort the spelling changes

    Three piles: add -er, double the letter, change y to i. Sorting beats memorising a rule.

  5. Step 5:

    Line things up

    Order five objects by size and say the whole line: this one is bigger than that one. Five sentences from one activity.

  6. Step 6:

    Two pictures side by side

    The classic exam task. Ask for three differences and insist each one is a full comparative sentence.

  7. Step 7:

    Add the superlative later

    Once bigger is secure, the biggest is an easy extra step. Introduce the the as part of the phrase.

  8. Step 8:

    Keep good and bad separate

    Better and worse do not follow the rule, so give them their own short drill rather than hiding them in a mixed set.

  9. Step 9:

    Use the child's own world

    Which is faster, a bike or a bus? Real comparisons are remembered; textbook ones are not.

  10. Step 10:

    Watch for double marking

    More bigger appears constantly. A quick rule, one marker only, fixes most of it.

Mistakes that cost marks

  • Not thisMy bag is more big than yours.

    ThisMy bag is bigger than yours.

    Short adjectives take -er. More is only for longer adjectives.

  • Not thisShe is taller that me.

    ThisShe is taller than me.

    Than and that are easy to confuse in speech. Practise the written form.

  • Not thisThis one is more better.

    ThisThis one is better.

    Better is already a comparative. Never use more with it.

  • Not thisHe is bigest in the class.

    ThisHe is the biggest in the class.

    Superlatives take the and double the letter: biggest.

  • Not thisA lion is more dangerous than a mouse, so a mouse is more good.

    ThisA mouse is safer than a lion.

    Good becomes better, and children reach for more good when they lack the right adjective. Teach a small bank of useful opposites.

  • Not thisMy hair is longger.

    ThisMy hair is longer.

    Only short adjectives ending in one vowel plus one consonant double the letter. Long already ends in two consonants.

  • Not thisThis book is more interesting that that one.

    ThisThis book is more interesting than that one.

    The same than and that confusion, now with a longer adjective.

Language this task keeps reusing

taller
More tall than something else.
shorter
Less tall, or less long.
bigger
More big; note the double g.
smaller
Less big.
longer
More long.
faster
More quick.
slower
Less quick.
older
More old, used for people and things.
younger
Less old.
heavier
More heavy; the y changes to i.
better
The comparative of good.
worse
The comparative of bad.
than
The word that follows a comparative.
the biggest
Bigger than all the others.

Practice: comparing things

40 original questions. The first 10 are open to everyone. Answers are checked in your browser and never sent to us, so you can share this page with a class as it is.

1Complete the sentence.

An elephant is than a mouse.
Choose the correct sentence.

3Complete the sentence.

My brother is ten and I am eight, so he is than me.
Right or wrong?
  • A giraffe is taller than a dog.
  • A car is slower than a bike.
  • Ice is colder than water.
3 to go

5Complete the sentence.

A bike is than a plane.
What is the comparative of good?

7Complete the sentence.

This book is than that one.

8Compare two people in your family.

Which word comes after a comparative?

10Complete the sentence.

A snail is much than a horse.

Keep going

30 more questions on this page

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Frequently asked questions

When do children need more instead of -er?

With adjectives of three syllables or more, and most two-syllable ones that do not end in y. At Movers the -er pattern covers almost everything, so teach it thoroughly first.

Should I teach superlatives at the same time?

Introduce them a little later, once the comparative is automatic. Taught together, children mix the two and produce biggest than.

How do I fix more bigger?

One marker only. Show the sentence with both and delete one word together. Children accept a physical rule more easily than a grammatical explanation.

What about as big as?

It is useful for the picture-comparison tasks and easy to teach as a fixed frame. Do it after the comparative is solid.

Which adjectives are worth drilling?

Big, small, tall, short, long, fast, slow, old, young, happy, easy, good and bad. That set answers almost every comparison a Movers task asks for.

My child says taller that me. Is that a spelling problem?

Usually a listening one. Than is unstressed and sounds like that. Show the written pair and have the child read both aloud.