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Comparative adjectives are used to compare two or more things, indicating a greater or lesser degree of a quality. For example, "taller" compares the height of one tree to another.1

These comparative forms are typically created by adding "-er" to short adjectives (e.g., "sooner," "lovelier") or by using "more" or "less" before longer adjectives (e.g., "more careful," "less practical"). Some adjectives, like "good" and "bad," have irregular comparative forms ("better," "worse").21

The term "comparative" can also mean something is only true when compared to something else, implying a relative state rather than an absolute one.3

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