Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Forget '-er'! Some common words like 'good' and 'bad' change completely when comparing two things.
- 'Good' never becomes 'gooder'; it always becomes 'better' (e.g., This pizza is better).
- 'Bad' never becomes 'badder'; it always becomes 'worse' (e.g., The weather is worse today).
- 'Much' and 'many' both turn into 'more' to show a larger amount (e.g., I need more water).
Overview
gooder라고 말하면 안 되는지 궁금해 본 적 있어요? 마치 어린아이가 하는 말처럼 들리잖아요, 그쵸? 영어는 규칙을 좋아하지만, 그 규칙을 깨는 걸 더 좋아해요.-er이나 more 패턴을 따르죠. tall은 taller가 되고, expensive는 more expensive가 돼요. 간단하죠.Good은 그냥 모자만 쓰는 게 아니라 better로 진화해요.Bad는 글자 하나 더 붙는 게 아니라 worse로 변신하죠.gooder나 badder를 쓰면 이상한 눈초리를 받을지도 몰라요. 이 단어들은 영어 전체에서 가장 많이 쓰이는 단어들이에요.good, bad, far, little, 그리고 much/many.How This Grammar Works
-er을 붙여요 (fast → faster). 긴 단어에는 more를 붙이고요 (beautiful → more beautiful). 하지만 불규칙 형용사들은 이걸 그냥 무시해요. 그냥 외워야만 하는 독자적인 비교급 형태를 가지고 있거든요. 여기엔 논리도 없고 비밀 공식도 없어요. 그냥 역사가 좀 복잡하게 꼬인 거죠.more good이라고 하지 않아요. better라고 하죠. 예전 폰 배터리가 별로였는데 새 폰은 더 문제가 많다면, worse라고 해요. 완전히 단어를 갈아끼우는 거죠. 핵심 의미는 같지만 단어의 형태가 완전히 바뀝니다.than이라는 단어와 함께 써요. This coffee is better than the one I had yesterday. 문맥이 확실하면 than을 생략할 수도 있어요. I thought the first movie was good, but the sequel is better. 소셜 미디어에서 이런 단어들을 정말 많이 보게 될 거예요.better 게이머인지, 어떤 드라마 결말이 worse인지 논쟁하니까요. 일상 대화의 기본 중의 기본이죠. 이것만 기억하세요: -er도 아니고, more도 아니에요.
Formation Pattern
good, bad, far).
good → better
bad → worse
far → farther (물리적 거리) 또는 further (비유적/추가적)
little → less (양/정도)
much / many → more
to be) 뒤에 놓으세요.
than을 추가하세요.
Conjugation Table
| 형용사 | 비교급 형태 | 예문 |
|---|---|---|
good |
better |
My new laptop is better than my old one. |
bad |
worse |
The traffic today is worse than yesterday. |
far |
farther / further |
The gym is farther than the park. |
little |
less |
I have less free time this semester. |
much / many |
more |
There are more people at the party tonight. |
When To Use It
better죠. 줌(Zoom) 수업 이야기를 하고 있다고 쳐요. 한 교수님은 체계적인데, 다른 교수님은 엉망이에요. 두 번째 교수님이 worse인 거죠. 이 단어들은 인생의 끝없는 비교 속에서 길을 찾는 데 도움을 줘요.better는 품질이 더 좋거나 더 효과적일 때 쓰세요. I feel better today (건강) 또는 This app is better than the last one (유용성).worse는 상황이 안 좋아질 때 쓰세요. The weather is getting worse 또는 His singing is worse than I expected.farther나 further는 거리에 쓰세요. 하이킹 중인데 아직 갈 길이 몇 마일 남았다면 farther를 가는 거예요. 프로젝트를 의논 중인데 더 세부적인 내용이 필요하면 further 정보가 필요한 거죠.less는 시간, 돈, 소금처럼 셀 수 없는 것에 쓰세요. I have less money after the Steam sale.more는 그 외 모든 것에 써요! much와 many 둘 다의 불규칙 비교급이거든요. I need more followers on Instagram 또는 This needs more sugar.My skills are better now), 여행 브이로그에서 장소를 설명할 때(The beach was further than we thought), 그리고 친구에게 보내는 가벼운 문자에서("I'm less busy tonight") 사용하게 될 거예요. 피할 수 없는, 필수적인 단어들이죠.
Common Mistakes
이중 비교(Double Comparative)예요. 너무 친절하게 하려다가 이미 불규칙인 단어에 more나 -er을 또 붙이는 거죠.- ✗
This is
more better. - ✓
This is
better.
more better라고 말하는 건 선글라스를 두 개 겹쳐 쓴 것과 같아요. 더 잘 보이는 게 아니라 그냥 우스꽝스러워 보일 뿐이죠.badder예요. 가사 같은 일부 속어 맥락에서는 badder가 «더 거친» 또는 «더 멋진»이라는 뜻으로 쓰일 수도 있지만, 표준 영어에서는 항상 worse가 맞아요. 차가 고장 났다면 어제보다 worse한 거지, badder한 게 아니에요.farther와 further를 헷갈리는 건 원어민들도 흔히 하는 실수예요. 좋은 팁이 있어요: farther에는 far라는 단어가 들어있죠? 자로 잴 수 있는 물리적 거리와 관련이 있어요. further는 further discussion(추가 논의)이나 further complications(추가적인 합병증)처럼 잴 수 없는 것들에 써요.than을 잊지 마세요. 많은 사람들이 실수로 then을 써요.- ✗
She is better
thenme. - ✓
She is better
thanme.
Then은 시간(먼저 이거 하고, then 저거 하고)을 나타내요. Than은 비교할 때 쓰고요. 이걸 틀린다고 문법 경찰이 체포하러 오진 않겠지만, 고치기 쉬우면서도 정말 흔한 작문 실수예요.Contrast With Similar Patterns
small을 보면 smaller가 될 거란 걸 알죠. beautiful을 보면 more beautiful이 될 걸 알고요. 불규칙은 와일드카드예요. 뿌리 자체가 바뀌니까요.- 비교급:
This pizza is
betterthan that one. - 최상급:
This is the
bestpizza in the city.
Good(레벨 1)Better(레벨 2 - 다른 것과 비교)Best(레벨 3 - 모두와 비교)
as...as를 사용하는 거예요. 이건 동등할 때 써요. My new phone is as good as yours. 여기서는 불규칙 비교급(better)이 아니라 기본 단어(good)를 써요. 차이가 있을 때만 불규칙 형태를 쓰는 거예요! 똑같다면 기본 형용사로 돌아가세요. 리셋 버튼 같은 거죠.Quick FAQ
more better라고 말해도 되는 경우가 있나요?
아니요. 절대 없어요. 농담으로 일부러 어린아이 흉내를 내는 게 아니라면요. 그건 문법 범죄예요.
less와 fewer의 차이가 뭐죠?
엄밀히 말하면 less는 셀 수 없는 것(물, 시간)에 쓰고, fewer는 셀 수 있는 것(책, 사람)에 써요. 하지만 현대 캐주얼 영어에서는 사람들이 거의 모든 것에 less를 써요. 하지만 교수님한테 점수 따려면 대학 에세이에서는 fewer를 쓰세요!
worser라는 단어가 있나요?
절대 아니에요. 영어 선생님들을 울게 만드는 단어 중 하나죠. worse만 쓰세요.
farther와 further를 어떻게 구분해서 외우죠?
F-A-R 테스트를 해보세요. 자동차 주행 거리계나 지도로 측정할 수 있다면 farther예요. 어떤 아이디어의 «더 많은» 정도를 이야기한다면 further고요.
better는 격식 있는 표현인가요, 비격식 표현인가요?
둘 다예요! 절친한테 보내는 왓츠앱 메시지에도 쓰고, 상사한테 내는 정식 보고서에도 써요. 만능 단어죠.
Irregular Comparative Forms
| Adjective/Adverb | Comparative Form | Opposite Comparative | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Good / Well
|
Better
|
Worse
|
This is better.
|
|
Bad / Badly
|
Worse
|
Better
|
It's getting worse.
|
|
Many (Countable)
|
More
|
Fewer
|
More apples.
|
|
Much (Uncountable)
|
More
|
Less
|
More water.
|
|
Far (Distance)
|
Farther / Further
|
Nearer
|
It's farther away.
|
Meanings
Irregular comparatives are special forms of adjectives and adverbs used to compare two people, things, or actions that do not follow the standard rule of adding '-er' or using 'more' before the word.
Quality Comparison
Using 'better' or 'worse' to describe the standard or level of something compared to another.
“This movie is better than the last one.”
“My headache is worse than it was this morning.”
Quantity Comparison
Using 'more' to indicate a larger number or amount of something.
“I have more books than my brother.”
“We need more time to finish the project.”
Health and Well-being
Using 'better' or 'worse' specifically to describe physical or emotional health.
“I feel much better after taking the medicine.”
“The patient is worse today, unfortunately.”
Reference Table
| 기본 형태 | 비교급 | 예시 |
|---|---|---|
|
good
|
better
|
This coffee is better.
|
|
bad
|
worse
|
My headache is worse.
|
|
much (uncountable)
|
more
|
I need more water.
|
|
many (countable)
|
more
|
She has more friends.
|
|
a lot of (both)
|
more
|
We have more time.
|
격식 수준 스펙트럼
The current iteration is superior to the previous one. (Product review)
This version is better than the last one. (Product review)
This one's way better. (Product review)
This one's a total upgrade. (Product review)
불규칙 비교급: 반항아 단어들
좋다
- good 기본 형태
- better 비교급 형태
나쁘다
- bad 기본 형태
- worse 비교급 형태
양
- much / many / a lot of 기본 형태
- more 비교급 형태
규칙 비교급 vs. 불규칙 비교급
올바른 비교급 고르기
'good', 'bad', 'much', 'many', 'a lot' 중 하나인가요?
형용사가 짧은가요 (1-2음절, 예: 'tall', 'big')?
형용사가 긴가요 (3음절 이상, 예: 'beautiful', 'difficult')?
불규칙 비교급 활용 사례
품질/느낌
- • This coffee is better.
- • I feel worse today.
양
- • I need more sleep.
- • She has more friends.
성능
- • My team played better.
- • The internet got worse.
선호도
- • I like this song better.
- • This option is worse.
수준별 예문
This tea is better.
This tea is better.
I want more water.
I want more water.
The weather is worse.
The weather is worse.
Is it better?
Is it better?
My new job is better than my old job.
My new job is better than my old job.
There are more students in this class.
There are more students in this class.
The traffic is worse on Mondays.
The traffic is worse on Mondays.
Do you have more pens?
Do you have more pens?
I feel much better than I did yesterday.
I feel much better than I did yesterday.
The situation is getting worse and worse.
The situation is getting worse and worse.
We need more information before we decide.
We need more information before we decide.
Is this laptop really better for gaming?
Is this laptop really better for gaming?
The results were even worse than we feared.
The results were even worse than we feared.
There is more to this story than meets the eye.
There is more to this story than meets the eye.
He performs better under pressure.
He performs better under pressure.
Could you provide more detailed instructions?
Could you provide more detailed instructions?
The economy is in a far worse state than predicted.
The economy is in a far worse state than predicted.
You are better off staying here tonight.
You are better off staying here tonight.
Nothing could be more important than this.
Nothing could be more important than this.
The more I learn, the more I realize I don't know.
The more I learn, the more I realize I don't know.
The situation has taken a turn for the worse.
The situation has taken a turn for the worse.
He sought to better his circumstances through education.
He sought to better his circumstances through education.
The play was, for better or worse, a unique experience.
The play was, for better or worse, a unique experience.
There were no more than fifty people present.
There were no more than fifty people present.
혼동하기 쉬운
Learners often use 'worse' (comparing 2) when they mean 'worst' (the #1 bad thing).
Similar to worse/worst, learners mix up the comparative and superlative.
Learners sometimes use 'more' when they just want to emphasize an adjective.
자주 하는 실수
This is gooder.
This is better.
I am badder at tennis.
I am worse at tennis.
I have much apples.
I have more apples.
It is more better.
It is better.
The weather is more bad today.
The weather is worse today.
He is better that me.
He is better than me.
I feel more well.
I feel better.
This is the worse movie.
This is the worst movie.
I have more small problems.
I have smaller problems.
He is better as his brother.
He is better than his brother.
문장 패턴
I think ___ is better than ___.
I need more ___ to ___.
The ___ is worse today because ___.
Is ___ better for ___ or ___?
Real World Usage
I'm feeling much better today! Want to hang out?
I believe my skills are better suited for this role than my previous one.
Can I have more napkins, please?
The sequel was way worse than the original movie. 0/10.
The pain is worse when I try to sit down.
Is it better to take the bus or the train to the airport?
자주 쓰는 표현으로 연습해요!
better than, worse than, more than을 일상 대화에서 많이 써보세요. 자꾸 쓰다 보면 입에 착 붙을 거예요. 예를 들어, My coffee is better than yours!
`gooder`, `badder`는 안 돼요!
gooder와 badder는 표준 영어 단어가 아니에요. 항상 better와 worse를 써야 한다는 거, 꼭 기억해요! 이건 불규칙 비교급에서 가장 흔한 실수예요.`more`는 '양'을 생각해요!
more가 불규칙 비교급일 때는 much, many, a lot of를 대신해서 '양'을 말할 때 써요. 예를 들어, more money, more friends처럼요. 이렇게 긴 형용사에 붙는 more (more beautiful처럼)와 구분할 수 있을 거예요.칭찬하거나 불평할 때 유용해요!
better를 쓰고 (Your presentation was better than last time!), 부드럽게 불평할 때는
worse를 써보세요 (The service was a bit worse today.)
원어민이 어떻게 말하는지 귀 기울여요!
better, worse, more를 정말 자주 써요. 영화나 팟캐스트, 온라인 비디오에서 이 단어들이 어떻게 들리는지 주의 깊게 들어보세요. 곧 gooder라는 말은 귀에 거슬릴 거예요.Smart Tips
Use 'much' or 'far' instead of 'more'.
Remember that 'better' is also the comparative of 'well'.
If you don't mention the second thing, you don't need 'than'.
Use 'more' for everything—it's the easiest irregular rule!
발음
The 'tt' in Better
In American English, the 'tt' in 'better' sounds like a quick 'd' (flap T).
The 'r' in Worse
The 'r' is silent in British English (non-rhotic) but pronounced in American English.
Comparison Stress
This one is BETTER than that one.
Stress the comparative word to emphasize the difference.
암기하기
기억법
Better is Best's little brother (from Good), Worse is Worst's little brother (from Bad).
시각적 연상
Imagine a 'Thumbs Up' icon growing larger for 'Better', a 'Thumbs Down' icon cracking for 'Worse', and a pile of gold coins growing taller for 'More'.
Rhyme
Good is better, bad is worse; learn these now or feel the curse!
Story
A chef made a 'good' soup, but added salt to make it 'better'. Then he added sugar by mistake and it became 'worse'. Finally, he added 'more' water to fix it.
Word Web
챌린지
Look around your room. Find two similar objects and say one sentence comparing them using 'better', 'worse', or 'more'. (e.g., 'This pen is better than that pen.')
문화 노트
Using 'badder' is common in some dialects of African American Vernacular English (AAVE) and slang to mean 'cool' or 'tough', but it is incorrect in standard academic or professional English.
British speakers often use 'further' more frequently than 'farther' for physical distance, whereas American speakers often distinguish between the two.
In professional settings, people often avoid 'worse' and use 'more challenging' or 'less favorable' to sound more positive/diplomatic.
These words come from Old English and are 'suppletive', meaning the comparative forms were originally from different roots than the base adjectives.
대화 시작하기
Which do you think is better: working from home or working in an office?
Is the weather in your country better or worse in the summer?
What is a movie that is better than the book it is based on?
Do you need more coffee or more sleep right now?
일기 주제
자주 하는 실수
Test Yourself
This restaurant's food is much ___ than the cafe next door.
good은 불규칙 비교급 형태인 better를 가져요. gooder나 more good이라고 말하지 않아요.Find and fix the mistake:
The traffic was badder today than yesterday.
bad의 불규칙 비교급은 badder나 more bad가 아니라 worse예요.Choose the correct sentence:
more는 much 또는 many (그리고 a lot of)의 불규칙 비교급이에요. muncher는 없는 단어예요.Translate into English: 'Mi inglés es mejor que el año pasado.'
Answer starts with: ["M...
better는 good(mejor)의 올바른 불규칙 비교급이에요.Score: /4
연습 문제
8 exercisesThis pizza is ___ than the one we had yesterday.
Find and fix the mistake:
The traffic is more worse today because of the rain.
I have many books, but my teacher has ___ books than me.
than / My / is / better / car / yours / .
Good, Bad, Many
A: How is your cold? B: It's ___, I have a fever now.
Check the correct sentence.
Este libro es mejor que ese.
Score: /8
Practice Bank
12 exercisesMy phone's battery life is ___ now after the update.
I think this movie is more bad than the last one.
Choose the correct sentence:
Translate into English: 'Necesito más tiempo para terminar este informe.'
Arrange these words into a sentence:
Match the words:
I'm sure the next season of the show will be even ___!
We need much more effort if we want to win.
Which sentence is correct?
Translate into English: 'La situación está empeorando rápidamente.'
Put the words in order:
After my vacation, I feel so much ___.
Score: /12
자주 묻는 질문 (8)
No, 'more better' is always grammatically incorrect. To emphasize, use `much better`, `far better`, or `a lot better`.
Use `worse` to compare two things (This is worse than that). Use `worst` for three or more (This is the worst movie ever).
In standard English, no. In some very casual slang, it can mean 'cool', but you should avoid it in exams or at work.
Yes! You can say `more people` (countable) and `more sugar` (uncountable).
The comparative of 'well' is also `better`. For example: 'I feel well' ➡️ 'I feel better'.
It's a historical accident! English merged two different words from Old English into one family. We call this 'suppletion'.
Yes, but it's more advanced. To `better` something means to improve it. Example: 'He wants to better his life.'
For physical distance, both are okay. For metaphorical distance (like 'further information'), only `further` is correct.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
mejor / peor
English requires 'than' while Spanish uses 'que'.
meilleur / pire
French adjectives must agree in gender and number, English ones do not.
besser / schlechter
German uses 'als' for 'than'.
motto ii / motto warui
Japanese doesn't change the base word 'ii' (good) to a new root.
afdal / aswa'
Arabic comparatives are derived from a 3-letter root pattern.
gèng hǎo / gèng chà
Chinese has no inflection or word-changing for comparison.
Learning Path
Prerequisites
Learn These First
관련 동영상
09:48 The Billion Dollar Secrets Inside Tumbleweeds
05:57 Father vs. Son: A journey into the underworld - Joseph Mbele
07:42 Cornbread Donuts | Food Wishes
Adjectives and Adverbs in English - 5 Levels of Difficulty
Oxford Online English
Adjectives & Adverbs | English Grammar Lesson | B1-Intermediate
Anglo-Link
Related Grammar Rules
복합 시제에서의 부사 순서 (Always, Never, Often)
### Overview 안녕하세요! 영어의 미묘한 뉘앙스를 마스터하고 싶은 학습자 여러분, 오늘 우리는 영어 문법에서 매우 중요하지...
형용사 강조하기: Very, So, Really, Too
### Overview 영어를 C1 수준으로 구사한다는 것은 단순히 문법적으로 틀리지 않는 문장을 만드는 것을 넘어, 화자의 의도와 감...
부사의 위치: 방식 및 정도
### Overview 부사(Adverb)는 문장에 색채와 정교함을 더해주는 중요한 요소입니다. B2 레벨의 학습자라면 문장의 의미를 명확...
관점 및 태도 부사 (기술적으로, 솔직히)
### Overview 영어 학습의 여정에서 C2 레벨에 도달했다는 것은 단순히 문장을 정확하게 구사하는 단계를 넘어, 언어의 미묘한...
'so'와 'such a'로 강조하기
Overview 인스타그램을 스크롤하다가 사진이 `so` 아름다워서 실제로 스크롤을 멈춘 적이 있나요? 아니면 며칠 동안 머릿속을 떠...
