TSA CBT Practice Test

What is the purpose of comparative adjectives/adverbs?

1. Adds an -er to the + form of the word

2. Adds an -est to the + form of the word

3. Indicates a noun's definiteness

4. Joins together sentences or clauses

The correct answer is: Adds an -er to the + form of the word

Comparative adjectives and adverbs serve the purpose of comparing differences between the two entities they modify. For adjectives, this generally involves adding an -er suffix to the base form of the adjective to indicate that one thing has more of a quality than another. For example, "taller" is the comparative form of "tall," directly comparing the height of two subjects. The other provided options don't accurately capture the essence of comparative adjectives and adverbs. The second option, which involves adding an -est, refers to superlative forms, not comparative ones. The third option regarding definiteness relates to the use of articles like "the" and "a," which does not pertain to comparatives. The fourth option about joining sentences or clauses describes a function of conjunctions rather than adjectives or adverbs. Therefore, the correct understanding of comparative forms emphasizes their role in comparison, primarily through the addition of -er.