Which choice should replace the underlined words? “Houston is [more bigger] than Austin.”
Use Standard Grammar, Usage, and Spelling to Edit · TELPAS Grades 4–5 writing. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.
Reporting category 2: find and fix an error in a short text. On the real test some of these are typed answers or sentence rewrites. Here they are multiple choice so they can be checked.
The question
Choose the best answer.
Read the sentence. The underlined words have an error. Houston is [more bigger] than Austin. Which choice should replace the underlined words?
- more big
- biggerCorrect answer
- most bigger
- biggest
Why “bigger” is correct
This tests comparative adjectives. Short adjectives such as big, tall, and fast add -er to compare two things, and they do not also take "more." Saying "more bigger" uses two comparison markers at once. Longer adjectives such as beautiful use "more" instead of -er.
Why the other answers are wrong
- more big — Short words like "big" add -er instead of using "more."
- most bigger — This still uses two comparison words, which is the original error.
- biggest — "Biggest" compares three or more things; this sentence compares only two cities.
Practice more of this
More writing practice for Grades 4–5, or see the TELPAS practice test for 4th and 5th grade.
This is an independent study resource. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the Texas Education Agency or the official TELPAS program. All questions here are original practice material written to match the published test design.