The present invention provides compositions comprising particles or agglomerates of one or more telomer or cotelomer ((co)telomer) of one or more methacrylic acids or anhydrides having a mean average particle size of from 2 μm to 1 mm, preferably from 5 to 500 μm. In addition, the present invention provides methods comprising aqueous solution addition polymerizing a monomer mixture of one or more methacrylic acid in the presence of a heteroatom containing compound, drying the resulting copolymer at a temperature of from 120 to 230° C. and reducing its particle size to make a (co)telomer particle or agglomerate; the methods may further comprise reacting the (co)telomer particle or agglomerate with one or more polyether polyol, alkyl polyether polyol, polyether amine or alkyl polyether amine, with heating, to form a comb polymer useful, e.g. as a superplasticizer or dispersant.