Grammar ~21 min of the core left

Compare two things

After this lesson you can

I can compare two things, two places or two people and say that they are the same or different.

Start the lesson Core 19–21 min · steps: 6 · optional: +2

Declared core time. Two of the core blocks carry no figure at all, so the real lesson is longer than this sum.

Grammar

5 min

The comparative depends on the length of the adjective.

how examples
one syllable + -er cheap → cheaper, big → bigger, old → older
two syllables ending in -y y → -ier happy → happier, easy → easier
two syllables or more more + the word expensive → more expensive, interesting → more interesting

There is always one way only — -er or more, never both: ✗ more bigger → ✓ bigger.

Some two-syllable adjectives also take -er: quiet → quieter, simple → simpler, clever → cleverer. A short syllable with one vowel before one consonant doubles the consonant: big → bigger, hot → hotter.

Four forms do not follow the rule and have to be learnt:

good → better bad → worse far → further little → less

much before a comparative means "a lot": much cheaper, much better. With the meaning of quantity (much water) the word comes in lesson 13.

The second thing is introduced with than:

This bag is cheaper than that one. Rio de Janeiro is bigger than Rome.

The same and different:

as … as This bag is as expensive as that one.
not as … as Rome isn't as big as Rio de Janeiro.
the same as My phone is the same as yours.
different from My phone is different from yours.
Advertisement

Common learner errors

written for your language
1

more with a short adjective

✗ more cheap

✗ more bigger

✓ cheaper

bigger. Spanish (más barato), French (plus cher), Italian (più caro), Portuguese and Turkish put a word before almost every adjective. In English a short adjective takes -er, and never more too.

2

-er on a long adjective

✗ expensiver

✓ more expensive

German (teurer), Dutch and Swedish add the ending to any adjective; English adds it only to short ones.

3

The wrong word after the comparative

✗ bigger that Rome

✗ bigger as Rome

✗ bigger from Rome

✓ bigger than Rome

Spanish, French and Portuguese say que; German als sounds like as; Arabic, Hebrew, Greek, Hindi and Turkish use a word for "from". And then is "after that", not than.

4

the same like, different of

✗ the same like yours

✗ different of yours

✓ the same as yours

different from yours. German wie gives like; Spanish, French and Portuguese de give of.

Pronunciation

3 min

The ending -er is an unstressed /ə/, almost swallowed: bigger /ˈbɪɡə/, cheaper /ˈtʃiːpə/. The stress stays on the first syllable.

than in connected speech is /ðən/, unstressed and short: bigger than Rome sounds like /ˈbɪɡə ðən ˈrəʊm/, with the stress on Rome.

Advertisement

Text

3 min

My new flat is smaller than my old one, but it's much cheaper. The rooms are bigger and the kitchen is more comfortable. The area isn't as quiet as my old street, but it's nearer to the centre. My journey to work is twenty minutes shorter now.

Reading aloud

Exercises

8–10 min

1. Gap fill.

  1. This bag is (cheap) than that one
  2. Rome is (small) than Rio de Janeiro
  3. This film is (interesting) than the book
  4. My English is (good) now
Show the answers
cheaper, smaller, more interesting, better.

2. Error correction.

  1. This is more bigger.
  2. It's cheaper then that one.
  3. Rome is more small than Rio de Janeiro.
Show the answers
This is bigger. / It's cheaper than that one. / Rome is smaller than Rio de Janeiro.

3. Gap fill.

  1. My phone is yours — we bought them together
  2. This bag isn't expensive that one
  3. His job is completely mine
Show the answers
the same as, as … as, different from.

4. Matching.

  1. good
  2. bad
  3. far
  4. happy
  5. expensive
Show the answers
good — better; bad — worse; far — further; happy — happier; expensive — more expensive.
Advertisement

Summary

Covered

  • the comparative of short and long adjectives
  • four exceptions
  • than
  • as … as
  • the same as
  • different from

Next — lesson 8: naming the best.

End of the core

The lesson counts as done once the exercises are done. Everything after this is optional.

Lesson 44

optional

Vocabulary for your deck

13 words
  • than /ðən/ used after a comparative before the second thing: bigger than Rome
  • better /ˈbetə/ comparative of good
  • worse /wɜːs/ comparative of bad
  • further /ˈfɜːðə/ comparative of far
  • comfortable /ˈkʌmftəbl/ pleasant to sit in, live in or use
  • quiet /ˈkwaɪət/ with little noise
  • noisy /ˈnɔɪzi/ with a lot of noise
  • area /ˈeəriə/ a part of a city or a country
  • easy /ˈiːzi/ not difficult
  • difficult /ˈdɪfɪkəlt/ not easy; hard to do
  • much /mʌtʃ/ a lot (before a comparative: much cheaper)
  • completely /kəmˈpliːtli/ totally; in every way
  • nearer /ˈnɪərə/ comparative of near

Writing

Four sentences: compare two things — two cities, two jobs or two flats.

Example

My new flat is smaller than my old one, but it's cheaper. The kitchen is more comfortable. The area isn't as quiet as my old street. For me, it's better than my old flat.

Checklist

The draft is saved on this device
Advertisement

Practise this lesson in the other sections

Dictationbased on this lesson Write down what you hear. The check shows every word that differs, and how. Write the dictation Reading aloudbased on this lesson Read the lesson text aloud — speech recognition highlights the words it did not catch. Read the text aloud Reading and listeningA1–C1 Texts at every level with comprehension questions; the transcript opens after you answer. Try it

Got a feature idea?

Send idea
Advertisement
Advertisement