Adults|Grammar|Intermediate|46. Cheaper, more expensive

Read the rules

The comparative form is -er or more…

Compare these examples:

You can use -er or more… with some two-syllable adjectives, especially:

• clever
• narrow
• quiet
• shallow
• simple

✔️ It’s too noisy here. Can we go somewhere quieter / more quiet?

Read the rules

A few adjectives and adverbs have irregular comparative forms:

Good/well → better

1. The garden looks better since you tidied it up.

2. I know him well — probably better than anybody else knows him.

Bad/badly → worse:

1. «How is your headache? Better?» «No, it’s worse.»

2. He did very badly in the exam — worse than expected.

Far → further (or farther):

• It’s a long walk from here to the park — further than I thought. (or farther than)

Further (but not farther) can also mean «more» or «additional»:

• Let me know if you hear any further news. (= any more news)

Read the rules

Before comparatives you can use:

• much
• a lot
• far (= a lot)
• a bit
• a little
• slightly (= a little)

1. Let’s go by car. It’s much cheaper. (or a lot cheaper)

2. «How do you feel?» «Much better, thanks.»

3. Don’t go by train. It’s a lot more expensive. (or much more expensive)

4. Could you speak a bit more slowly? (or a little more slowly)

5. This bag is slightly heavier than the other one.

6. Her illness was far more serious than we thought at first. (or much more serious / a bit more serious)

You can use any and no + comparative (any longer / no bigger etc.):

1. I’ve waited long enough. I’m not waiting any longer. (= not even a little longer)

2. We expected their house to be very big, but it’s no bigger than ours. or … it isn’t any bigger than ours. (= not even a little bigger)

3. How do you feel now? Do you feel any better?

4. This hotel is better than the other one, and it’s no more expensive.

Read the rule

Better and better / more and more etc.

We repeat comparatives (better and better etc.) to say that something changes continuously:

1. Your English is improving. It’s getting better and better.

2. The city is growing fast. It’s getting bigger and bigger.

3. Cathy got more and more bored in her job. In the end she left.

4. These days more and more people are learning English.

Read the rules

The … the …

You can say the (sooner/bigger/more etc.) the better:

1. «What time shall we leave?» «The sooner the better.» (= as soon as possible)

2. — What sort of box do you want? A big one?

— Yes, the bigger the better. (= as big as possible)

3. When you’re travelling, the less luggage you have the better.

We also use the … the … to say that one thing depends on another thing:

1. The warmer the weather, the better I feel. (= if the weather is warmer, I feel better)

2. The sooner we leave, the earlier we will arrive.

3. The younger you are, the easier it is to learn.

4. The more expensive the hotel, the better the service.

5. The more electricity you use, the higher your bill will be.

6. The more I thought about the plan, the less I liked it.

Older and elder

The comparative of old is older:

• David looks older than he really is.

You can use elder (or older) when you talk about people in a family. You can say (my/your etc.) elder sister/brother/daughter/son:

• My elder sister is a TV producer. (or My older sister …)

We say «my elder sister«, but we do not say that «somebody is elder»:

• My sister is older than me. (not elder than me)

Study this example situation:

Sarah, Joe and David are all very rich. Sarah has £20 million, Joe has £15 million and David has £10 million. So:

Joe is rich.

He is richer than David.

But he isn’t as rich as Sarah.

(= Sarah is richer than he is)

Read the examples

Some more examples of not as … (as):

1. Richard isn’t as old as he looks. (= he looks older than he is)
2. The town centre wasn’t as crowded as usual. (= it is usually more crowded)
3. Jenny didn’t do as well in the exam as she had hoped. (= she had hoped to do better)
4. The weather is better today. It’s not as cold. (= yesterday was colder)
5. I don’t know as many people as you do. (= you know more people)
6. «How much did it cost? Fifty pounds?» «No, not as much as that.» (= less than fifty pounds)

You can also say not so … (as):

It’s not warm, but it isn’t so cold as yesterday. (= it isn’t as cold as …)

Less … than is similar to not as … as:

1. I spent less money than you. (= I didn’t spend as much money as you)

2. The city centre was less crowded than usual. (= it wasn’t as crowded as usual)

Read the rules

We also use as … as (but not so … as) in positive sentences and in questions:

1. I’m sorry I’m late. I got here as fast as I could.

2. There’s plenty of food. You can have as much as you want.

3. Let’s walk. It’s just as quick as taking the bus.

4. Can you send me the money as soon as possible, please?

Also twice as … as, three times as … as etc.:

1. Petrol is twice as expensive as it was a few years ago.

2. Their house is about three times as big as ours.

Read the rule

We say the same as (not the same like):

1. Laura’s salary is the same as mine. or Laura gets the same salary as me.

2. David is the same age as James.

3. «What would you like to drink?» «I’ll have the same as you.»

Read the examples

Than me / than I am etc.

You can say:

1. You’re taller than I am. (not usually You’re taller than I) or You’re taller than me.

2. He’s not as clever as she is. or He’s not as clever as her.

3. They have more money than we have. or They have more money than us.

4. I can’t run as fast as he can. or I can’t run as fast as him.

Complete the sentences using a comparative form (older / more important etc.)

Complete the sentences. Each time use the comparative form of one of the words in the box. Use than where necessary.

Read the situations and complete the sentences

Choose the correct option

Fill in the gaps

Which is correct, older or elder? Or both of them?

Example: My older/elder sister is a TV producer.

Complete the sentences using as…as and the words from the list

Complete the sentences with the appropriate adjectives. Pay attention to the use of just as… as

Rewrite the sentences using the same as so as they mean the same

Complete the sentences with than… or as…

If you open the lesson plan you will be able to assign separate pages as homework or all the homework pages at once.