Study these examples:

How shall we tr avel? Shall we drive or go by train?

Let's drive. It ’s cheaper.

Don't go by train. It's m ore ex pensive.

Cheap er and m ore ex pensive are com parative forms.

Af ter com paratives you can use t h an (see Unit 107):

It's cheap er to drive t h an go by train.
Going by train is m ore ex pensive t h an driving.

The comparative form is - er or m ore ... .

We use - er for short words (one syllabte): We use m ore ... for longer words (t wo
syllables or more):
cheap —» cheaper f ast —» faster m ore serious m ore of t en
large —> larger thin —> thinner m ore ex pensive m ore co m f o r t ab le

We also use - er for two- syllable words that We also use m ore . for adverbs that end
end in - y (- y —> ier): in - ly:
lucky —> luckier early —* earlier m ore slo w ly m ore seriously
easy —> easier prett y —» prettier m ore easily m ore q u iet ly

For spelling, see Appendix 6 .

Compare these examples:

o You're old er than me. o You're m ore p at ien t than me.

o The exam was quite easy - easier than
1expected.
o Can you walk a bit f ast er ?
o I'd like to have a bigger car.
o Last night 1went to bed ear lier than
usual.
o The exam was quite difficult - m ore
d if f icu lt than 1 expected.
o Can you walk a bit m ore sl o w l y?
o I’d like to have a m ore reliab le car.
o 1don't play tennis much these days.
1used to play m ore oft en.

You can use - er or m ore ... with some two- syllable adjectives, especially:
clever n ar r ow quiet sh allo w sim ple
It's too noisy here. Can we go somewhere q uiet er / m ore q u iet ?

A few adjectives and adverbs have irregular com parative forms:

g ood / well —> b et t er

The garden looks b et t er since you tidied it up.
I know him w el l - probably b et t er than anybody else knows him.

bad/ badly —> wor se

I ‘How's your headache? Bet t er?' ‘No, it ’s worse.'
C He did very badly in the exam - w o r se than expected.

f ar —> f u r t h er (or f ar t h er )
It's a long walk from here to the park - f u r t h er than I thought, (or f ar t h er than)

Fu rt h er [but not farther) can also mean 'more' or ‘additional':

Let me know if you hear any f u r t h er news. (= any more news)

Comparison 2- 3 -> Unit s 106- 107 Superlatives (ch eap est / m ost ex pensive etc.) -4Un it 108
 Unit
Exercises 105
Com p let e t he sentences using a com parat ive form (o ld er / m ore im p o r t an t etc.).
1 It's too noisy here. Can we go som ewhere quueier ?
2 This coffee is very weak. I like it .......
3 The hotel was surprisingly big. I expected it to be .
4 The hotel was surprisingly cheap. I expected it to be .
5 The weather is too cold here. I'd like to live somewhere ...
6 My job is a bit boring sometimes. I’d like to do something .
7 It's a shame you live so far away. I wish you lived ....... ...............................
8 I was surprised how easy it was to get a job. I thought it would be .
9 Your work isn't very good. I'm sure you can do ......................... .
10 Don't worry. The situation isn't so bad. It could be ... .
11 I was surprised we got here so quickly. I expected the trip to take .
12 You're talking very loudly. Can you speak ..?
13 You hardly ever call me. Wh y don't you call m e. ?
14 You're standing too near the camera. Can you move a b i t ............... away?
15 You were a little depressed yesterday, but you look today.

Com p let e t he sentences. Use t he com parat ive form s of t he words in the box. Use t h an
where necessary.

big crowd ed - early- easily high im p or t an t

int erest ed p eacef ul re l iab le serious sim ple t hin

1 I was feeling tired last night, so I went to bed ear lier t h an usual.
2 I'd like to have a more reliab le car. The one I have keeps breaking down.
3 Unfort unately her illness was we thought at first.
4 You look . Have you lost weight?
5 I want a ............... .. apartment. We don’t have enough space here.
6 He doesn't study very hard. He's in having a good time.
7 Health and happiness are . money.
8 The instructions were very complicated. They could have been ...........................
9 There were a lot of people on the bus. It was usual.
10 I like living in the country. It's living in a town.
11 You'll find your way around the town if you have a good map.
12 In some parts of the count ry prices are ...................................... ..........in others.

Read t he sit uat ions and com plet e t he sentences. Use a com p arat ive form (- er or m or e ...).
1 Yesterday the tem perature was six degrees. Today it's only three degrees.
It's colder t o d ay t h an jt was yesterday.

2 The journey takes four hours by car and five hours by train.
It takes ........ by car.

3 Dan and I went for a run. I ran ten kilometres. Dan stopped after eight kilometres.
I r an .................................. ,......................................................................... Dan.

4 Chris and Joe both did badLy in the test. Chris got 3 0 %, but Joe only got 25%.
Joe did ............. Chris in the test.

5 I expected my friends to arrive at about 4 o'cLock. In fact t hey arrived at 2.30.

My friends ................................................ I expected.

6 You can go by bus or by train. The buses run every 30 minutes. The trains run every hour.
The b u ses................... the trains.

7 We were very busy in the office today. We're not usually so busy.
We ................................................................................. usual in the office today.

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Unit Comparison 2 (much better / any better /
106 better and better / the sooner the better)
Before com paratives you can use:
m uch a Lot f ar (= a lot) a bit a Little slig h t ly (= a little)

Let's go by car. It's m uch cheaper, (or a lo t cheaper)

'How do you feel now?' ‘Much b et t er thanks.'
Don't go by train. It's a lot m ore ex pensive, (or m uch m ore ex pensive)
Could you speak a bit m ore slo w ly? (or a lit t le m ore slo w ly)
This bag is slig h t ly heavier than the other one.
Her illness was f ar m ore serious than we thought at first, (or m uch m ore serious /
a Lot m ore serious)

You can use any and no + com parative (any longer / no bigger etc.):
i've waited long enough. I'm not waiting an y longer. (= not even a little longer)
We expected their apartm ent to be very big, but it's no bigger than ours, or
... it isn't any bigger than ours. (= not even a little bigger)
How do you feel now? Do you feel any b et t er ?
This hotel is better than the other one, and it's no m ore ex pensive.

Bet t er and b et t er / m ore and m ore etc.

We repeat com paratives (b et t er and b et t er etc.) to say that something changes continuously:
Your English is improving. It's getting b et t er and bet t er.
The cit y has grown fast in recent years. It's got bigger and bigger,
As I listened to his story, I became m ore and m ore convinced t hat he was lying.
These days m ore and m ore people are learning English.

The ... t h e ...

You can say t h e (sooner/ bigger/ more etc.) t h e bet t er:

‘Wh at tim e shall we leave?' ‘The sooner t h e b et t er.' (= as soon as possible)
L a : Wh at sort of box do you want ? A big one?
b : Yes, t h e bigger t h e bet t er. (= as big as possible)

When you're travelling, t h e less Luggage you have t h e bet t er.

We also use t h e ... t h e ... to say that one thing depends on another thing:
The w ar m er the weather, t h e b et t er I feel. (= if the weather is warmer, I feel better)
The sooner we leave, t h e ear lier we will arrive.
G The you n g er you are, t h e easier it is to learn.
The m ore ex pensive the hotel, t h e b et t er the service.
The m ore electricity you use, t h e higher your bill will be.
The m ore I thought about the plan, t h e less I liked it.

Old er and eld er

The com parative of old is older:

David Looks old er than he really is.

You can use eld er (or old er) when you talk about people in a family. You can say
(m y/ your etc.) eld er sister/ brother/ daughter/ son:
M y eld er sist er is a TV producer, (or My old er sister ...)

We say ‘m y eld er sist er', but we do not say that ‘som ebody is elder':
C My sister is old er than me. (not elder than me)

Any/ no Un it 86
212
Com parison 1, 3 Unit s 10S, 107 Eld est Un it 108C
Even + com parat ive Un it 112 C
 Unit
Exercises 106
Use t he words in brackets t o com plet e t he sentences. Use m uch / a b it etc. + a com parat ive
form. Use t h an where necessary.
1 Her illness w as much more serious t har\ we thought at first, (m uch/ serious)
2 This bag is too small. I need something .......... (much / big)
3 I liked the museum. It was I expected. (much / interesting)
4 It was very hot yesterday. Today it 's ............... (a bit / cool)
5 I'm afraid the problem is . it seems. (far / complicated)
6 You're driving too fast. Can you drive ? (a bit / slowly)
7 It's to learn a language in a country where it is spoken. (a Lot / easy)
8 I thought she was younger than me, but in fact she's .................. (slightly / old)

Com p let e the sent ences using any/ no + com parat ive. Use t h an where necessary.
1 I've waited long enough. I'm not waiting any Longer .
2 I'm sorry I'm a bit late, but I couldn't get here
3 This shop isn't expensive. The prices are ......... ... anywhere else.
4 I need to stop for a rest. I can't w al k .......
5 The traffic isn't particularly bad today. It's ................................. usual.

Com p let e the sentences using t he st ruct ure in Sect ion C {... and ...).
1 It ’s getting wore cuad more d i f f i c u l t to find a job. (difficult)
2 That hole in your sweater is getting (big)
3 My bags seemed to g et as carried them, (heavy)
4 As I waited for my interview, I became . (nervous)
5 As the day went on, the weather got ... .............. . (bad)
6 Health care is becoming . .................................................. (expensive)
7 Since Anna went to Canada, her English has got (good)
8 As the conversation went on, Paul b ecam e......................................... .................. (talkative)

Com p let e the sentences using t he st ruct ure in Sect ion D (t h e ... t h e ...).
1 I like warm weather.
The warm er the weather, t h e better I feel. . (feel)
2 I didn't really like him when we first met.
But the more I got to know him, .................. * (like)
3 (f you're in business, you want to make a profit.
The more goods you sell, .................................................................. . (profit)
4 it's hard to concentrate when you're tired.
The more tired you are, ... . (hard)
5 Kate had to wait a very long time.
The longer she had to w a i t , ............. .................. ......... (im patient / become)

Use t he words on t he right t o com p let e t h e sentences.

1
I like to travel light. The Less luggage, the better. any
2
The problem is getting and more serious. b et t er
3
The more time I have, the ............... it takes me to do things. eld er
4
I'm walking as fast as I can. I can't walk faster. l ess
5
The higher your income, ............ more tax you have to pay. less
6
I'm surprised Anna is only 25. I thought she was . . longer
7
Jane's sister is a nurse. m ore
8
I was a little late. The journey took longer than I expected. no
9
We have a lot to discuss. We need to start the meeting later old er
than 9.30. slig h t ly
10 Don't t ell him anything. The he knows, the the

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Unit J
1 0 7 Comparison 3 (as ... as / than)
St udy 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 t han David.

But he isn't as rich as Sarah.

(= Sarah is richer t h an he is)

SARAH JOE DAVID

Some more examples of not as ... (as):

Jack isn't as old as he looks. (= he looks old er t h an he is)
The town centre w asn 't as crowd ed as usual. (= it is usually m ore crowded )
Lisa d id n 't do as w el l in the exam as she had hoped. (= she had hoped to do b et t er)
O The weather is better today. It's n o t as cold. (= yest erday was cold er t h an today)
O I d on ’t know as m an y people as you do. (= you know m ore people t h an me)
'How much did it cost? Fifty pounds?' ‘No, not as m uch as that.' (= less t h an fifty pounds)

You can also say n o t so ... (as):

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

Less ... t h an is similar to not as ... as:

Q I spent less m oney t h an you. (= t d idn't spend as much m oney as you)
The city centre was less crowded t h an usual. (= it w asn 't as crowded as usual)
O i play tennis less t h an I used to. (= I d on 't play as much as I used to)

We also use as ... as (but not so ... as) in positive sentences and in questions:
O I'm sorry I'm late. I got here as f ast as I could.
Q There's plenty of food. You can have as m uch as you want.
O Let's walk. It's j u st as quick as taking the bus.
O Can you send me the information as soon as possible, please?

Also t w ice as ... as, t h r ee t im es as .. . as et c.:

Q Petrol is t w ice as ex pensive as it was a few years ago.
Q Their house is about t h r ee t im es as big as ours.

We say t h e sam e as (not the same like):

C Laura's salary is t h e sam e as mine, or Laura gets t h e sam e salary as me.
David is t h e sam e age as James.
C Sarah hasn't changed. She still looks t h e sam e as she did ten years ago.

Than m e / t h an I am etc.

You can say:

o You're taller t h an me.
(not usually You're taller than I)
o He's not as clever as her.
o They have more m oney t h an us. or
o I can’t run as fast as him.
or You're taller t h an I am.
or He's not as clever as she is.
or I can't run as fast as he can.

Comparison 1- 2 Unit s 105- 106 As long as Un it 115B As and l i k e - » Un it 117

 Unit
Exercises 107
Com p let e t he sentences using as ... as.
1 I'm tall, but you are t aller I'm not t ai l fcs... you....
2 My salary is high, but yours is higher. My salary isn't .. .
3 You know a bit about cars, but I know more.
You don't ................................................. .......................................................
4 We are busy today, but we were busier yesterday.
We ar en 't ..........................................................................................................
5 I still feel bad, but I felt a lot worse earlier.
I don't ...................................................................................................... .........
6 Our neighbours have lived here for quite a long time, but w e’ve lived here longer.
Our neighbours haven't ........
7 i was a little nervous before the interview, but usually I'm a lot more nervous.
I w asn 't ........................................................................................

Wr i t e a new sentence wit h t he sam e meaning.

1 Jack is younger than he looks, jack isn't He looks .
2 i didn't spend as much m oney as you. You spent more money t h an me .
3 The station was nearer than I thought. The station wasn’t .................................
4 The meal didn't cost as much as l expected. The meal cost
5 I go out less than I used to. I don't ................................... ..............
6 Karen's hair isn't as long as it used to be. Karen used to
7 I know them better than you do. You don't ..................................................
8 There are fewer people at this meeting than at the last one.
There aren't .................................................. *............... - ..............................

Com p let e the sentences using as ... as + t he following:

bad co m f o r t ab le hard long of t en q u iet ly soon w ell

1 I'm sorry I'm late. I got here .Q& f a s t as ] could.

2 It was a difficult question. I answered it I could.
'How long can I stay wit h you ?' 'You can stay you like.'
I need the information quickly, so let me know possible.
I like to keep fit, so I go swimming I can.
I didn't want to wake anybody, so I came in I could.

In the f ollowing sentences use j u st as ... as.

7 I'm going to sleep on the floor. It's the bed.
8 You always say how tiring your job is, but I work .......................................... . .you.
9 At first I thought he was nice, but really he's ............... everybody else.

Wr i t e sentences using the sam e as.

&
1 David and Jam es are both 22 years old. David t he sam e age as James.
2 You and I both have dark brown hair. Your hair mine.
3 I arrived at 10.25 and so did you. I arrived ..... .. ............... you.
4 My birthday is 5 April. It'sTom's birthday too. My birthday Tom's.

Com p let e t he sentences wit h than ... or as ....

1 I can't reach as high as you. You are taller .. t h an me .
2 He doesn't know much. I know m o r e ...
3 I don't work particularly hard. Most people work as hard
4 We were very surprised. Nobody was more surprised
5 She's not a very good player. I'm a better player
6 They've been very lucky. I wish we were as lucky ......

215