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Comparisons
Look at this sample situation:
Anna: This café is much better than the one across the street.
Ben: Yes, and the cakes here are far more delicious too.
Anna: The coffee isn’t nearly as strong as I expected, though.
Ben: True, but the atmosphere is by far the nicest I’ve ever seen!
You can see from these examples that there are different ways to express comparisons:
We use comparative adjectives to show differences between two people or things: better, more delicious.
We use (not) as + adjective/adverb + as to show similarity or difference: not nearly as strong as.
We can make comparisons stronger or weaker with modifiers: much, far, by far, not nearly.
We use superlatives to show the highest or lowest degree of something or someone: the nicest.
Structure
Regular Comparatives and Superlatives
Type of adjective/adverb | Comparative | Superlative | Example |
Short (1 syllable) | -er | -est | tall → taller → the tallest |
Ending in -e | -r | -st | nice → nicer → the nicest |
Consonant + y | change y to i + -er | change y to i + -est | happy → happier → the happiest |
Vowel + consonant | double consonant + -er | double consonant + -est | big → bigger → the biggest |
Longer adjectives (2+ syllables) | more + adjective | the most + adjective | beautiful → more beautiful → the most beautiful |
Adverbs ending in -ly | more + adverb | the most + adverb | carefully → more carefully → the most carefully |
Note: Never use more with -er forms (more taller is wrong).
Irregular Forms
Some adjectives/adverbs don’t follow the rules:
Adjective/Adverb | Comparative | Superlative | Example |
good / well | better | the best | This pizza is better than yesterday’s. |
bad / badly | worse | the worst | That was the worst match of the season. |
far | farther / further | the farthest / furthest | He ran farther/further than anyone. |
little (amount) | less | the least | I have less money than you. |
many / much | more | the most | She has the most experience in the team. |
Note: Further and farther both mean more distant but further can also mean more or additional:
If you need further information, call me.
Other Ways to Compare
(not) as + adjective/adverb + as
This exam isn’t as difficult as the last one.
means the last one was more difficult than this one.
Your pronunciation is almost as good as a native speaker’s.
the same as
Her phone is the same as mine.
different from / different to
My opinion is completely different from yours.
Modifiers for Comparisons
Modifiers make comparisons stronger or weaker.They are extremely useful in speaking and writing to sound natural and precise.
Making Comparatives Stronger
Modifier | Example |
much / a lot / far / way | This laptop is way faster than the old one. |
considerably / significantly / dramatically | Prices are significantly higher this year. |
by far (with superlatives) | She is by far the best student in the class. |
quite a lot / rather (British) | It’s quite a lot colder today. |
Note: Far is followed by a comparative form (far bigger) and by far is followed by a superlative form (by far the biggest).
Making Comparatives Weaker
Modifier | Example |
a bit / a little / slightly / somewhat | The journey was a bit shorter than expected. |
not quite | This solution is not quite as effective as we hoped. |
almost as | The film was almost as good as the book. |
Negative Modifiers can also make comparions stronger:
Modifier | Example |
not nearly / nowhere near | The sequel was not nearly as exciting as the first film. |
not half as | The weather isn’t half as bad as yesterday. |
nothing like as | This lesson was nothing like as difficult as last week’s. |
Double Comparatives
Comparative adjective + comparative adjective shows gradual change:
It’s getting hotter and hotter every summer.
He’s becoming more and more confident.
The + comparative + the + comparative shows cause and effect:
The earlier you start, the easier it is.
The more you practise, the better your results.
In the FCE exam
Reading and Use of English
You may have to use different comparison forms in part 4, key word transformations.
This film is much better than the book.
AS
This book _____________________________ the film.
Answer: is not (nearly) as good as
Not many people earn such a high salary as he does.
THAN
His salary is _____________________________ most people's.
Answer: far/much higher than
There aren't many cities which are as exciting as Rio de Janeiro.
ONE
Rio de Janeiro is _____________________________ exciting cities.
Answer: one of the most
Writing
In a review, you could use comparisons and modifiers to express your opinions more clearly and precisely and to evaluate experiences:
This café is by far the most comfortable place to study.
The film was far better than I expected.
The service wasn’t nearly as friendly as last time.
The sequel was nothing like as exciting as the first movie.
Although the acting was good, the plot was a little weaker than I hoped.
In an essay, comparisons could be used in different ways:
Studying online can be much more convenient than attending traditional classes.
for comparing advantages.
Although city life is far busier than the countryside, it also offers more opportunities.
to give balanced opinions.
Working from home is by far the most practical option for people with young children.
to emphasize choices/opinions.
I don’t think technology is quite as harmful as some people claim.
to soften a disagreement.
Overall, option B seems considerably more effective than option A.
to draw conclusions.
Speaking
In the Speaking paper, comparisons are excellent for comparing and contrasting in part 2 :
The family in the first picture looks far more relaxed, whereas the people in the other photo look much busier.
The people in the first photo appear a bit more serious than in the second.
The landscape in the first photo is not nearly as colourful as the one in the second one.
This situation looks slightly more stressful, while the other seems a lot calmer.
Comparisons can also be used naturally in all parts of the speaking paper actually. For example in part 3 you might say:
I think this option is much more realistic than that one.
That idea sounds a bit more practical, doesn’t it?
This choice might be slightly better because…
That’s by far the most useful suggestion.
I’m not sure this one is quite as important as the others.
This option is more about fun, whereas the other is more about learning.
In part 4, when you share more abstract opinions and ideas you could use comparisons like this:
The more you travel, the more open-minded you become.
The better your English, the easier it is to meet new people abroad.
Cities are becoming busier and busier every year.
Social media seems more and more influential nowadays.
Phoning people is nowhere near as common as it used to be.
I think young people today are far more aware of environmental issues.