Advanced comparatives: the more, the better – exercises on how big the difference is
About this lesson
This B1 drill lesson gives advanced comparative exercises: how big a difference is, how one thing changes with another, and how many times bigger something is.
- Grammar
- Much, far, a lot, a bit or slightly + comparative, less … than and the least, the …, the …, as … as possible, and twice, three times or half as … as.
- Topic
- Tobenna's blog post comparing three gyms after a free week at each, one gym's email offer, another's web page, his messages with his sister and a chat with Haruki.
- Activities
- Sorting, choices, gap-fills, drag-and-drop with numbers, tables, matching, word order, rewrites, find-the-mistake quizzes, a memory game, a chat and a test.
What's inside
Chapter 1The rule
- PictureUnlock
- Study the scheme: advanced comparativesGrammar schemeTry it
- Is the sentence correct? Mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
- Sort the phrases: big difference, small difference or wrong?Sort into columnsTry it
- Choose the right wordsChoose the optionUnlock
- Fill in the gaps: the right formFill in the gapsUnlock
Chapter 2Much better or a bit better?
- Choose the right words: a big or a small difference?Choose the optionTry it
- Fill in the gaps: comparatives with much, far and a bitFill in the gapsUnlock
- Drag the words into the gaps: look at the numbersDrag and dropUnlock
- Fill in the table: more, less or not as … asFill in the tableUnlock
- Choose the right words: less … than or the least?Choose the optionUnlock
- Find the mistake and choose the right wordsQuizUnlock
- Read Gorka's message and fill in the gapsFill in the gapsUnlock
Chapter 3The sooner, the better
- Choose the right words: the …, the …Choose the optionUnlock
- Match the beginnings and the endingsMatchTry it
- Fill in the gaps: the + comparativeFill in the gapsUnlock
- Put the words in the right order: the …, the …UnjumbleUnlock
- Rewrite the sentences with the …, the …Fill in the gapsUnlock
- Read Murat's puppy tips and drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
Chapter 4Twice as big, as soon as possible
- Choose the right words: twice or three times?Choose the optionUnlock
- Fill in the gaps: how many times?Fill in the gapsTry it
- Match the numbers and the sentencesMatchUnlock
- Choose the right words: as … as possibleChoose the optionUnlock
- Fill in the gaps: as … as possible or as … as you canFill in the gapsUnlock
- Put the words in the right orderUnjumbleUnlock
- Read the library's notice and drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
Chapter 5Real life: Three gyms, three free weeks
- Read Tobenna's blog postReal-life documentUnlock
- Read the blog post again: true or false?True or falseUnlock
- Read the email from Bluestem and fill in the gapsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Read the Foxglove page and choose the right wordsChoose the optionUnlock
- Read Tobenna's messages with his sister and drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
- Choose the right replies: Haruki asks about your gymChatTry it
- Test yourself: choose the right answerQuizUnlock
Chapter 6Homework
- Choose the right words: at workChoose the optionUnlock
- Fill in the gaps: on vacationFill in the gapsUnlock
- Sort the sentences: correct or wrong?Sort into columnsUnlock
- Put the words in the right order: sentencesUnjumbleUnlock
- Match the beginnings and the endings: everyday lifeMatchUnlock
- Fill in the table: two ways to compareFill in the tableUnlock
- Find the matching pairs: the same meaningMemory gameUnlock
- Find the mistake and choose the correctionQuizUnlock
- Choose the right words: the …, the … at homeChoose the optionUnlock
- Fill in the gaps: sports and hobbiesFill in the gapsUnlock
- Drag the words into the gaps: at the airportDrag and dropUnlock
- Choose the correct sentenceQuizUnlock
- Read Sakari's e-bike review and fill in the gapsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Read Amaia's postcard and drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
- Read the news item and choose the right wordsChoose the optionUnlock
Grammar: advanced comparatives: much better, twice as big
At A2, students say that one thing is bigger than another. Here they add how much bigger, how two changes move together, and how many times bigger something is. Very never goes before a comparative: it's much bigger, not very bigger.
Advanced comparatives: much better, twice as big
Say how big the difference is, how one thing changes with another, and how many times bigger something is.
A big or a small difference
Much, far and a lot mark a big difference: Bluestem is much more expensive than Quarrytop. A bit, a little and slightly mark a small one. These words go before more: much more expensive, never more much expensive.
How big is the difference?
| Difference | Words | Example |
|---|---|---|
| big | much · far · a lot + comparative | $80 / $20: Bluestem is much more expensive than Quarrytop. |
| small | a bit · a little · slightly + comparative | $75 / $80: Foxglove is slightly cheaper than Bluestem. |
| the opposite of more | less + adjective + than | The bus is less expensive than a taxi. |
| three or more things | the least + adjective | Quarrytop is the least expensive of the three gyms. |
| never | very + comparative | very bigger ✗ → much bigger ✓ |
Word order and short adjectives
much / a bit + more + long adjective: much more expensive, a bit more comfortable (not: more much expensive). less with short adjectives: not as … as sounds more natural: The bus isn't as fast as the train. as … as possible: as soon as possible (not: as soon as possibly, as sooner as possible).
Less … than and the least
Less + adjective + than is the opposite of more … than and means the same as not as … as: The bus is less expensive than a taxi. For three or more things, it's the least: the least expensive of the three gyms.
The same idea, two ways
much = far = a lot · a bit = a little = slightly. less … than = not as … as: The bus is less expensive than a taxi. = The bus isn't as expensive as a taxi. as soon as possible = as soon as you can. You may also hear three times bigger than; in this lesson, we say three times as big as.
The more, the better
Two comparatives with the show that one change brings another: The more you practice, the better you get. The verbs can drop out: The bigger the gym, the longer the lines. Each half takes one comparative only, so the more better is wrong.
The + comparativesubject + verb, the + comparativesubject + verb
The more you practice, the better you get.
The longer I sleep, the more tired I feel.
The bigger the gym, the longer the lines. · The sooner, the better.
Twice as big as, as soon as possible
For times, the number goes before as … as: twice as long as, four times as expensive as, half as heavy as, never than. As … as possible or as … as you can asks for the most you can manage: Text me as soon as possible.
Twice as … as, three times as … as
| How many times? | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| × 2 | twice as + adjective + as | A 20-minute drive is twice as long as a 10-minute drive. |
| × 3, × 4, × 10 | three times as … as | Bluestem ($80) is four times as expensive as Quarrytop ($20). |
| × ½ | half as … as | My new bag (2 pounds) is half as heavy as my old one (4 pounds). |
| amounts | twice as much / many … as | A drop-in class costs three times as much as a class with a membership. |
As … as possible / as … as you can
asadjective / adverbaspossible / I can / you can
Text me as soon as possible.
I packed as quickly as I could.
Book as early as you can: the classes fill up fast.
What to watch for
Very bigger, much more cheaper, the more better and twice as big than are the slips the scheme corrects: one comparative form at a time, and as after twice.
This hotel is very bigger than ours.
This hotel is much bigger than ours.
never very + comparative: much / far / a lot
The harder you study, the more better your grades are.
The harder you study, the better your grades are.
one comparative after the: the better (not: the more better)
Their house is twice as big than ours.
Their house is twice as big as ours.
twice / half / three times as … as
It's much more cheaper online.
It's much cheaper online.
-er or more, never both
Examples
- My new phone is far better than my old one.a big difference
- This coat is a bit warmer, but it's a lot more expensive.a small and a big difference
- The more you give, the more you get.the …, the …
- Our new kitchen is twice as big as the old one.× 2
- Please reply as soon as possible.as … as possible
- The train is less crowded than the bus.less … than
More lessons on this grammar: Comparatives and superlatives lessons and exercises
Try the advanced comparative exercises
Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.
What's in the lesson
- 41 auto-checked exercises
- 4 games
- 1 real-life document
- 1 grammar scheme
- 1 picture
The main objectives of this lesson are to:
- say how big a difference is with much, far or a bit: Home coffee is much cheaper. I'm slightly older than him, never very older
- use less … than for two things and the least for three or more: Of the three hotels, the one by the station is the least expensive.
- link two changes with the …, the …: The longer you wait, the harder it gets. The sooner, the better.
- say how many times bigger with twice, three times or half as … as: Adult tickets are twice as expensive as kids' tickets.
- ask for speed with as … as possible or as … as you can: Please come as soon as possible. Run as fast as you can!
- Grammar:
- comparatives · much / far / a bit + comparative · the more …, the better … · as … as possible · twice as … as · less … than
- Topic:
- grammar practice · gyms · fitness · comparing prices · everyday life
Teaching tips
- Bring real numbers to class: two café prices, a bus and a taxi fare, or two movie lengths. Students turn each pair into one sentence with much or a bit and one with twice as … as.
- Chain the more, the better: one student says The more I sleep, the happier I am, and the next starts from the second half: The happier I am, the more I smile. Keep the chain going round the room.
- Write a three-way review: after Tobenna's post, students compare three cafés, phones or parks they know in five sentences, using much, slightly, the least, twice as … as and the …, the … once each.
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The whole course: English Grammar Practice · B1
English Grammar Practice · B1 has 28 drill lessons, one grammar point each: the present perfect continuous, narrative tenses, future forms, modals of deduction, the second conditional, the passive, relative clauses, reported speech, question tags and linkers. Each has the rule as a scheme, 43 to 47 exercises that check themselves, 15 of them for homework, and no new words.See the course
- 1Present perfect continuous: how long have you been doing it?
- 2Present perfect simple or continuous: how many or how long?
- 3Past perfect: what had happened before?
- 4Narrative tenses: telling a great story
- 5Future forms: plans, promises and timetables
- 6Future time clauses: I'll call you when I land
- 7Used to, be used to, get used to: settling in
- 8Modal verbs: can, must, should or might?
- 9Could, was able to, managed to: did you make it?
- 10Modals of deduction: whose bag could it be?
- 11Second conditional: what would you do?
- 12Conditionals compared: real or imagined?
- 13Present and past passive: how is it made?
- 14Passive in other tenses: what's being done?
- 15Relative clauses: the person who, the place where
- 16Reported statements: who said what?
- 17Reported questions and commands: what did they ask you?
- 18Indirect questions: could you tell me where it is?
- 19Question tags: it's your first day, isn't it?
- 20Gerunds and infinitives: enjoy doing or decide to do?
- 21Reflexive pronouns: did you make it yourself?
- 22Although, however, despite: great view, tiny room
- 23So, such and because of: what a storm!
- 24Phrasal verbs: who's going to clean it up?
- 25All, both, either, neither, none: two or a whole group?
- 26-ed and -ing adjectives: bored or boring?
- 27Advanced comparatives: the more, the better
- 28Articles with place names: the Nile, but Lake Como