A2 Comparative and Conjuctions

A2 LEVEL
OR/BUT/AND/
BECAUSE/ALTHOUGH
PAUL TRASOLINI
CONJUNCTIONS:
We use words called conjunctions, like and, or, but, because and
although, to join two parts of sentences. Conjunctions can be used
to give more information, give alternatives, give reasons, give
results or give unexpected information.
AND/BUT/OR
We use and, or and but to connect two parts of sentences which are similar in
grammatical status.
Do you want chocolate, strawberry or vanilla? (joining words)

Amy's dad is taking us on Saturday morning, and he's offered to bring us home again
on Sunday. (joining clauses)
We use and for adding information, or for giving alternatives and but for unexpected
or different information.
I'm OK for food, dance and music, and I'm having a wonderful time.
There's a reggae band from Jamaica or a Russian electro-pop group on the other
stage.
She’d like to go but she can’t.
There are a lot more conjunctions which we use to connect one clause with another
clause. For example: because, for giving reasons, so, for talking about results or
purposes, and although, for unexpected or different information.
I'd like to see that Irish band, because Celtic music is pretty cool.
(the second clause explains the reason why I want to see the Irish band)
Although he doesn’t like camping, he goes to lots of music festivals.

(the speaker thinks it’s unusual to go to music festivals if you don’t like camping)
... we'll be there by 12. Although we have to put up our tents too.
(the information in the second sentence is different to, and contrasts, the information
in the first sentence)
It's one of those cars for seven people, so there's plenty of room.
(the second clause shows the result of the first clause)
We need to arrive early so (that) we can get a good place.

(the second clause shows the purpose of the first clause; that is optional)
as..as to compare things that are the same
We use as + adjective/adverb + as to make comparisons when the things we are

comparing are equal in some way:
The world’s biggest bull is as big as a small elephant.

The weather this summer is as bad as last year. It hasn’t stopped raining for weeks.
You have to unwrap it as carefully as you can. It’s quite fragile.
Not as..as to compare things that are different
We use not as … as to make comparisons between things which aren’t equal:
It’s not as heavy as I thought it would be, actually.

Rory hasn’t grown as tall as Tommy yet.
She’s not singing as loudly as she can.
They didn’t play as well as they usually do.
We can modify not as … as by using not quite as or not nearly as:
The second race was not quite as easy as the first one. (The second race was easy but the
first one was easier.)
These new shoes are not nearly as comfortable as my old ones. (My old shoes are a lot more
comfortable than these new shoes.)
We can also use not so … as. Not so … as is less common than not as … as:
The cycling was good but not so hard as the cross country skiing we did.
as...as posibility / as much as / as many as
As … as + possibility
We often use expressions of possibility or ability after as … as:
Can you come as soon as possible?
Go to as many places as you can.
As much as, as many as

When we want to make comparisons referring to quantity, we use as much as with
uncountable nouns and as many as with plural nouns:
Greg makes as much money as Mick but not as much as Neil.
They try to give them as much freedom as they can.
There weren’t as many people there as I expected.
We can use as much as and as many as before a number to refer to a large number of
something:
Scientists have discovered a planet which weighs as much as 2,500 times the weight of
Earth.
There were as many as 50 people crowded into the tiny room.
Comparative Adjectives
We use comparative adjectives to compare two things or show change. The
comparative form depends on the number of syllables in the adjective.
Adjectives with one syllable

To make comparative forms with one-syllable adjectives, we usually add -er:
old → older
clean → cleaner
slow → slower
If an adjective ends in -e, we add -r:

safe → safer
nice → nicer
If an adjective ends in a vowel and a consonant, we usually double the consonant:

big → bigger
hot → hotter
Adjectives with two or more syllables
If a two-syllable adjective ends in a consonant and -y, we change -y to -i and add -
er:
noisy → noisier
happy → happier
easy → easier
We use more to make comparative forms for most other two-syllable adjectives and
for all adjectives with three or more syllables:
crowded → more crowded
stressful → more stressful
dangerous → more dangerous
Exception: You can either add -er/-r or use more with some two-syllable adjectives,
such as common, cruel, gentle, handsome, likely, narrow, pleasant, polite, simple and
stupid.
I think life in the countryside is simpler than in the city.
It's more simple to live in the city because everything you need is there.
Irregular adjectives
The adjectives good, bad and far have irregular comparative forms:
good → better
bad → worse
far → further/farther
Than
When we want to say which person or thing we are comparing with, we can use
than:
Their house is cleaner than ours.

Traffic is slower in the city than in the countryside.
After the race I was more tired than Anne.
Irregular adjectives
The adjectives good, bad and far have irregular comparative forms:
good → better
bad → worse
far → further/farther
Than
When we want to say which person or thing we are comparing with, we can use
than:
Their house is cleaner than ours.

Traffic is slower in the city than in the countryside.
After the race I was more tired than Anne.
SENTENCE PATTERN COMPARATIVE ADJECTIVES
SUBJECT + VERB + COMPARATIVE ADJECTIVE + THAN + OBJECT

A2 Comparative and Conjuctions

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A2 LEVEL

Do you want chocolate, strawberry or vanilla? (joining words)

Although he doesn’t like camping, he goes to lots of music festivals.

We need to arrive early so (that) we can get a good place.

We use as + adjective/adverb + as to make comparisons when the things we are

The world’s biggest bull is as big as a small elephant.

It’s not as heavy as I thought it would be, actually.

We can modify not as … as by using not quite as or not nearly as:

As much as, as many as

Adjectives with one syllable

If an adjective ends in -e, we add -r:

If an adjective ends in a vowel and a consonant, we usually double the consonant:

Their house is cleaner than ours.

Their house is cleaner than ours.

SUBJECT + VERB + COMPARATIVE ADJECTIVE + THAN + OBJECT

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