04/12/2023, 10:37 Modifying comparatives | LearnEnglish

Grammar (/grammar) > B1-B2 grammar (/grammar/b1-b2-grammar) > Modifying comparatives

Modifying comparatives

Do you know how to use phrases like much shorter than, almost as fit as and exactly
the same as? Test what you know with interactive exercises and read the explanation
to help you.

Look at these examples to see how comparisons can be modified.

He's much shorter than his brother.

Good-quality socks are almost as important as your running shoes.
Our hotel room was exactly the same as the photos showed.

Try this exercise to test your grammar.

Grammar test 1

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(https://gamedata.britishcouncil.org/d/MultipleChoice_MjM4ODQ=.xml)

Grammar B1-B2: Modifying comparisons: 1

Choose the correct answer.

I feel ___ better than yesterday.

really

so much

completely

 

 Hide answers  Show feedback  Try again

Read the explanation to learn more.

Grammar explanation
There are several different ways to compare things in English. We can also modify
comparisons to show big or small differences.

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Comparing
We can use comparative adjectives to compare different things.

Max is taller than Judy.

You're more patient than I am.
His first book is less interesting than his second.

We can use as … as with an adjective to say that two things are the same, or not as
… as to say that one thing is less than another.

Her hair is as long as mine.

It's not as sunny as yesterday.

We can also use expressions like different from, similar to and the same as.

England is different from the United Kingdom.

His car is similar to mine.
The results from the first test are the same as the results from the second.

Showing big differences

We can use much, so much, a lot, even or far with comparative adjectives.

Sales in July were a lot higher than sales in June.

He was far less experienced than the other applicant.

We can use nowhere near with as … as.

The interview was nowhere near as difficult as the written exam.

We can use very, really, completely or totally with different from.

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04/12/2023, 10:37 Modifying comparatives | LearnEnglish

They may be twins, but they're completely different from each other.

Showing small differences

We can use slightly, a little, a bit, a little bit or not much with comparative adjectives.

The number of registrations has been slightly lower than we expected.

Houses in my city are not much more expensive than flats.

We can use almost, nearly, not quite, roughly, more or less or about with as … as and
the same as.

She's almost as old as I am.

The figures for May are more or less the same as the figures for June.

We can use very or really with similar to.

My son looks really similar to my father when he was that age.

Showing there is no difference

We can use exactly the same as or just as … as to emphasise that there is no
difference.

My grandma's cakes still taste exactly the same as when I was a child!
A new phone can be just as expensive as a new computer these days.

Do this exercise to test your grammar again.

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Grammar test 2

(https://gamedata.britishcouncil.org/d/MultipleChoice_MjM4ODU=.xml)

Grammar B1-B2: Modifying comparisons: 2

Choose the correct answer.

Technology in the future will be ___ different from technology today.

even

totally 

nearly

 

 Show answers  Show feedback  Try again

Try another grammar lesson(/grammar/b1-b2-grammar)

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Language level

B1 - Intermediate (/taxonomy/term/1490)

Average: 4.6 (18 votes)

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Submitted by Xray on Thu, 09/11/2023 - 14:35

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Hi
For me this help me alot, thanks for helping!!
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Submitted by Heinthantsoe on Wed, 26/07/2023 - 06:11

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Hi,
Please, would you mind to explain what is the 'nowhere' near mean?
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Submitted by Jonathan R on Wed, 26/07/2023 - 10:24

Permalink (/comment/190841#comment-190841)

Hi Heinthantsoe,

Nowhere near as (difficult) means "much less (difficult)".

The word nowhere by itself means "in no place".

Does that make sense?

Jonathan

LearnEnglish team
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Submitted by Widescreen on Sun, 28/05/2023 - 10:21

Permalink (/comment/188699#comment-188699)

Hi , please could you clarify which sentence is correct? “No cars in the world
are so expensive as Japanese ones” or “No cars in the world are more
expensive than Japanese ones”. Thank you
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Submitted by Jonathan R on Sun, 28/05/2023 - 13:06

Permalink (/comment/188701#comment-188701)

Hi Widescreen,

They are both correct, but they have slightly different meanings. The first
sentence means that no cars are more expensive than or equal in price to
Japanese ones. The second sentence just means that no cars are more

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04/12/2023, 10:37 Modifying comparatives | LearnEnglish

expensive than Japanese ones. Potentially, there could be cars that are
equal in price to Japanese ones (which is not possible in the first
sentence).

I hope that helps.

Jonathan
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Submitted by Awa9102000 on Thu, 27/04/2023 - 12:43

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Hi there, I am glad to practice my English skills in this programm for few

weeks yet. I have been preparing for a English test for me to get in a
professional formation and I was looking for the most convenient as well as
efficient program to improve my speaking. Speaking needs also to master
grammar because most of the expressions used in speaking must be
grammatically correct. Over all the programs I have tried, this one is by far
the most interesting as I am allowed to practice in comments and to talk to
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well enough to pretend with assurance to pass my test but I keep learning.
Thanks the teachers. Please keep correcting my comments and giving me
piece of advices about my English every time you can.
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Submitted by VLLV2222 on Mon, 06/02/2023 - 16:48

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Hi, thank for nice platform for learning English.

Could you help with this?

Cats are ___ different from dogs!

Why "so much" here is incorrect?

Best
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Submitted by Jonathan R on Tue, 07/02/2023 - 02:19

Permalink (/comment/183997#comment-183997)

Hi VLLV2222,

People do occasionally say "so much" + adjective. But more typical

grammatical answers would be "so" or "very".

"Different" is not a comparative adjective in the form "more" + adjective

(e.g. more interesting) or adjective + "er" (e.g. taller). "So much" is usually
used with a comparative, e.g. Cats are so much more interesting than
dogs.

I hope that helps.

Jonathan

LearnEnglish team
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Submitted by thebaongoc on Tue, 20/09/2022 - 16:10

Permalink (/comment/179859#comment-179859)

In this sentence:' Of my parents, my father is THE STRICTER or

STRICTER. What is the best answer? Can you explain? Thank you.
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Submitted by Kirk Moore on Wed, 21/09/2022 - 06:35

Permalink (/comment/179866#comment-179866)

Hello thebaongoc,

The best is 'stricter'. We generally use 'the' with superlative forms

(/node/1278), which compare not just two people, but many. If you follow
the link, I think the explanation on that page should make it clear for you.
But if not, please don't hesitate to ask us again.

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All the best,

Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
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