A
Before comparatives you can use:
much
a lot
far (= a lot)
a bit
a little
slightly (= a little)
- Let’s drive. It’s much cheaper. (or a lot cheaper)
- “How do you feel?” “Much better, thanks.”
- Don’t go by train. It’s a lot more expensive. (or much more expensive)
- Could you speak a bit more slowly? (or a little more slowly)
- This bag is slightly heavier than the other one.
- Her illness was far more serious than we thought as first.
(or much more serious / a lot more serious)
B
You can use any and no + comparative (any longer / no bigger, etc.):
– I’ve waited long enough. I’m not waiting any longer. (= not even a little longer)
– We expected their house 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 better?
– This hotel is better than the other one, and it’s no more expensive.
C
Better and better / more and more, etc.
We repeat comparative (better and better, etc.) to day that something is changing continuously:
– Your English is improving. It’s getting better and better.
– The city is growing fast. It’s getting bigger and bigger.
– Cathy got more and more bored in her job. In the end, the quit.
– These days more and more people are leaning English.
D
The sooner the better
You can say the (sooner/bigger/more, etc.) the better:
– “What time should we leave?” “The sooner the better.” (= as soon as possible)
– A : What sort of box do you want? A big one?
B : Yes, the bigger the better. (= as big as possible)
– When you’re traveling, the less luggage you have the better.
We also use the … the … to say that one thing depends on another thing:
– The warmer the weather, the better I feel. (= if the weather is warmer, I feel better)
– The sooner we leave, the earlier we will arrive.
– The younger you are, the easier it is to lean.
– The more expensive the hotel, the better the service.
– The more electricity you use, the higher your bill will be.
– The more I thought about the plan, the less I liked it.
E
Older and elder
The comparative of old is older:
– David looks older than he really is.
You can use elder (or older) when you talk about people in a family. You can say (my/your, etc.) elder sister/brother/daughter/son:
– My elder sister is a TV producer. (or My older sister …)
We say “my elder sister,” but we do not say that somebody is elder:
– My sister is older than me. (not elder than me)
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