Correlative Comparatives — “The more…, the more…”
B1 Upper-Intermediate
Cause → Effect
What does this structure express?
- Proportional change One thing increases/decreases as another increases/decreases.
- Two halves The + comparative … , the + comparative … (use a comma between the halves).
- Typical tenses Present simple for general truths; future possible in the result half: The more you practise, the better you will play.
Core patterns
| Pattern | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| The + comparative adj/adv + subject + verb | Quality or manner changes | The harder he works, the more stressed he is. The faster you drive, the riskier it becomes. |
| The more / the less + noun + subject + verb | Quantity changes | The more exercise you do, the fitter you get. The less sugar you eat, the healthier you feel. |
| The more / the less + clause | Whole action changes | The more you read, the wiser you get. The more you know, the less you need to say. |
With be, we can omit it in the first half when the subject is a noun phrase: The longer the wait (is), the more agitated people become.
Quick choices & tips
- less vs fewer Use less with uncountables (time, money); fewer with countable plurals (mistakes, people).
- Adverbs Use a comparative adverb: more often, earlier, faster.
- Mixed pairs It’s common to contrast: The more you practise, the less you fear mistakes.
Short preference answers
Use a reduced pair to express “the more X, the better (it is)”.
- The sooner, the better.
- The bigger, the better.
- Fixed idiom: The more, the merrier.
Word order & punctuation
- No article Here, the is a fixed marker, not the normal article.
- Comma Put a comma between the two halves.
- Subject choice You can repeat or omit repeated parts: The sooner (you call), the better (it will be).
More natural examples
- The healthier you eat, the better you feel.
- The less sleep you get, the more tired you feel.
- The more often we meet, the easier the project becomes.
- The fewer distractions you have, the more you learn.
Common pitfalls to avoid
- ❌ Using then instead of the: Then more you study… → ✔ The more…
- ❌ Superlatives: The most… the most… → ✔ Use comparatives: more / -er.
- ❌ Wrong quantifier: less people → ✔ fewer people; less time is fine.
- ❌ No comma: The more you try the better you do → ✔ The more you try, the better you do.
Exercises:
Correlative Comparatives: “The more…, the more…”
Choose the correct forms to complete the following the… the… comparatives.
1
The
you read, the easier writing becomes.
2
The
you are, the fewer mistakes you make.
3
The sooner we leave, the
we will arrive.
4
The
the network is, the faster the downloads are.
5
The more time you spend on planning, the
you waste later.
6
The
you invite, the harder it is to find a date.
7
The longer the presentation is, the
the audience becomes.
8
The
you explain the instructions, the better the students perform.
9
The colder it gets, the
stay inside.
10
The fewer emails I receive, the
I can focus.
Correlative Comparatives: “The more…, the more…”
Choose the correct forms to complete the following the… the… comparatives.
1
_____, the more confident you feel.
A.
B.
C.
D.
2
_____, the fewer mistakes you'll make.
A.
B.
C.
D.
3
_____, the less I want to go out.
A.
B.
C.
D.
4
_____, the more likely we'll finish on time.
A.
B.
C.
D.
5
_____, the less space it takes.
A.
B.
C.
D.
6
_____, the more you understand the plot.
A.
B.
C.
D.
7
_____, the more expensive it becomes.
A.
B.
C.
D.
8
_____, the better it tastes.
A.
B.
C.
D.
9
_____, the more it hurts the next day.
A.
B.
C.
D.
10
_____, the less you'll pay per unit.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Correlative Comparatives: “The more…, the more…”
Rewrite the sentences using the… the… comparatives.
1
If we practise a lot, we become very confident. ⇒ The we practice, the we become.
2
If the price goes up, not many people buy it. ⇒ The , the .
3
If you sleep less, you feel very tired. ⇒ The , the .
4
When the weather gets warm, ice melts quickly. ⇒ The , the .
5
If she learns lots of vocabulary, her speaking improves. ⇒ The , the .
6
If you wait for a long time, deciding becomes difficult. ⇒ The , the .
7
If they invest more money, the risk decreases. ⇒ The , the .
8
If I get to know him well, I like him a lot. ⇒ The , the .
9
If the traffic is very heavy, the trip takes a long time. ⇒ The , the .
10
When technology advances quickly, jobs change quickly too. ⇒ The , the .