Explanation
Exercises
Comparative grammar: modifying comparatives
B2 · degree adverbs big / small / zero difference · nouns & adverbs

1) What are comparative modifiers?

They are words that make a comparison stronger, weaker or show no/near-zero difference. We place them before a comparative adjective/adverb (much faster) or inside the as…as pattern (nearly as fast as). We can also modify more/less + noun (far more time).

2) Big difference

much / far / way / a lot / a great deal / considerably / significantly / substantially

  • It’s much hotter today than yesterday.
  • This route is far longer than I expected.
  • The new model is way more powerful.
  • House prices are significantly higher this year.
Not natural: *quite cheaper. Say much cheaper or quite a bit cheaper.

3) Small difference

a bit / a little / slightly / a touch / marginally / not much

  • The coffee is slightly colder than I like.
  • This option is not much cheaper than the other one.
  • He’s a bit taller than his brother.

4) “as…as” → big difference

nowhere near / not nearly / not at all + as + Adj/Adv + as

  • The new restaurant is nowhere near as crowded as the one downtown.
  • She’s not nearly as experienced as she claims.
  • This book is not at all as interesting as the last one.

5) (Almost) no difference

almost / nearly / not quite / roughly / more or less / just / exactly + as … as · the same as

  • She’s almost as tall as her brother.
  • The distance is roughly the same as last time.
  • I’m exactly as capable as you are.

6) Emphasising a superlative

by far + the + superlative

  • This is by far the best pizza in town.
  • He’s by far the most talented musician in the band.

In careful writing, use by far mainly with superlatives; with comparatives, prefer much/far.

7) Modifying comparisons with nouns

more / fewer (count) · more / less (uncount)

  • I have far more games than you.
  • They owe much less money than we thought.
  • She has a lot more experience than her colleague.
  • There is not much more traffic today than yesterday.

many more / much more are common boosters: many more people, much more time.

8) Modifying comparative adverbs

  • He runs much faster than Mike.
  • She replied far more politely than I expected.

9) Other useful boosters

  • even surprising extra difference: This version is even better.
  • still continuing change: It’s still faster than before.
  • any in questions/negatives: Is it any good? / not any better = no better.

10) Form notes

  • Than + object/pronoun Both are fine in modern English: taller than me / taller than I am.
  • Correct base form Use standard comparative forms: easier (not more easy), more complicated (not complicater).

11) Quick reference

EffectBefore comparativeWith as…asWith nouns
Big difference much, far, way, a lot, a great deal, considerably, significantly nowhere near, not nearly, not at all far/much/a lot more/less; many more / far fewer
Small difference a bit, a little, slightly, a touch, marginally, not much — slightly/a little more/less
(Almost) no difference — almost/nearly/not quite/roughly/more or less/just/exactly + as…as; the same as roughly the same number/amount as
Top degree by far + the + superlative —
Exercises:
1
2
3

Comparative grammar: modifying comparatives

ⓘ
Choose the correct modifier for each comparative. You can use each option only once. Word bank: far slightly considerably a bit way significantly any no much even
1
The revised layout is clearer than the old one.
2
This version is faster on older phones — just a little.
3
The new policy is more effective than last year’s — by a large margin.
4
The second dish was spicier than I expected — just a touch.
5
Her presentation was more engaging after she cut the jargon.
6
Switching to SSDs is faster than upgrading the CPU for everyday tasks.
7
The shortcut isn’t easier at all than the original route.
8
Despite the hype, the sequel is better than the first film — it’s basically the same.
9
After the patch, start-up is faster than before — great job!
10
With the new engine, the game loads faster than before we optimized the assets.

Comparative grammar: modifying comparatives

Choose a comparative structure that means the same.
1
“Plan A is slightly cheaper than Plan B.” Choose a synonymous comparative:
A.
B.
C.
D.
2
“Our new model is much faster than the old one.” Choose a synonymous comparative:
A.
B.
C.
D.
3
“The train was considerably more crowded than usual.” Choose a synonymous comparative:
A.
B.
C.
D.
4
“This path is far shorter than the road.” Choose a synonymous comparative:
A.
B.
C.
D.
5
“Her latest book is a little less engaging than the previous one.” Choose a synonymous comparative:
A.
B.
C.
D.
6
“This route is a lot more direct than that one.” Choose a synonymous comparative:
A.
B.
C.
D.
7
“Electric cars are getting increasingly affordable each year.” Choose a synonymous comparative:
A.
B.
C.
D.
8
“She’s slightly taller than her sister.” Choose a synonymous comparative:
A.
B.
C.
D.
9
“The new policy is somewhat less effective than we expected.” Choose a synonymous comparative:
A.
B.
C.
D.
10
“This task took much longer than I’d planned.” Choose a synonymous comparative:
A.
B.
C.
D.

Comparative grammar: modifying comparatives

Fill in the gaps with the comparative modifying forms in the box below.
far much a lot way considerably significantly slightly a little a bit marginally noticeably
1
This route is shorter than the one we took yesterday.
2
The new engine is more efficient than the old model.
3
Her presentation was clearer than mine.
4
The train was less crowded than I expected.
5
This model is more expensive than the basic one.
6
After the patch, the app ran better on older phones.
7
She is more experienced than her colleagues.
8
My headache is worse this evening.
9
Our results are closer to the target than last month.
10
They arrived earlier than we expected.