Say WHY you prefer one thing over another
🎨 Description & ExplanationBefore anything new — let's see what comes to mind already...
🧠 Look at these two pictures. What words can you think of to describe them?
Say any words you can — hot, cold, fun, boring... Don't worry about mistakes!
🤔 Now try: Can you say which one is better? Try to explain WHY.
Just try. Any language is fine. We'll learn better ways to do this today.
Today we're working on: comparing two things so you can explain your preferences clearly and naturally.
❌ Without comparison language: "Beach is good. Mountains... no."
✅ With comparison language: "I prefer the beach because it's cheaper than a mountain holiday, and the weather is better."
The second answer uses comparative adjectives — and that's exactly what we'll learn today. First, the adjectives. Then, the structures.
Before you can compare things, you need the right adjectives (describing words) AND you need to know how to change them into comparative form.
Add -er
Change -y to -ier
Put more before the adjective
These are the adjectives we'll use today. Study them for 30 seconds, then we'll practise.
| Adjective | Meaning | Comparative | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| cheap | costs little money 💰 | cheaper | +er |
| expensive | costs a lot of money 💸 | more expensive | more+ |
| fast | quick ⚡ | faster | +er |
| slow | not quick 🐌 | slower | +er |
| big | large 📦 | bigger | +er |
| small | little 🔹 | smaller | +er |
| easy | not difficult ✅ | easier | y→ier |
| healthy | good for your body 💪 | healthier | y→ier |
| relaxing | makes you calm 😌 | more relaxing | more+ |
| interesting | makes you want to know more 🤔 | more interesting | more+ |
| good | positive 👍 | better | irregular |
| bad | negative 👎 | worse | irregular |
Cover the table above. What's the comparative form? Click to check.
Now you know the adjectives — here are 3 ways to use them in sentences.
The beach is cheaper than the mountains.
Trains are faster than buses.
Coffee is more popular than tea in my country.
Home cooking is better than restaurant food.
Example answer: "Cars are faster than buses."
⚠️ Important: Use the NORMAL adjective here — NOT the comparative! "not as cheap as" — not "not as cheaper as"
Buses are not as fast as cars. (= buses are slower)
My phone isn't as expensive as yours. (= mine is cheaper)
Tea isn't as strong as coffee. (= tea is weaker)
💡 Why use this? It sounds softer and more polite. Instead of saying "Your cooking is worse than my mum's" → "Your cooking isn't as good as my mum's"
Example answer: "Netflix is not as exciting as the cinema."
Spanish is similar to Italian.
City life is very different from country life.
Working from home is similar to being at the office — you still have meetings!
Example: "My country is very different from Japan."
Topic: 🍕 Pizza vs 🍔 Burgers
OK so... pizza and burgers. I think pizza is cheaper than a good burger — you can get a big pizza for very little money. But a burger isn't as easy to share as a pizza, because everyone wants different toppings. In general, I'd say pizza is similar to burgers — they're both fast food that everyone loves.
☝️ Notice: I used all 3 structures: cheaper than, not as easy as, similar to
Topic: 📱 Texting vs 📞 Calling
Let's build 3 sentences together. I'll give you the structure — you choose the adjective from the word bank.
Sentence 1 — Use "...er than" or "more...than":
"Texting is faster than calling."
"Texting is easier than calling."
Sentence 2 — Use "not as...as":
"Texting is not as personal as calling."
"Texting is not as expensive as calling."
Sentence 3 — Use "similar to" or "different from":
"Texting is very different from calling because you can think before you answer."
Topic: ☕ Coffee vs 🍵 Tea
Now make 3 sentences yourself. Use all 3 structures. The word bank is here to help.
1. "Coffee is stronger than tea."
2. "Tea is not as bitter as coffee."
3. "Coffee is similar to tea because they're both hot drinks."
Now the challenge: I give you the topic and the adjective — you choose the RIGHT structure and make a sentence. Say it out loud!
✅ "Cooking at home is cheaper than eating out."
✅ OR "Eating out is not as cheap as cooking at home."
Both work! Same meaning, different structure.
✅ "Physical books are heavier than e-books."
✅ OR "E-books are not as heavy as physical books."
✅ "French is similar to Spanish — they both come from Latin."
✅ OR "French is different from Spanish in pronunciation."
✅ "Evenings are more relaxing than mornings."
✅ OR "Mornings are not as relaxing as evenings."
Remember: long word = more + adjective
✅ "The cinema is better than Netflix for new movies."
✅ OR "Netflix is not as good as the cinema for the big-screen feeling."
⚠️ NOT "gooder than"! good → better
✅ "Learning online is easier than going to school — you can study in bed!"
✅ OR "School is not as easy as online learning."
easy → easier (y changes to ier)
In your own words, explain to your teacher:
When do you add -er? When do you use "more"? What are the 2 irregular ones?
Now use everything you've learned. For each topic, compare the two things using at least 2 structures. The word bank is always here to help.
1. 🚗 Cars vs 🚌 Public Transport
Starter: "I think cars are than public transport because..."
2. 🏠 Living in a house vs 🏢 Living in a flat
Try: "A house is than a flat, but a flat is not as as a house."
3. 🌞 Summer vs ❄️ Winter
Try using "similar to" or "different from" here too!
4. Your choice! Compare two things YOU want to compare.
Ideas: two cities, two sports, two foods, two jobs, weekdays vs weekends...
Try to answer BEFORE clicking to reveal!
So → First → Then/After that → Suddenly → In the end
Opinion + because + reason + Also + second reason
Example: "I think summer is better because the days are longer. Also, you can spend more time outside."
"Let me think..." / "That's a good question..." / "Well..." / "I'd say..."
Combine skills from previous lessons WITH today's comparison language:
Compare two cities or places you know. Include:
✅ A time-buying phrase (Lesson 1): "Well, let me think..."
✅ An opinion with a reason (Lesson 3): "I think X is better because..."
✅ At least 2 comparison structures (today!)
"Well, let me think... I know London and my hometown well. I think London is more interesting than my city because there are so many things to do. Also, my city isn't as big as London, but it's cheaper. They're actually very different from each other."
Cover everything. Can you answer these?
Rule 1: Short words → add -er (cheap → cheaper)
Rule 2: Words ending in -y → change to -ier (easy → easier)
Rule 3: Long words → more + word (more expensive)
Rule 4: Irregulars → good/better, bad/worse
1. [A] is [comparative] than [B]
2. [A] is not as [adjective] as [B]
3. [A] is similar to / different from [B]
Normal form! "not as cheap as" ✅ — NOT "not as cheaper as" ❌
Any correct sentence works! Check: Did you use a comparative adjective correctly?
e.g. "Summer is hotter than winter" ✅ / "Summer is not as cold as winter" ✅
I can compare two things using comparative adjectives and 3 different sentence structures to explain my preferences.
How confident do you feel?
Think about today's lesson:
Which activity helped you learn the most? The adjective table? The sentence builders? The free speaking?
There's no right answer — this helps us plan what works best for you.
📅 Future Recall: These comparative adjectives and structures should reappear in Lessons 10 (Review), 14, and 21 for spaced repetition.