Learn about comparing with words like much and slightly.

Practice 1: same or different?

Look at these pairs of sentences. Do they mean the same thing or are they different?

Sentence examplessamedifferent
England is a little colder than France.
France isn't quite as cold as England.
The USA isn't quite as expensive as England.
England is much more expensive than the USA.
My German isn't nearly as good as yours.
My German is a lot worse than yours.
He's a far better cook than me.
I'm not nearly as good a cook as him.
My daughter is slightly younger than yours.
Your daughter isn't nearly as old as mine.
It's by far the funniest film.
The other films aren't quite as funny as this one.

Practice 2: expressing the size of the difference

Now rewrite these sentences so they mean the same thing, using the word in brackets ().


  1. She's not nearly as good at cooking as you.
    You are cooking than her. (MUCH)
  2. Fast food isn't nearly as healthy as fruit.
    Fruit is fast food. (FAR)
  3. My book is a bit more interesting than yours.
    Your book isn't mine. (QUITE)
  4. She's much better than all the other singers in the world.
    She's singer in the world. (BY)
  5. My computer is a lot newer than yours.
    Your computer is mine. (MUCH)
  6. It's not quite as sunny today as it was yesterday.
    Yesterday was today. (BIT)