Comparatives are very important — they increase your range of language and show how versatile you are.
The simple comparatives should already be very familiar to you.
- Although I‘m taller than the others in the team, they play much better than me.
- E-mail is much more convenient than writing a letter longhand
- My sister is smarter than all of us
They are especially important in the Part 3 conversation between you and the examiner, who might ask a question that wants you to directly make comparisons. If that’s the case, you’ll have to use them. Otherwise be aware of them and try to get them into other answers.
And don’t forget other ways to compare:
- I‘m just as intelligent as him, but he always gets higher grades.
- My other cat is not as fat as Kitty, but she’s just as devious.
- Although it’s not as far to my new office, it takes me longer to get there.
They are also useful for another reason. Sometimes students complain that in an IELTS exam they didn’t know what to talk about, or they run out of things to say! If that happens, just compare whatever you are talking about to something else. It’s just a simple trick to give you more things to say.
Compare to the past, a different place, a different kind of food, a different member of your family, a different whatever.
Here’s another trick if you want to show your range of language: Say what you prefer or what you would rather do. It’s not strictly a comparative in the grammatical sense, but so what? It’s useful.
- prefer A over / to B
- would rather A than B
- A is B rather than C
Let’s see them at work:
- Playing tennis is my favorite pastime — I’d much rather do that than any other kind of sport.
- That restaurant really serves the best food, which I prefer to most other kinds.
- Strictly speaking, it’s a horror movie rather than a thriller.
Oh, and of course don’t forget the superlatives . . .
IELTS in Taiwan 