Use than after a comparative to say what you are comparing with: older than, more expensive than. Use a bit or much before a comparative to say how big the difference is.
A comparative + than
Grace is 1.72 metres. Her brother Dylan is 1.65 metres. Grace says: "I'm taller than you." She is taller than him.
A room at the Station Hotel costs £95 a night. A room at the Crown costs £80. The Station Hotel is more expensive than the Crown.
Use than after a comparative: older than ..., more expensive than ... etc.
- Edinburgh is older than Glasgow.
- Are strawberries more expensive than apples?
- It's quicker to walk than to wait for the bus.
- "How's your knee today?" "Not too bad. Better than yesterday."
- The pub is busier than usual tonight.
B than me / than I am
After than we say me, him, her, us, them.
You can also say than I am, than he can, than she did etc. Both are correct.
- I can swim further than him. / I can swim further than he can.
- You're a better driver than me. / You're a better driver than I am.
- I finished earlier than her. / I finished earlier than she did.
C more than ... / less than ...
Use more than and less than with numbers, amounts and nouns.
More than £30 means a number above 30. Less than £30 means a number below 30.
- A: How much was your phone? £200? B: No, more than that. (= more than £200)
- The meeting was very short. It took less than ten minutes.
- They've got more food than they need.
- You watch more telly than me.
D a bit older / much older
Two boxes are almost the same size, but one is slightly larger. Box A is a bit bigger than Box B.
Two more boxes: one is the size of a fridge and the other is the size of a shoe. Box C is much bigger than Box D.
| a bit / much | bigger / older / better / more difficult / more expensive | than ... |
- Russia is much bigger than Spain.
- Jodie is a bit older than Sam. She's 30 and he's 29.
- The taxi was much more expensive than we expected.
- You go out much more than me.
Exercises
88.1 Read what Nadia and Owen say about themselves, then complete the sentences about them. Use than. | | Nadia | Owen | |---|---|---| | 1 | I'm 31. | I'm 28. | | 2 | I'm not a very good cook. | I'm a very good cook. | | 3 | I'm 1.60 metres tall. | I'm 1.75 metres tall. | | 4 | I get up at 6.30. | I get up at 8 o'clock. | | 5 | I don't walk very fast. | I walk very fast. | | 6 | I haven't got many books. | I've got lots of books. | | 7 | I'm a very careful driver. | I'm not a very careful driver. | | 8 | I'm not very patient. | I'm very patient. | | 9 | I'm not a very good singer. | I'm a good singer. | | 10 | I'm very tidy. | I'm not very tidy. | | 11 | I speak Welsh very well. | I don't speak Welsh very well. | | 12 | I don't eat out very often. | I eat out a lot. |
Nadia is older than Owen.
Nadia is older than Owen.
Owen is a better cook than Nadia.
Owen is a better cook than Nadia.
Nadia is .
Nadia is shorter than Owen.
Nadia gets up Owen.
Nadia gets up earlier than Owen.
Owen .
Owen walks faster than Nadia.
Owen has got .
Owen has got more books than Nadia.
Nadia is a .
Nadia is a more careful driver than Owen.
Owen .
Owen is more patient than Nadia.
Owen .
Owen is a better singer than Nadia.
Nadia .
Nadia is tidier than Owen.
Nadia .
Nadia speaks Welsh better than Owen.
Owen .
Owen eats out more than Nadia.
88.2 Complete the sentences. Use than.
He isn't very fast. You're faster than him.
He isn't very fast. You're faster than him.
She isn't very young. You .
She isn't very young. You're younger than her.
I don't go out very much. You .
I don't go out very much. You go out more than me.
He doesn't read very much. You .
He doesn't read very much. You read more than him.
I'm not a very good swimmer. You .
I'm not a very good swimmer. You're a better swimmer than me.
We haven't got many friends here. You .
We haven't got many friends here. You've got more friends than us.
They don't earn much money. You .
They don't earn much money. You earn more money than them.
I can't swim very far. You can .
I can't swim very far. You can swim further than me.
She hasn't lived here very long. You .
She hasn't lived here very long. You've lived here longer than her.
They didn't arrive very early. You .
They didn't arrive very early. You arrived earlier than them.
He wasn't very angry. You .
He wasn't very angry. You were angrier than him.
88.3 Write a sentence with a bit or much + a comparative (older, better etc.). Begin with the words given.
Tariq is 30. His cousin is 29. (Tariq ...)
Tariq is a bit older than his cousin.
Tariq is a bit older than his cousin.
Sam's grandad is 92. His grandma is 70. (Sam's grandma ...)
Sam's grandma is much younger than his grandad.
My bike cost £400. Yours cost £390. (My bike ...)
My bike was a bit more expensive than yours.
Last week I felt awful. Today I feel fine. (I feel ...)
I feel much better today.
Today it's 21 degrees. Yesterday it was 19 degrees. (It's ...)
It's a bit warmer today than yesterday.
Chloe is an excellent cook. I'm not very good. (Chloe ...)
Chloe is a much better cook than me.