5 Ways to Compare and Contrast in English
Hi, I’m Maria.
Welcome to Oxford Online English!
In this lesson, you can learn how to compare
and contrast things in English.
When you compare two—or more—things, you
need to talk about similarities and differences
between them.
This is a very global skill; it could be useful
in spoken English, or in writing.
In this lesson, you’ll learn different language
you can use to talk about how similar or different
two things are.
We’ll cover many different topics, to show
you different ways to use your new language.
Let’s start by seeing how you can talk about
big differences.
Our topic for this section is travel.
So, you went to Vietnam and Laos, right?
What did you think?
They were both great, but totally different.
It’s hard to compare them.
It’s strange, really, because they’re
so close geographically, but in other ways
they’re almost nothing alike.
What was the biggest difference?
I’d say the pace of life.
In Vietnam everything moves so much faster.
Laos is way more relaxed.
Which did you like better?
It’s hard to say.
I liked them both, but for different reasons.
In this short dialogue, you saw five phrases
you can use to talk about two things which
are very different.
Do you remember what they were?
If two things are very different, you can
say:
They’re totally different.
It’s hard to compare them.
They’re almost nothing alike.
These are fixed phrases, but you can adapt
them to express different ideas.
For example:
They’re so different.
It’s impossible to compare them.
They’re nothing alike.
You can also use a comparative adjective or
adverb.
For example, in the dialogue, you heard:
Everything moves so much faster.
Laos is way more relaxed.
Before a comparative, you can add an intensifier
like much, so much, or way to show that you’re
talking about a big difference.
Using way is more conversational.
You can use these in many different situations;
for example:
Lisbon is much cheaper than most European
cities.
The museum was so much more interesting than
I expected.
Shanghai is way bigger than anywhere I’ve
been before.
There’s a common mistake which English learners
often make here with much and more.
If you need more, it’s part of the comparative,
like more interesting.
If you add much, it adds emphasis and shows
that you’re talking about a large difference.
Don’t say things like:
Tokyo is much expensive than other Asian cities.
The food in Mexico was much more cheaper than
in the States.
Can you correct these sentences?
Tokyo is much more expensive than other Asian
cities.
The food in Mexico was much cheaper than in
the States.
These are common mistakes, so be careful!
Now, let’s see how you can talk about things
which are very similar.
In this section, we’re going to talk about
describing people.
Have you met his brother?
Yeah!
They’re so alike; I could hardly tell them
apart!
I kept mixing up their names.
I know!
It’s weird, right?
They could be twins.
It’s funny because they look so similar,
and they seem to have the same personality,
too.
Equally chatty, equally funny…
His brother is just as sarcastic as he is,
too.
Yeah, true.
Again, you heard five phrases to describe
people who are very similar.
Do you remember them?
If you want to find them yourself, you can
go back and listen to the dialogue again.
Try to write them down.
If two people are very similar, you could
say:
They’re so alike.
I can hardly tell them apart.
They look so similar.
They’re equally chatty.
He’s just as sarcastic as his brother.
Of course, you can adapt these phrases; for
example:
The way they talk is so similar.
They’re equally funny.
She’s just as impatient as her mother.
Here’s a task for you: can you think of
two people you know who are very similar?
Write down three sentences to describe them,
using the language you just saw.
Pause the video and do it now!
You’ve seen how to use this language to
talk about people, but you can use the same
phrases to talk about many different things;
for example:
I can hardly tell these two wines apart.
I hated both cities; they’re equally terrible.
Playing golf is just as boring as watching
it.
Next, you’re going to see how to talk about
small differences.
Our topic for the next section?
Sports!
Good game, right?
Yeah, it was.
They played a bit better than last week, I
thought.
Yup.
They were just a little sharper in those key
moments.
I thought the keeper did slightly better,
too.
He wasn’t quite as hesitant as he was last
week, and you could see the defence looked
more solid.
They looked good going forward, too.
They were just a touch faster moving the ball
around.
True.
They weren’t doing that last week.
Again, you heard five phrases to talk about
small differences.
Can you remember them?
Again, you can review the dialogue and write
them down if you want to find them yourself.
When talking about small differences, you
can use a modifier plus a comparative adjective
or adverb, like this:
They played a bit better.
They were just a little sharper.
The keeper did slightly better.
They were a touch faster.
You can also use quite as… as… to show
that two things are slightly different, like
this:
He wasn’t quite as hesitant as he was last
week.
In the dialogue, we were talking about a football
match that we both saw, but you can use these
phrases and structures to talk about many
different topics.
For example:
Taking the train will be a bit faster.
She’s a little older than her husband.
This isn’t quite as spicy as the last time
you made it.
Let’s look at one more topic.
In the next section, we’re going to talk
about food.
What did you think?
It was tasty, but the dishes didn’t vary
much.
Everything tasted much the same.
Yeah, I know what you mean.
Did you try the shrimp?
Yeah.
That was probably the best, but the main dishes
were all pretty similar.
Tomato, sweet, slightly spicy…
Maybe we just didn’t order the right things.
I don’t think it’s that.
I’ve been there before, and it was more
or less like tonight.
It was a bit disappointing, especially for
the price.
It was nearly as expensive as that Japanese
place we went to for my birthday!
Yeah, I know.
Let’s not go back.
Here, we were talking about a bad restaurant,
where everything tasted almost the same.
Of course, talking about close similarities
is similar to talking about minor differences.
The only difference is your focus.
If two things are slightly different, you
can use different language depending on whether
you want to focus on the differences or on the similarities.
In this dialogue, you heard five phrases to
describe slight similarities.
Can you remember them?
You heard:
The dishes didn’t vary much.
Everything tasted much the same.
The main dishes were all pretty similar.
It was more or less like tonight.
It was nearly as expensive as that Japanese
place we went to for my birthday.
Of course, you can adapt these phrases to
talk about different things; for example:
Apartments here don’t vary much.
You can do it today or tomorrow—it’s much
the same to me.
A lot of small towns in the UK are pretty
similar.
There are different versions of rugby, but
the basic idea is more or less the same.
My nephew is almost as tall as me now!
Now, you should know how to talk about differences
and similarities in different ways.
Let’s see how you can put everything you’ve
learned together.
Of course, when you’re speaking or writing
naturally, you don’t necessarily want to
talk about only big differences, or only similarities.
You may need to use a range of different language.
You’re going to see two longer answers on
different topics, using a range of language
from this lesson.
First, let’s see an answer comparing two
cities: Moscow and St Petersburg:
If you visit Russia, you should definitely
visit both Moscow and St Petersburg.
They’re completely different cities.
St Petersburg feels much more European than
Moscow, while Moscow is a bit grittier, but
very interesting.
Things like accommodation, food, transport
and so on are much the same in both places.
It’s slightly easier to find a cheaper place
to stay in St Petersburg, but Moscow has a
bit more variety when it comes to eating out.
To get around, take the metro, which is just
as efficient in both cities.
Have you been to Moscow or St Petersburg?
What would you add to our description?
You can let us know in the comments!
Let’s look at one more longer example.
This time, we’re going to compare working
at home with working in an office.
It’s hard to compare working at home and
working in an office.
People think that working at home would be
much more relaxing, but that’s not always
true.
You still have to do just as much work, so
it can be equally stressful.
Of course, you have slightly more freedom
to plan your own day, but you also have to
be a bit more responsible, because otherwise
you end up wasting a lot of time.
In the end, you save time commuting, but most
people waste a little more time, so you spend
nearly as much time working as if you just
went to work.
Can you see how this answer uses different
phrases and structures from the lesson to
compare these two points?
What do you think about this topic?
Would you prefer to work at home, or work
in an office?
Let us know in the comments.
Finally, could you make a longer answer like
this?
You could compare two cities you’ve visited,
two different cuisines, two people you know,
or something else.
You can use this language to talk about almost
anything!
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Thanks for watching!
See you next time!