ENG_B2.

1201G

Making Comparisons
At Home
Grammar & Structure
Level B2

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Making Comparisons - Outline

Content
Comparing your childhood home to where you live now can be an interesting
reflection. Maybe your childhood home had the most amazing view, but the
garden was far smaller than your home now. Think about how you can compare
two places you've lived.

Learning Outcomes
• Describe your home using new words from this lesson
• Learn new grammar related to comparisons
• Write about your home using new grammar and vocabulary

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Grammar

This terraced apartment is quite expensive!

My new cottage is more expensive than the old one!

Rental property is the most

expensive in England.

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Grammar

A holiday apartment is A holiday apartment is

quite expensive in a lot more expensive
Greece. in the US.

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Please note
There are many ways of making comparisons in
English.
Apart from adding –er(ier), the...(i)est, or –more, - the most, we can also use
comparative adverbs such as much, far, a lot, much more, a good deal, quite,
a bit more, etc. to intensify or accentuate our feelings towards something

1. Simple adjective: tall – taller – the tallest (-er, -est)

2. Complex adjective: expensive – more expensive – the most expensive (more, the
most)

Examples
This house is a lot more spacious than the previous one.
I‘m planning to move into a less expensive apartment.
Do you think living in a city is more convenient than living in the countryside?
We decided to purchase a furnished apartment in a less crowded neighborhood.
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Please note
Look at the examples below and notice the
difference in making comparisons.

tall (1 syllable)  taller – the tallest

Cosy ( ending in y, 2  cosier – the cosiest
syllables) 
Crowded(2 syllables)  more crowded – the most
crowded
Convenient  more convenient – the
most convenient

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Please note
There are a number of comparative adverbs that are
used to intensify what we feel about particular things
or situations.

much
far
a lot
quite
a bit + adjective (either simple form or comparative form)
much more
much less
a good deal

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Grammar

Text
A penthouse apartment is a luxurious apartment located on the highest floor of
the building. They can be of various sizes and designs. They are usually located in
the heart of busy cities yet they offer a sense of being situated far away from a
noisy and crowded urban life.

Text
-Hi, James! I heard you moved into a new apartment! Is it true?
-Yeah, I moved in just a few days ago. You know, the dormitory I used to live was so
much noisier but the rent was less expensive. Now my new place is within
walking distance from college and more spacious and cosier.
-Good to hear that you like it. I‘m thinking of moving out as well.

Text

A cottage is a small, more modest kind of house. In the US, a cottage usually refers
to a holiday house, which is sometimes used for rent during summer vacations.

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Grammar
Text

1. Penthouse

2. Apartment

3. Semi-detached house/row houses

4. Terraced house or apartment

Notice that there are different types of accomodation.

Semi-detached house consists of pair of houses build
side by side by sharing the same wall.

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Grammar
Text

1. expensive

2. spacious

3. convenient

4. noisy

5. cosy

6. modest

7. crowded

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Grammar

Text

accomodation If you buy an

apartment, you
urban life become an owner. An
apartment usually
cottage
refers to a place that is
Condomonium (condo)
rented.

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Vocabulary - common verbs and phrases

within walking distance from

rent
furnish

move in/out renovate

be situated in install

be located on/in change the locks

Purchase(buy) design

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Review
Text

1. Move in/out house, apartment

2. rent semi-detached house, villa, holiday apartment

3. sign a contract

4. purchase apartment, cottage, villa, condo

When describing a house it is important to know

basic verbs related to accomodation.

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Exercises

Speaking

Select the correct grammatical word.

1) My friend prefers a more spacious / most spacious /

spaciousier apartment
2) The holiday apartment I rented is more cosier / the cosiest
place ever.
3) Would you like to rent a smaller / smallest cottage or a
bigger one?
4) I intend to sign / write / take a contract with this agency
5) This semi-detached house is rather old / older/ quite the
oldest.

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Exercises

Writing

Match the correct sentences (Part 1)

Word 1 Word 2
1) A penthouse is   a house that consists of a pair of
2) A cottage is  houses that share the same wall.
3) A semi-detached house is   a type of property where a piece of
real estate is owned.
4) A dormitory is 
a holiday house normally used for
5) A condo is  
summer holidays.
a type of accomodation specifically

designed for students to live.
a more luxurious apartment located
 on the highest floor of the building.

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Exercises

Speaking

Match the correct sentences (Part 2)

I really like the apartment! I‘m ready to   sign a contract.

Is the rent   Yeah, we need to renovate it if we

plan to sell it.
This apartment is quite old, isn‘t it?   moving out of the dormitory?

When are you   Yeah, we need to install a new lamp.

The light‘s not working again.   Yeah, it‘s the most spacious
apartment I‘ve ever seen in my life.
I‘m so in love with this holiday apartment. 
 really that expensive?

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Exercises

Speaking

3 forms of comparison

Example: expensive – more expensive – the most expensive

1) Noisy
2) Cosy
3) Convenient
4) Crowded
5) Modest
6) Expensive
7) Spacious
8) Small
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Exercises

Writing

Formulate new sentences using these phrases

1) I – to sign – a– tenancy agreement – Do – need – formal?

2) looking for – apartment – spacious – I‘m – a – and – cozy.

3) The – is – from – within – distance – dormitory – walking –

school.

4) houses – exist – Semi – detached – my – country – do not – in.

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Exercises

Writing
Open writing activity: Create 4 sentences
using comparative adverbs
1) (much more)

2) (far less)

3) (quite)

4) ( a great deal)

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Exercises

Writing
Rewrite the sentences below using comparisons
(more, less, the most, a lot more, etc.)
1) A cottage is expensive.

3) They have renovated the dormitory and now it‘s spacious.

5) I‘d like to move into noisy and cozy place.

7) The location is convenient. Let‘s sign a contract.

9) I prefer a small flat with expensive rent.

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Exercises

Writing

Find the incorrect word in the sentence

1) It‘s –the most - more- spacious –apartment – I‘ve – ever seen.

2) They –haven‘t - signed - placed –a - contract – yet.
3) The rent -is - much - many –more-expensive – isn‘t – it?
4) My new -place - is - without –within – walking – distance – from
school
5) Can -you - find - me –a – more – bigger – apartment?

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Thank you

We would like to thank

the following sources for their content
Text Penthouse apartment, Images Shutterstock – ID 177959672
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penthouse_a Shutterstock – ID 154658963
partment
Shutterstock – ID 188455694
, Retrieved at 9.12.2014, Creative
Commons license Shutterstock – ID 142025833
Shutterstock – ID 230830339
Cottage,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cottage
, Retrieved at 9.12.2014, Creative
Commons license

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Thank you
for choosing to learn
with

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