Advanced Comparison Structures

• Nuanced comparisons allow speakers to express exact proportions, striking contrasts, or subtle similarities. Mastering these patterns elevates your descriptive style in everyday conversations.
• Structure
• Function
• Example
• every bit as…
• Equality in degree
• Laura's Seattle apartment is every bit as comfortable as her old house in Boston.
• nowhere near as…
• Significant inferiority
• My current kitchen is nowhere near as spacious as the one in Chicago.
• a far cry from…
• A complete contrast
• Modern central heating is a far cry from the old coal fires in Manchester.
• more of a… than a…
• Redefining a category
• Arthur's shed is more of a storage room than a proper workshop.
• twice the size of…
• Exact proportional scale
• The new suburban home is twice the size of our cottage in Portland.
• Remember
• Use 'every bit as' with an adjective or adverb to show absolute equality.
• Employ 'nowhere near as' to emphasize that something falls short of a standard.
• Use 'a far cry from' as a noun phrase equivalent to signal a dramatic difference in lifestyle or era.
• Apply 'more of a... than a...' to correct or refine a description of an object or situation.
• Examples
• Today's high standard of living is a far cry from the wartime austerity in London.
• My grandmother's kitchen in Philadelphia was twice the size of my tiny studio.
• That compact washing machine is every bit as efficient as the industrial models in Denver.
• Common mistakes
• This kitchen is nowhere near as larger as that one.
• This kitchen is nowhere near as large as that one.
• His garage is a far cry than my workshop.
• His garage is a far cry from my workshop.

Complete the sentences

• Visiting my grandmother in Seattle felt (a far cry from) ____ the bustling streets of New York.
• My new apartment in Boston is (every bit as) ____ cozy as the cottage we grew up in.
• That old coal stove in Chicago was (nowhere near as) ____ efficient as modern central heating.
• Uncle Robert's tiny shed in Denver is (more of a) ____ cupboard than a workshop.
• Grandma's farmhouse in Portland was (twice the size of) ____ our current townhouse in Seattle.
• The modern living room is (every bit as) ____ bright as the sunroom in London.

Sources: photo by Mary Taylor on Pexels