General English Level 3 V 3
UNIT 01 My education TOPIC 05 Which course did you choose?
LANGUAGE FOCUS 02 Comparing
Learn how to compare two things.

1. When two things are the same

Maria and Philip say:
Philip:
So, Maria, did you find a good course?
Maria:
Well, I found two swimming teacher schools on the Internet. They both have good courses.

Maria is comparing the two courses. When two things are the same , we can use both to compare them:

They both have...

Examples

Both schools teach the English course I want to study.
There are two universities in my city. They are both very good.

2. When two things are different

Maria and Philip say:
Philip:
Did you choose one?
Maria:
I think so, but it isn't easy. The courses all look good, but they are a bit different.
Philip: Really? How are they different ?
Maria: Well, the Swimschool courses only go for two or three days, but the Nationwide Swimming course takes 80 hours of training, so it's much longer .
Philip: Eighty hours! That's a lot more than three days!
Maria: Sure is! And then the Swimschool courses are for teaching children, while the coaching course is for teaching all ages. I really want to teach children to swim.
Philip: Hmmm. What about the cost? Is Swimschool more expensive ?
Maria: Yes it is, but it's only $20 more . That's not much!

When two things are different we can say:

they are a bit different
...much (…) er
...a lot more (...) than
…more (…)

Examples

The English course is shorter than the Spanish course. It only takes three hours a day instead of four hours.
The English course has more grammar than the Spanish course, so they are different.

3. Other words to use

Maria and Philip say:
Philip:
Really? How are they different?
Maria:
Well, the City Swimschool courses only go for two or three days, but the Nationwide Swimming course takes 80 hours of training…
Maria: … And then the City Swimschool courses are for teaching children, while the coaching course is for teaching all ages.

We can use other words too to talk about how things are different:

…only… but …
and then… while …

Examples

The English course goes for three hours, but the Spanish course goes for four hours.
The English course has a lot of grammar, while the Spanish course has more conversation practice.

Examples

1 Read the conversation.
2 Listen to the conversation.
3 Practise saying each line. Use the Pause button.
Liz:
I'm looking for an exercise class. I've got to get fit.
Sam:
Well, they have two classes at the gym. They're both good, but they're a bit different.
Liz: Tell me about them.
Sam: One class is at lunchtime. It's for one hour. You exercise with music.
Liz: And the other one?
Sam: It's after work. It's longer and more expensive . You learn to use weights.
Liz: Hmm… Maybe I'll go to the cheaper class.
Sam: Good idea. Anyway, it's a lot healthier than eating a big lunch at your desk.

Now go to 03 LISTENING When did I do that course?