Advanced Comparison
Use the-more...the-more for two things changing in proportion, repeat a comparative with "and" (bigger and bigger) for an ongoing trend, and modifiers like far/slightly or not nearly as...as to control exactly how big — or small — the gap between two things is.
Formula
Examples
Common Time Markers
Usage
- •Describing two things that change in proportion to each other (the more...the more)
- •Describing something that keeps changing or intensifying over time (double comparatives)
- •Emphasizing how big a difference is (far / a lot / much + comparative + than)
- •Softening or minimizing a difference (slightly / a little + comparative + than)
- •Pushing back on an assumed similarity by stressing a large gap (not nearly as / nowhere near as...as)
Studying is free forever on Budling — no account needed to try it.
Try 5 cards free — no signup →How does 'the more... the more' work?
Both halves of the sentence use the same pattern — "the" + more/less + adjective/adverb, followed by subject + verb — and never take "than": "The more you practice, the more confident you become." The two halves don't have to match (more/more, less/less): they can mix, as in "The less time we spend arguing, the more we get done."
It's a proportional, cause-and-effect pattern often used in advice and proverbs, describing how two things change together rather than a one-off comparison.
What's a double comparative (bigger and bigger)?
Repeating a comparative with "and" — "bigger and bigger," "worse and worse" — signals a trend still in motion, rather than a fixed, one-time comparison: "Traffic gets worse and worse every year." Dropping the "and" ("bigger bigger") is ungrammatical; it must stay.
For longer adjectives, use "more and more" + adjective instead of doubling the ending: "more and more difficult," not "difficulter and difficulter."
'Not nearly as good' vs 'almost as good' — do they mean the same?
No — they mean opposite things. "Not nearly as good" stresses a large negative gap (much worse), while "almost as good" means the two things are nearly equal. "Nowhere near as" is interchangeable with "not nearly as" — both stress a large gap, never a small one.
Comparison Table
| Form | Structure | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| the more... the more | proportional change between two things | The more you practice, the more confident you become. | |
| comparative and comparative | ongoing, intensifying trend | Traffic gets worse and worse every year. | |
| far / a lot / much + comparative + than | large gap, emphatic | This edition is far more detailed than the first. | |
| slightly / a little + comparative + than | small gap, understated | This flat is slightly bigger than our old one. | |
| not nearly / nowhere near as...as | large negative gap, pushing back on assumed similarity | This sequel is not nearly as good as the original. |
Save this comparison chart
More Examples
The harder you work, the luckier you get.
Correlative comparison — proverb-style cause and effect.
The less time we spend arguing, the more we get done.
Correlative comparison mixing less and more across the two clauses.
Traffic in the city center gets worse and worse every year.
Double comparative — an ongoing, still-continuing trend.
The queue was getting longer and longer by the minute.
Double comparative in the past continuous, for a trend in progress at that time.
This edition is far more detailed than the first one.
Modifier "far" strengthening a comparative to emphasize a large gap.
Honestly, the sequel is not nearly as good as the original.
Not nearly as...as — stressing a big negative gap, pushing back on an assumption of similarity.
Common Mistakes
- ✗Dropping "the" in the correlative structure: "More you study, more you learn" instead of "The more you study, the more you learn."
- ✗Using "more and more" with short adjectives that already form an -er comparative: "more and more big" instead of "bigger and bigger."
- ✗Forgetting "and" in double comparatives: "bigger bigger" instead of "bigger and bigger."
- ✗Treating "not nearly as...as" like "almost as...as" — they mean opposite things: "not nearly as good" = much worse, "almost as good" = nearly equal.
Tips
- ✓In the-more...the-more sentences, both halves use the same pattern (more/less/adjective+er) and never take "than."
- ✓Modifiers rank on a scale: "far," "a lot," "much" strengthen a comparative; "slightly," "a little," "marginally" weaken it.
- ✓"Nowhere near as" and "not nearly as" are interchangeable — both stress a large gap, never a small one.
Advanced Notes
Native speakers reach for these forms to add precision an ordinary comparative can't: the-more...the-more frames two things changing in proportion (often used in advice, proverbs, and cause-effect reasoning), double comparatives ("busier and busier") signal a trend still in motion rather than a fixed state, and modifiers let a speaker calibrate exactly how big a gap is — "far better" (large gap, emphatic), "slightly better" (small gap, understated), "not nearly/nowhere near as good" (a large gap in the negative direction, often used to push back on an assumption). "Nowhere near" and "way" (as in "way more") skew informal/spoken; "far," "considerably," and "not nearly" work in both speech and writing.
FAQ
Can you drop 'the' in 'the more you study, the more you learn'?
No — both halves of the correlative structure need "the": "The more you study, the more you learn," not "More you study, more you learn."
Is 'more and more big' correct?
No — short adjectives that already form an -er comparative use the doubled comparative form instead of "more and more": "bigger and bigger," not "more and more big."
Do you need 'and' in a double comparative?
Yes, always — "bigger bigger" is wrong. The two comparative forms must be joined with "and": "bigger and bigger," "longer and longer."
Do 'not nearly as good' and 'almost as good' mean the same thing?
No, they're opposites. "Not nearly as good" means much worse — a big negative gap. "Almost as good" means nearly equal — a small gap. Treating them as the same is a common mistake.
Can 'the-more-the-more' sentences use 'than'?
No — this correlative pattern never takes "than." Both halves just repeat the "the + more/less + adjective" structure with no comparison word linking them.
Practice
- 1.The harder you work, luckier you get.
- 2.Traffic in the city gets every year.
- 3.This edition is more detailed than the first one.
- 4.Honestly, the sequel is as good as the original.
- 5.The queue was getting by the minute.
Compare With
Other C1 Topics
Mixed Conditionals
Expresses how a past event affects the present (or vice versa)
Inversion with Negative Adverbials
Expresses strong emphasis by inverting verb and subject after negative openers
Advanced Relative Clauses
Forms precise noun phrases by defining, extending, or reducing relative clauses
Wish and If Only
Expresses regrets about the past or desires contrary to present reality
Conditional Perfect (Would Have)
Expresses imagined or unrealised outcomes in the past
Discourse Markers
Used for organising and signalling structure or stance in formal speech or writing
Substitution and Ellipsis
Used for avoiding repetition using short substitute forms or deliberate omission
Inversion in Conditionals
Formal if-less conditionals formed by inverting had, were, or should.
Nominalisation
Turn verbs and adjectives into nouns for a formal, objective, academic tone.
Hedging and Cautious Language
Softening claims with modals, tentative verbs, and qualifying phrases in formal/academic writing.
Advanced Future Forms
Formal and semi-modal ways to talk about the future: be to, be about to, be due to, be on the verge of, be bound to.