Knowing how to compare and contrast is something you are likely to need for the IELTS Speaking

Test.

There are a number of grammatical structures that you can use to make comparisons and express

differences.

Listen to this candidate comparing and contrasting his teachers:

What differences in teaching styles have you experienced with different teachers?

Well, I think, you have to make a difference between a teacher's knowledge and personal

style. Some teachers, you know, are very knowledgeable and have a lot of experience and everything.

Both my history and science teachers knew their subjects really well, but my maths teacher,

who was much older - maybe that's why - just didn't have the skills to convey all that

to the students. If I were to compare all my classes, I would say his were the most

boring. My history teacher, on the other hand, he knew how to communicate to students and

his lessons were more enjoyable and we learnt faster.

He said that "both my history and science teachers knew their subjects".

He uses the word 'both' to say 'the two together'. They're similar in the way they know a lot

about their subjects. He then contrasts them to the maths teacher by using the word 'but'.

Listen:

Both my history and science teachers knew their subjects really well, but my maths teacher,

who was much older - maybe that's why - just didn't have the skills to convey all that

to the students.

To justify the contrast he compares the ages of the teachers. The maths teacher is much

older. Older is a comparative adjective. Someone who is 50 is older than someone who is 40.

'Much older' is a way of saying the difference is larger - someone who is 80 is much older

than someone who is 40.

He also compares the teaching styles of his teachers:

If I were to compare all my classes, I would say his were the most boring.

This time he uses the superlative - the most boring, because he is comparing more than

2 things. He does this using a conditional 'if' sentence which is a polite way of criticising

someone:

If I were to compare all my classes, I would say his were the most boring.

He goes on to talk about his history teacher. How does he show that he is comparing him

to the boring maths teacher? My history teacher, on the other hand, he

knew how to communicate to students and his lessons were more enjoyable and we learnt

faster.

He says 'on the other hand' to show that he is now talking about a different style of

teaching. And again he uses comparative forms - more enjoyable and faster - to express this

difference.

Now listen to another candidate responding to a question designed to encourage her to

compare and contrast:

Is it better to grow up in the city or in the countryside?

Well, I think that, mm, both places have their pros and cons. I've grown up in a city, and

I've lived in a city all my life. And sometimes when I see those families who have their kids

in the countryside I envy them, because they can run about, you know. They are free and

the environment is cleaner and safer, but then, on the other hand, you know, living

in a city gives you other, um, opportunities to socialise, have more contact with culture,

and better opportunities for education. So, I don't know. It's difficult to say. Both

things have advantages and disadvantages.

She begins by saying that "both places have their pros and cons". Saying 'both' means

she is referring to the city and the country. Pros and cons is an idiom meaning advantages

and disadvantages. Then she establishes that her point of view is that of a city person:

I've grown up in a city, and I've lived in a city all my life.

Then she says what the advantages - the pros - of living in the country are:

Sometimes when I see those families who have their kids in the countryside I envy them,

because they can run about, you know. They are free and the environment is cleaner and

safer.

The advantages are that in the country you can run about and be free. She also uses the

comparative adjectives 'cleaner' and 'safer' to describe the country compared to the city.

Often you use comparatives with 'than' a word that means 'in comparison with'.

The country is cleaner than the city.

She chooses to contrast with the word 'but' and talk about the advantages of living in

the city:

They are free and the environment is cleaner and safer, but then, on the other hand, you

know, living in a city gives you other, um, opportunities to socialise, have more contact

with culture, and better opportunities for education.

Like the previous candidate, she uses the phrase 'on the other hand' to show she is

talking about something different - the city.

And again she uses the language of comparison, this time the irregular comparative form of

good, 'better'. Listen again:

They are free and the environment is cleaner and safer, but then, on the other hand, you

know, living in a city gives you other, um, opportunities to socialise, have more contact

with culture, and better opportunities for education.

Now let's listen to the way she rounds off her comparison of city and country living:

So, I don't know. It's difficult to say. Both things have advantages and disadvantages.

She ends by saying both have advantages and disadvantages which means that one isn't better

than the other. You don't have to say that one thing is better than another if you don't

think so. The phrase for this is 'as good as'. She thinks that the country is as good

as the city.

The structures you use to compare things in the speaking test are assessed as grammatical

range and accuracy, one of the IELTS marking criteria. Other things that are assessed in

this area are the number of mistakes you make and the range of sentence types you use.

Don't be overly concerned about being perfectly correct all the time. Some mistakes will occur

in your speech.

It's good to review the rules for forming comparatives.

One syllable words have the -er comparative form: big, bigger

You need to memorise the forms for 2 syllable words because they can be either -er or have

'more' before them: narrow, narrower

useful, more useful

Words of 3 syllables and longer have the 'more' form:

intelligent, more intelligent spectacular, more spectacular

You can emphasise the degree of difference and say 'much older'.

With 'more intelligent', you say 'much more intelligent' and with 'more spectacular',

you say 'much more spectacular'.

And don't forget to review irregular comparative adjectives like:

good, better bad, worse

far, further or farther

Whenever a question has a comparative adjective in it, you can be confident that you are expected

to reply with the language of comparison.

That's all for now. To find more information about grammatical range and accuracy in the

Speaking Test visit our Study English website. The address is: australianetwork.com/studyenglish.

Good luck with your studies. Bye.