English Grammar (Comparatives): Lesson 2-Talking about Similarities (with useful Adjectives!)

Talking about Similarities by using Comparatives!

This is the second day of the Comparatives‘ series. Yesterday we talked about DIFFERENCES. Today, you will learn how to draw a comparison between two people or objects by finding their SIMILARITIES.

You can always ask yourself some of the following questions before comparing one person to another:

• What do the people have in common?
• Are they the same?
• Are they exactly the same?
• Do they look alike?
• Do they resemble each other?
• Are they similar? How?

The factors to take into consideration can be:

• Size
• Weight
• Colour of skin
• Beauty
• Personality
• Character
• Academic qualifications
• Job experience
• Humanity

Are there any other points you might consider?

You can of course use different types of Adjectives to compare people or objects.

Let’s look at the examples below using the Adjectives above:

1. She is as motherly as her.
2. They are as nurturing as us.
3. Jason is as tender as his sister.
4. Bananas are as nourishing as a loaf of bread.
5. He is as weak as his younger brother.
6. They are as strong as their parents.
7. You are as confident as your friend.
8. I am a shy as her.
9. He is as affectionate as his dog.
10. We are as considerate as he is.
11. They are as strong-minded as their coach.
12. She is as weak-minded as her little sister.
13. We are as as open-minded as our colleagues.
14. He is as close-minded as them.
15. You are as tidy as your classmate.
16. They are as slim as those models.
17. We are as frail as that little boy.
18. You are as small as your best friend.
19. He is as great as his eldest brother.
20. They are as silly as the clown.

What do you notice? Is there a grammatical structure that stands out?

Yes! In order to compare two people or two objects by finding their similarities, we can use:

SIMILARITIES = AS + ADJECTIVE + AS

Can you try to make your own sentences using the Adjectives above? If you do not know their meanings, check their meaning in a unilingual or bilingual dictionary. Verifying how these new words are pronounced is also a great idea!

Have you finished? Was it difficult? What sentences did you make? You can read them out aloud to your friend or your sibling—practice makes perfect!

What are the similarities between those two ladies? Here are some of our examples:

1. The lady on the left is as pretty as the lady on the right.
2. The woman with the belt is as dazzling as the woman who is not wearing a belt.
3. She is as attractive as she is.
4. She is as proud as her.
5. Jane is as talented as Charity.
6. She is as charming as her friend.
7. She is as elegant as her sister.

You can also use the same structure when comparing objects.

E.g. The flowers on the left are as enchanting as the flowers on the right.

However, there are other ways to express similarities between two people or two objects.

Let’s have a look at the examples below:

1. The colour of the dress is the same as that of the hat.
2. The orange dress is similar to hers.
3. The leaves look the same.
4. The women look alike.
5. She is exactly the same age as her.
6. Both flowers are beautiful.
7. They are beautiful in a similar manner.
8. The stem on the left is just the same as that on the right.

What do you notice? Of course, they are different ways to express similarities. We can equally use the following words or expressions:

Similar to, the same as, look alike, just the same as, exactly the same as, in a similar manner, both, similarly, likewise, equally, also, too, etc.

Your Turn: Try to make new sentences using some of these words or expressions. You can start with five and create more when you feel confident enough.

Can you find similarities between the people below? There are many criteria to describe people and the way they look is not the only criterion. The following Adjectives might be helpful:

Ambitious, serious, cute, attractive, intelligent, curious, long (hair), clever, focused, young, understanding, considerate, adventurous, carefree, diciplined, powerful, thoughtful, caring, loving, compassionate, empathetic, dignified, lovable, careful, mesmerising, enchanting, bewitching, divine, etc.

How was that? Was this exercise more difficult than the others? If so, why?

Let’s look at our examples:

1. The woman on the left is as ambitious as the woman on the right.
2. Janet is as attractive as Maria.
3. She is as careful as her.
4. Her hair is as long as hers.
5. They have the same focused look.
6. They are both mesmerising.

Were your sentences similar to ours? How many did you make? Were you able to find other Adjectives to define the women above?

Well, that’s it for today. You can do the activities below if you still have time. Good luck and until tomorrow!

Further Exploration: (Talking about similarities)

Read:

• English Grammar (Comparatives): Lesson 1-Talking about Differences, Learn English With Africa, May 2019
• Learn more about Comparatives with this well-structured and comprehensive lesson
• English Grammar in context, The Verb BE, Learn English With Africa, September 2017

Shop:

Watch:

A short and clear video clip about Comparatives by Learn English on Skype.

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