你已经会构成比较级了——cheapermore expensivebetter。但单靠比较级本身说不出差别有多大This flat is more expensive 可能是贵 5 欧元,也可能是贵 500 欧元。为了说得更精确,英语会在比较级前加一个短词或短语。

要记住的一条规则。 用本文这些修饰语时,修饰语要紧挨着放在比较级前面,而且从不改变比较级本身:✅ much cheaper、✅ a bit more expensive,绝不是 ❌ much more cheaper 或 ❌ a bit expensive more

小差别:a bita littleslightly

差别不大时用这些词:

  • This bag is a bit heavier than mine.
  • She arrived a little earlier than usual.
  • The second exam was slightly harder than the first.

a bit 三个里最口语化,在口语中非常常见。a little 中性——口语书面都合适。slightly 稍微正式一点,常见于书面、严谨的英语(报告、评论、说明书)。

大差别:mucha lotfara great deal

差别很大时用这些词:

  • This laptop is much faster than my old one.
  • The new stadium is a lot bigger than the old one.
  • Her flight was far cheaper than mine.
  • Traffic today is a great deal worse than yesterday.

a lot 最口语化,在口语中极其常见;much 中性,哪里都能用。far 语气更强,口语书面都常见,尤其是差别显得很大的时候(far largerfar more interestingfar better)。a great deal 四个里最正式,很适合书面语。

不管选哪个,后面的比较级仍然按原来的规则构成:✅ much cheaper、✅ far more expensive——比较级本身已经用了 more-er,所以不能再多加一个比较级标记:绝不是 ❌ much more cheaper

同样这些修饰语放在 lessfewer 前面也成立,表示相反的方向:much less expensivea bit less crowdedfar fewer peopleeven less likely

名词前的 much more / many more

more 放在名词而不是形容词前面时,修饰语的选择取决于这个名词能不能数:不可数名词用 much more,可数名词的复数形式用 many more

中文说“多得多的钱”和“多得多的人”都用同一个“多”,不区分名词能不能数。 而英语里 much moremany more 的选择恰恰取决于名词是否可数——这是一个真正的陷阱,因为汉语根本不需要做这种区分。

  • We need much more time.(time 不可数)
  • This flat costs much more money than we planned.
  • There were many more people at the second concert.(people 可数)
  • The new bridge causes many more problems than the old one.

muchfar 也能用在 too 前面

muchfar 不仅能修饰比较级,也能加强 too + 形容词——这是一个小但很常见的额外用法。这不是比较级结构,只是一个也会用到这些修饰语的相关句型:

  • This jacket is much too small.
  • That restaurant is far too expensive for a student budget.

no + 比较级:“一点也不比……好”

no 放在比较级前,意思是“和以前 / 和别的东西相比一点也没变好”——通常用来说明本来期待的改善并没有发生,常常带一点失望的语气:

  • The new phone is no better than the old one.(本以为会更好——结果并没有。)
  • After the rest, I still felt no better.

值得把它和单纯的否定区分开。✅ It's no better 是正确的说法,比单纯的 ✅ It isn't better 语气更强、更带评价色彩——两者语法上都对,但 no better 多了一层“而我本来期待别的结果”的意味。

no 不是日常中性提问的自然选择——那种情况要用 any(见下文):比如 ✅ Is it any better now?。如果 no 出现在问句里,多半是在带点惊讶地确认:Is it no better even after the repair?

any + 比较级:主要用在疑问句和否定句里

any 放在比较级前,是在问或者否定到底有没有任何差别或改善——主要出现在疑问句、否定句,以及 ifwhether 之后:

  • Is this seat any more comfortable than that one?
  • The pain isn't any better today.
  • Does the new update make the app any faster?
  • Let me know if it gets any worse.

表示这种意思时,any 通常不会出现在普通肯定句里——✅ Is it any cheaper now? 但不说 ❌ It's any cheaper now.(肯定句要用上面的修饰语代替:It's a bit cheaper now.

even + 比较级:“本来就已经这样,现在更是如此”

even 表示某件事本来就已经在某种程度上成立,比较级把这个程度又往前推了一步:

  • I thought the first film was good, but the sequel is even better.
  • Rent here is high, but rent in the city centre is even higher.

常见错误

  • This is much more cheaper. → ✅ This is much cheaper.cheaper 已经带了 -er,不要再加 more
  • She's a bit taller.(但实际差别很大)→ 差别越大,修饰语就要越强:✅ She's a lot taller.
  • It's very better than before. → ✅ It's much better than before.very 不能修饰比较级——要用 much / a lot / far
  • There were much more people. → ✅ There were many more people.people 可数,所以要用 many more,不是 much more
  • The exam was far hard. → ✅ The exam was far harder.(修饰语下面必须接比较级,不能接普通形容词)

小测验

给每个空填一个合适的修饰语(可能不止一个答案正确——想想你想表达的差别有多大):

  1. My commute today was ____ longer than usual — just five minutes.
  2. This year's exam was ____ harder than last year's — almost everyone struggled.
  3. I've rested all weekend, but I still feel ____ better.
  4. Is the pain ____ better since you started the new medicine?
  5. The book was good, but the film was ____ better.
显示答案
  1. a bit / a little / slightly   2. much / a lot / far / a great deal   3. no   4. any   5. even

要点

  • 修饰语紧挨着放在比较级前面,用来表示差别有多大——它从不改变比较级本身:✅ much cheaper,绝不是 ❌ much more cheaper
  • 小差别:a bita littleslightly。大差别:mucha lotfara great deal。同样这些词放在 less/fewer 前也成立。
  • 名词前的选择取决于是否可数:time/moneymuch morepeople/problemsmany more
  • no + 比较级表示“和以前相比一点也没变好”,常带一点失望:no better
  • any + 比较级主要出现在疑问句、否定句,以及 if/whether 之后:Is it any better? · It isn't any cheaper.
  • even + 比较级表示“本来就已经这样,现在更是如此”:even better