Let me ask you,
when was the last time you compared your current self to your
younger self? In other words,
who you are now to who you were as a kid, as a teenager,
or as a young adult?
Or when was the last time you were thinking about an expensive purchase,
a new smartphone, tv or car,
and you were comparing one option to another?
What about meditation and fitness apps, skincare products,
online courses, job offers, vacation destinations,
budget plans, cost-saving measures, customer feedback?
In daily life and at work,
we constantly compare similarities when we have a choice
to make.
Understanding how two things might be similar or different can help us make
better decisions,
but doing that means knowing how to talk about things that are similar.
It means being able to express those similarities to others,
especially if we want them to help us make the best choice possible.
In this Confident English lesson today,
you're going to learn six ways to compare in English using linking words.
But first, if you don't already know, I am Annemarie,
an English confidence and fluency coach.
Everything I do is designed to help you get the confidence you want for your
life and work in English. If you would love all of my past lessons,
including grammar, vocabulary, communication skills,
job interviews in English and so much more,
you can get those free lessons at my Speak Confident English website.
While you're there, you can also download my free in-depth,
How to Say What You Want in English training. In that training,
you'll find one simple strategy you can use to help you stop feeling
stuck in English, even better.
It will also help you develop overall confidence and fluency. Now,
I highlighted that in this lesson you're going to learn six ways to compare
in English using linking words.
So let's start with a quick review of what are linking words
in English.
Linking words are also known as transitional words or connectors.
They are words and phrases that connect one part of a sentence to
another. In other words,
they act as a bridge creating smooth flow in those connections
between sentences and ideas. When you use these bridges,
these linking words,
it creates a logical connection or an easy
transition.
It helps your listener understand why you started talking about one thing
and why you are now talking about another.
It creates that link even better.
They improve your overall clarity and flow.
So let's take a look at six different linking words or phrases you can use when
you want to make a comparison.
Not only will you learn the specific word or phrase,
but also the structure you need to use to make sure that your sentence is
accurate, and of course, I'll include multiple examples you can follow.
The first is the word,
like when we use the word like to show similarities,
we have two sentence structures.
We can follow the first X verb like Y
or X is like Y. Let's take a look at several examples.
With the first structure using a verb, he swims like a fish.
Theresa sings beautifully like her sister.
He negotiates like a seasoned diplomat skillfully
finding common ground and achieving mutually beneficial agreements.
In each of those examples,
we have a subject followed by a verb like and then an object,
like a fish like her sister,
like a seasoned diplomat.
And now some examples following this second structure.
Reading this book is like going on an adventure.
Look at this hotel. It's like a luxury resort,
but it's less expensive because it's not directly on the beach.
This app is like the one you told me about.
It also has short breathing exercises. In a moment,
you'll have an opportunity to practice the example linking words and phrases as
well as the structures that you're learning,
but first I wanna go on to the second example.
As as typically we use as
with an adjective as or as with an adverb as,
and when we use this structure,
we're indicating that two things have an equal level of quality
or equal characteristics,
or that the quality or characteristics are extremely similar to each
other. To help demonstrate this,
I have multiple examples I want to share with you. Number one,
this job offer is just as compelling as the one I received
last week. I really don't know which one to accept.
If one job offer is just as compelling as another,
it means they are equally intriguing or exciting.
They both have wonderful things to offer and that makes the choice difficult.
The second example,
I am just as competitive now as I was when I was a
kid.
Here I'm comparing my current self to my younger self and indicating that
I was quite competitive then and I'm equally competitive now.
Her presentation was just as impressive as the
CEO's. Again,
here I'm indicating that two different public speakers are equally impressive.
The fourth example,
this budget plan appears to be as effective as the
more expensive option. Number five,
the download speed is just as slow as it was yesterday.
We haven't solved the problem, and finally,
I drive as slowly as my 97 year old grandmother.
The key to using this structure correctly is to make sure that both sides use
parallel structure. Now,
just as you might imagine two parallel lines that are perfectly
in line with each other, never crossing.
Parallel structure means having the same grammatical structure or form
for balance in the sentence.
It also brings clarity and consistency to the sentence.
So what this means is always using as,
as as tall,
as as beautiful as as fast as before
we get to the practice. Let's do one more.
Number three is same as this is quite similar to the one we've
just discussed. However,
this one emphasizes that two things or two people
are nearly the same if not identical.
For example, his car is the same as mine.
In other words, they are exactly the same color, the same make the same model,
the same year, the same color. Everything is the same.
Another example,
this fitness app is the same as yours in terms of price,
so we're paying the same price for a fitness app I might add,
but my app has more yoga options,
so my focus there is showing that the price is the same.
This fitness app is the same price as yours, but mine has more yoga options.
A third example,
my daughter's cooking is almost the same as her grandmother's,
so here it's not perfectly equal, not perfectly identical,
but almost now before we go on to the next three examples,
let's do a quick practice. I asked at the beginning,
when was the last time you compared your current self to your younger self,
and I want you to do that for a moment.
Think about who you are now and who you were as a
child or a teenager.
Try using as as with an adjective or an adverb to show
how your current self is similar to your younger self.
I used the example,
I'm just as competitive now as I was when I was a kid.
You can use that sentence as a model to follow other ideas.
Are you as determined now as you were as a teenager?
Are you as passionate about art now as
you were as a teenager? If you want,
you can share your example sentence with me in the comments below.
I would love to take a look and make sure you've got it right.
The next example we're going to look at is as well as
on the surface.
This might seem like it's the same as as beautiful as
or as slowly as,
but it's a bit different when we use as well as it allows
us to add a sentence or an idea. More importantly,
it means that we're adding something similar to what has already been mentioned
or something that has been said before. For example,
she enjoys swimming as well as hiking. Of course,
both swimming and hiking are hobbies and in this particular
sentence, when we use as well as it's like using the word and she
likes swimming and hiking,
she likes swimming as well as hiking.
Using those words allows us to add on in this sentence,
and it also allows us to connect these ideas.
I could say she likes swimming period and she likes hiking.
I could create two separate sentences or I can combine them and have that nice
smooth transition using as well as, here's another example.
These customer reviews offer insights as well as
ideas for next steps, and here's a third example,
but this time we're going to move as well as to the beginning
as well as her academic achievements.
She's known for her athletic abilities too.
And now number five on our list. Likewise,
the word likewise indicates similarity or agreement with something
previously said or a previous action. As a result,
it's often used in conversations when responding to something that has
been said to see this in action.
This time we're going to look at three different conversation examples,
and in the first one we're going to look at a conversation about similar
preferences. One person might say,
I love going for long walks at the end of a stressful workday.
If you have a similar preference, you might add to that conversation by saying,
likewise, I find long walks to be so relaxing.
In this second quick conversation,
we're going to focus on two people having similar reactions.
One person might say, when I heard the news, I was shocked.
I did not see this policy change coming. Someone else might respond with,
likewise, I couldn't believe it when I heard it. In this example,
two people are having similar reactions of disbelief
to a change,
and now in this third example we'll have someone commenting on something else
that was said and indicating agreement.
She believes in the importance of environmental conservation and I feel
likewise. In other words, I'm in agreement.
And now the sixth linking word on our list for making comparisons in English
is similarly,
we can use this word when we want to compare results and when we want to compare
qualities. And of course when we use the word similarly,
it indicates that those results or qualities are alike or that they have
something in common. Let's take a look at an example sentence comparing results.
First,
the experiments yielded positive results in the laboratory.
Similarly,
they produce the same results In the field trials we conducted
in these two sentences,
the word similarly indicates that the results were consistent or they were the
same in the different trial locations. First in the laboratory,
then out in the field,
and now here's an example of using similarly to compare qualities.
Both companies prioritize innovation in their products.
Similarly, they both have a strong commitment to sustainability.
Here are the words similarly emphasizes these shared qualities
of innovation and a commitment to sustainability.
It also creates that nice smooth transition or flow from
one sentence to another. And now it's time for you to practice.
I want you to use what you've learned here today.
I have two options for you. Number one,
I want you to think about two movies or two books that you really enjoy
that have something in common.
Maybe you really love adventure films or you really like
mystery novels.
As you reflect on how those films or books are similar,
I want you to choose one or two of the linking words or phrases you learned
today and share an example sentence comparing those similarities.
The second option is to tell me about your current job and how it's
similar to a job you had in the past or perhaps a previous
role you had in your current company. As always,
you can share your example sentences with me in the comments below.
If you found today's lesson helpful to you,
I would love to know and you can tell me in a very simple way.
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Thank you so much for joining me and I look forward to seeing you next time.