English Course · Level 4 (B1+) · Week 11 of 12
Global Issues
Grammar: Advanced comparatives — the more … the more, much / far / a bit + comparative, not nearly as … as
This week's plan
| Day | Learn | Listen / Watch | Practise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Words: The environment · Sentences 1–2 | TED-Ed: “Is the weather actually becoming more extreme?” (video) | Exercise 1 |
| Day 2 | Words: Society · Sentences 3–4 | British Council: “The Buy Nothing movement” (reading) | Exercise 2 |
| Day 3 | Words: Taking action · Sentences 5–6 | VOA Learning English: “The More I Practice, the More I Remember” (audio) + British Council: “Modifying comparatives” (grammar) | Exercise 3 |
| Day 4 | Words: Resources · Sentences 7–8 | TED-Ed: “What is the tragedy of the commons?” (video) | Exercise 4 |
| Day 5 | Words: Comparing · Sentences 9–10 | BBC 6 Minute English: “Curbing our plastic addiction” (podcast) + BBC 6 Minute English: “Can we stop natural disasters?” (podcast) | Write & Speak |
| Day 6 | Review all 30 words + 10 sentences | TED-Ed: “What are the universal human rights?” (video) + British Council: “A Plastic Ocean: a film review” (reading) | Redo mistakes |
| Day 7 | Free day ☺ | BBC 6 Minute English: “What makes you happy?” (podcast) | Tick your tracker |
30 minutes a day: review, learn, listen, practise, speak. Day 7 is a free day. Tap a resource to find it.
30 words to learn
Set 1 · The environment
- extreme weatherطقس متطرف / ظواهر جوية شديدة
- a wildfireحريق غابات
- carbon emissionsانبعاثات الكربون
- a natural disasterكارثة طبيعية
- melting glaciersذوبان الأنهار الجليدية
- endangered speciesأنواع مهدَّدة بالانقراض
Set 2 · Society
- povertyالفقر
- homelessnessالتشرّد
- inequalityعدم المساواة
- a refugeeلاجئ
- human rightsحقوق الإنسان
- population growthالنمو السكاني / الزيادة السكانية
Set 3 · Taking action
- raise awarenessينشر الوعي / يرفع الوعي
- take actionيتخذ إجراءً / يتحرّك
- a petitionعريضة / التماس جماعي
- volunteerيتطوّع / متطوِّع
- donateيتبرّع
- reduceيقلّل / يخفض
Set 4 · Resources
- fresh waterالمياه العذبة
- a shortageنقص / عجز
- wasteنفايات / إهدار
- biodegradableقابل للتحلّل
- a landfillمكبّ نفايات
- scarceنادر / شحيح
Set 5 · Comparing
- far moreأكثر بكثير
- slightlyقليلًا / بدرجة بسيطة
- not nearly as … asأقل بكثير من / ليس قريبًا من
- twice as … asضعف
- the more … the moreكلما زاد … زاد
- by farبفارق كبير / بلا منازع
10 sentences to memorise
- 1The more we waste, the less we have for the future.كلما أهدرنا أكثر، قلّ ما يتبقى لنا للمستقبل.
- 2The sooner we take action, the better.كلما تحركنا أسرع، كان ذلك أفضل.
- 3Summers in Egypt are getting much hotter than before.أصبح الصيف في مصر أشد حرارة بكثير مما كان عليه من قبل.
- 4Recycling is far better than throwing everything away.إعادة التدوير أفضل بكثير من رمي كل شيء.
- 5Solar power is not nearly as expensive as it used to be.الطاقة الشمسية أقل تكلفة بكثير مما كانت عليه في الماضي.
- 6Egypt's population is more than twice as large as it was in 1980.عدد سكان مصر الآن أكثر من ضعف ما كان عليه عام ١٩٨٠.
- 7Water shortage is by far the biggest problem in our region.نقص المياه هو أكبر مشكلة في منطقتنا بلا منازع.
- 8We should cut down on single-use plastic.ينبغي أن نقلّل من استخدام البلاستيك أحادي الاستخدام.
- 9My cousin volunteers with a charity that helps refugees.يتطوع ابن عمي في جمعية خيرية تساعد اللاجئين.
- 10The situation is getting worse and worse.الوضع يزداد سوءًا يومًا بعد يوم.
Grammar: Advanced comparatives — the more … the more, much / far / a bit + comparative, not nearly as … as
Big difference: much / far / a lot + comparative (much bigger, far more expensive). Small difference: a bit / slightly / a little + comparative (a bit cheaper).
the + comparative …, the + comparative … = one change causes another: The more you read, the more you learn.
not nearly as … as = much less · (just) as … as = the same · twice as … as = double.
يقول المتعلم العربي very bigger ترجمةً لـ«أكبر جدًا»، لكن very لا تأتي قبل صيغة المقارنة؛ نستخدم much أو far أو a lot: much bigger. وفي تركيب «كلما… كلما…» نبدأ كل جزء بـ the ولا نترجم «كلما» حرفيًا: The more you practise, the better you speak (وليس Whenever you practise more, more you speak better). وانتبه لترتيب الكلمات: الاسم يأتي بعد more مباشرة: The more money you save, the more freedom you have.
| Structure | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| much / far / a lot + comparative | big difference | Cairo is much bigger than Luxor. |
| a bit / slightly / a little + comparative | small difference | This flat is a bit cheaper. |
| the + comparative, the + comparative | one change causes another | The hotter it gets, the more water we use. |
| comparative + and + comparative | continuous change | Prices are getting higher and higher. |
| not nearly as … as | much less | Trains are not nearly as polluting as planes. |
| twice / three times as … as | multiples | This car uses twice as much petrol as mine. |
Wrong: very more expensive ✔ much / far more expensive.
Short fixed forms: The sooner, the better. · The more, the merrier.
by far + superlative: Climate change is by far the biggest challenge.
Exercises
Exercise 1 · Choose the correct word.
- 1) Plastic bags are (very / much) more harmful than paper bags.
- 2) Today is (slightly / far) warmer than yesterday — only one degree.
- 3) Electric cars are (a lot / very) cleaner than old diesel cars.
- 4) The problem is (much / more) worse than we thought.
- 5) Life in the city is (far / very) more expensive than in the village.
- 6) Water is (by far / very) the most important resource.
Show the answers
Exercise 2 · Complete with the … the … .
- 1) The more you recycle, ___ (little) waste you produce.
- 2) ___ (early) we leave, the sooner we'll arrive.
- 3) The hotter the weather, ___ (much) water we need.
- 4) ___ (many) people volunteer, the more we can help.
- 5) The older he gets, ___ (wise) he becomes.
- 6) ___ (soon), ___ (good).
Show the answers
Exercise 3 · Rewrite so the meaning is the same. Use the words in brackets.
- 1) Trains are much less polluting than planes. (not nearly as)
- 2) My flat is 100 m². Your flat is 200 m². (twice as)
- 3) Prices keep going up. (higher and higher)
- 4) When you study more, you learn more. (The more)
- 5) Hurghada is a little hotter than Alexandria in summer. (slightly)
- 6) No problem is as serious as climate change. (by far)
Show the answers
Exercise 4 · Translate into English.
- 1) كلما قرأت أكثر، تعلمت أكثر.
- 2) الحياة في القاهرة أغلى بكثير من الحياة في القرية.
- 3) المشكلة تزداد سوءًا يومًا بعد يوم.
- 4) القطارات أقل تلويثًا للبيئة بكثير من الطائرات.
- 5) يجب أن ننشر الوعي بمشكلة نقص المياه.
Show the answers
Do each exercise in pencil first, then open the answers to check.
Write & Speak
Example: In my view, climate change is by far the biggest problem facing the world today. Summers in Egypt are getting hotter and hotter, and heatwaves are much longer than they were when I was a child. Scientists warn that the higher temperatures rise, the more droughts, floods and food shortages we will see. Countries like ours, which depend on the Nile for fresh water, are especially at risk. Some people think that ordinary people can't do anything and that only governments can solve the problem. I don't agree. Of course, big companies produce far more carbon emissions than individuals, but our daily choices still matter. For example, taking public transport is not nearly as polluting as driving alone, and a fan uses much less electricity than an air conditioner. We can also cut down on single-use plastic, recycle and stop wasting food. Most importantly, we can raise awareness. The more people understand the problem, the more pressure they will put on governments to take action. And the sooner we all start, the better.