MORE * THAN (complex comparisions)

A simple comparison in English is “She is more important than you.”

One way to make comparisons more complex is to increase the number of words between ‘more’ and ‘than.’  This could include nouns or adjectives followed by non-finite clauses such as in the following EXPERT EXAMPLES:

Today, billions of citizens have

 more tools, more access to information, more capacity to influence 

than ever before.

TED

It‘s harder to compose than to play.

TLC native speaker the UK

 

At the B2 level, the usual subject-verb types and non-finite types of clauses can be compared.  Here is a similar English Grammar Profile point at B2.

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Pearson’s GSE 66 B2 structure is defined as

clause1 + comparative adjective + ‘than’ + clause

• There’s more work to do than we have time for.
• She was more concerned with getting the job done than with doing it well.

Also note that in the English Vocabulary Profile:

A2 THAN used with ‘more’ or ‘less’ to compare numbers or amounts

I spent more than I intended to.
It cost less than I expected.

Therefore, anything more complex should be at least B1. For example:

be more of something than something = to be one thing rather than another 

“It was more of a holiday than a training exercise.”

From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

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If we want to locate a comparative adjective + than + clause, we can search in iWeb for:

_JJR than * _V

but this does NOT have a non-finite clause after the adjective.

1 EASIER THAN YOU THINK 3886
2 HIGHER THAN IT WAS 1494
3 EASIER THAN YOU MIGHT 1184
4 LOWER THAN IT WAS 1142
5 WORSE THAN IT IS 1126
6 BETTER THAN IT WAS 1057
7 HIGHER THAN IT IS 1057
8 WORSE THAN IT WAS 1048
9 CLOSER THAN YOU THINK 861
10 HIGHER THAN THEY WERE 790
11 HARDER THAN IT LOOKS 740
12 BIGGER THAN IT IS 721
13 LOWER THAN THEY WERE 689
14 HIGHER THAN THEY ARE 681
15 OLDER THAN I AM 678
16 SMALLER THAN I EXPECTED 647
17 LOWER THAN IT IS 644
18 BETTER THAN I EXPECTED 610
19 LARGER THAN IT IS 594
20 HIGHER THAN IT SHOULD 586
21 YOUNGER THAN I AM 578
22 HARDER THAN IT SOUNDS 548
23 BIGGER THAN I THOUGHT 520
24 BETTER THAN I COULD 510
25 HIGHER THAN WHAT IS 492
26 BIGGER THAN I EXPECTED 485
27 HARDER THAN YOU THINK 471
28 WIDER THAN IT IS 470
29 WORSE THAN THEY ARE 470
30 SMALLER THAN IT IS 469
31 FASTER THAN YOU CAN 464
32 BIGGER THAN THEY ARE 462
33 SMARTER THAN I AM 457
34 BETTER THAN IT HAS 442
35 BETTER THAN I CAN 436
36 SMALLER THAN I THOUGHT 436
37 BETTER THAN IT IS 435
38 SIMPLER THAN YOU THINK 433
39 STRONGER THAN IT WAS 419
40 LOWER THAN IT SHOULD 409
41 BETTER THAN I THOUGHT 408
42 GREATER THAN IT WAS 408
43 LOWER THAN THEY ARE 408
44 LARGER THAN I EXPECTED 400
45 SMALLER THAN IT WAS 396
46 WORSE THAN I THOUGHT 382
47 GREATER THAN IT IS 380
48 BIGGER THAN YOU THINK 378
49 EASIER THAN IT SOUNDS 375
50 BIGGER THAN IT WAS 371
51 LOWER THAN IT WOULD 371
52 OLDER THAN I WAS 369
53 LARGER THAN IT WAS 363
54 STRONGER THAN YOU THINK 357
55 OLDER THAN YOU ARE 344
56 EASIER THAN YOU MAY 339
57 BETTER THAN I DO 337
58 LONGER THAN YOU THINK 333
59 EASIER THAN IT IS 327
60 HIGHER THAN IT WOULD 326
61 OLDER THAN THEY ARE 320
62 BETTER THAN IT DID 318
63 LARGER THAN THEY ARE 316
64 BETTER THAN I WAS 310
65 BETTER THAN I DID 306
66 GREATER THAN WHAT IS 304
67 HIGHER THAN THEY SHOULD 304
68 HARDER THAN I THOUGHT 296
69 BETTER THAN TO BE 287
70 LOWER THAN THEY WOULD 278
71 LOWER THAN WHAT IS 274
72 HARDER THAN IT SEEMS 273
73 BETTER THAN NOT HAVING 272
74 TALLER THAN IT IS 271
75 EASIER THAN IT LOOKS 268
76 BETTER THAN THEY WERE 264
77 OLDER THAN HE IS 264
78 BETTER THAN THEY ARE 256
79 LONGER THAN IT IS 256
80 BETTER THAN I HAVE 254
81 BIGGER THAN YOU ARE 246
82 BIGGER THAN IT LOOKS 243
83 TALLER THAN THEY ARE 235
84 HIGHER THAN I WOULD 234
85 HIGHER THAN IT HAS 234
86 HIGHER THAN THEY WOULD 233
87 LONGER THAN IT SHOULD 233
88 SIMPLER THAN YOU MIGHT 231
89 SMALLER THAN THEY ARE 231
90 SMALLER THAN YOU THINK 230
91 SMARTER THAN YOU THINK 230
92 EASIER THAN I THOUGHT 229
93 STRONGER THAN THEY WERE 223
94 WIDER THAN THEY ARE 222
95 WORSE THAN THEY WERE 215
96 WORSE THAN WE THOUGHT 214
97 SMARTER THAN YOU ARE 211
98 SMARTER THAN THEY ARE 207
99 CHEAPER THAN YOU THINK 206
100 YOUNGER THAN THEY ARE 206

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iWeb does not allow such long strings for searches.  The longest possible is below but it does not show many ‘clauses’ as in GSE examples.

An iWeb search for: more * * * than 

1 MORE IMPORTANT TO ME THAN 1236
2 MORE COMMON IN WOMEN THAN 930
3 MORE TO THE STORY THAN 819
4 MORE IMPORTANT TO YOU THAN 687
5 MORE OF A PROBLEM THAN 626
6 MORE OF A CHALLENGE THAN 607
7 MORE IMPORTANT TO US THAN 605
8 MORE OF AN ART THAN 553
9 MORE COMMON IN MEN THAN 511
10 MORE IMPORTANT TO THEM THAN 398
11 MORE OF A NUISANCE THAN 393
12 MORE IMPORTANT TO HIM THAN 378
13 MORE TIME AND EFFORT THAN 377
14 MORE , BUT LESS THAN 365
15 MORE OF A HINDRANCE THAN 355
16 MORE OF A HASSLE THAN 346
17 MORE LIKELY TO DIE THAN 344
18 MORE TO WORRY ABOUT THAN 341
19 MORE OF AN IMPACT THAN 326
20 MORE GOING ON HERE THAN 322
21 MORE OF AN ISSUE THAN 311
22 MORE SENSE TO ME THAN 307
23 MORE OUT OF IT THAN 294
24 MORE TO THIS STORY THAN 270
25 MORE OF A THREAT THAN 264
26 MORE FLIES WITH HONEY THAN 261
27 MORE BLESSED TO GIVE THAN 257
28 MORE OF AN ANNOYANCE THAN 235
29 MORE TO THE TABLE THAN 233
30 MORE OF A BURDEN THAN 222
31 MORE OF A CHORE THAN 221
32 MORE AND NO LESS THAN 220
33 MORE TIME AND MONEY THAN 208
34 MORE OF A PAIN THAN 203
35 MORE OF A DIFFERENCE THAN 189
36 MORE COMMON IN BOYS THAN 188
37 MORE OF A LIABILITY THAN 180
38 MORE OR LESS IMPORTANT THAN 176
39 MORE DIFFICULT TO USE THAN 175
40 MORE LIKELY TO SUCCEED THAN 173
41 MORE OF A CONCERN THAN 172
42 MORE UP TO DATE THAN 170
43 MORE OF A DISTRACTION THAN 168
44 MORE QUICKLY AND EASILY THAN 167
45 MORE GOING FOR IT THAN 166
46 MORE AND NOTHING LESS THAN 161
47 MORE OF A RISK THAN 157
48 MORE TO THE WORLD THAN 156
49 MORE TWISTS AND TURNS THAN 144
50 MORE VALUABLE TO ME THAN 143
51 MORE COMMON IN CHILDREN THAN 142
52 MORE INTERESTING TO ME THAN 141
53 MORE OF A NECESSITY THAN 141
54 MORE OF A PRIORITY THAN 136
55 MORE COMMON IN MALES THAN 135
56 MORE OF THE WORLD THAN 135
57 MORE QUICKLY AND EFFICIENTLY THAN 135
58 MORE IMPORTANT TO HER THAN 131
59 MORE TO THE GAME THAN 131
60 MORE BELLS AND WHISTLES THAN 129
61 MORE OF A HEADACHE THAN 129
62 MORE OF A MESS THAN 127
63 MORE TIME AND ENERGY THAN 126
64 MORE LIKELY TO FAIL THAN 124
65 MORE DIFFICULT TO FIND THAN 123
66 MORE EXPENSIVE TO PRODUCE THAN 120
67 MORE HOUSES FOR SALE THAN 116
68 MORE OF A MAN THAN 116
69 MORE COMMON IN FEMALES THAN 111
70 MORE OF A CURSE THAN 109
71 MORE LIKELY TO HAPPEN THAN 106
72 MORE OF A FACTOR THAN 105
73 MORE OUT OF LIFE THAN 105
74 MORE OF AN EFFECT THAN 104
75 MORE OF A HOBBY THAN 103
76 MORE TIME WITH THEM THAN 103
77 MORE VITAMINS AND MINERALS THAN 103
78 MORE ABOUT THE SUBJECT THAN 102
79 MORE EXPENSIVE TO BUY THAN 101
80 MORE VALUABLE TO YOU THAN 101
81 MORE DIFFICULT TO TREAT THAN 99
82 MORE ” REAL ” THAN 98
83 MORE POWER AND TORQUE THAN 98
84 MORE CONVENIENT TO USE THAN 97
85 MORE TIME AT WORK THAN 97
86 MORE LIKELY TO OCCUR THAN 95
87 MORE LIKELY TO SURVIVE THAN 93
88 MORE UPS AND DOWNS THAN 93
89 MORE DIFFICULT TO CONTROL THAN 91
90 MORE AT STAKE HERE THAN 90
91 MORE DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND THAN 90
92 MORE TIME ON IT THAN 88
93 MORE HOLES IN IT THAN 87
94 MORE COMMON AMONG WOMEN THAN 87
95 MORE ABOUT THE JOURNEY THAN 85
96 MORE LIKELY TO VOTE THAN 84
97 MORE FUN TO DRIVE THAN 84
98 MORE BEAUTIFUL IN PERSON THAN 83
99 MORE TO SAY OTHER THAN 83
100 MORE DIFFICULT TO INSTALL THAN 82

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We fed the following B2 vocabulary from the above results into AI:

concern, efficiently, factor, females, impact, males, nuisance, occur, priority, risk, survive, threat, treat, vitamins, whistles

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This post should really cover ‘less than’ too.