A
numbers mean the same as a growing number and an increasing number
Growing numbers and increasing
higher /haia1"/ [adj] use this about prices, speeds, or amounts that are bigger than they were before
greatly/far outnumber a city where bicycles greatly outnumber cars
more than before
more /тэ:г/ Iquantifier/adv] more than before: The new airport will just mean more traffic, more noise, and more pollution. I As mobile phones get cheaper, people are using them more. more qutcklyfclowly/easily etc / wish she d talk more slowly. more expensive/importaat/diJFficult etc These days it's definitely more difficult to get into law school. + than People are travelling around more than they used to. I She seems more relaxed than she was last week. a lot more/much mo re/far more There are a lot more game shows on TV than there used to be. 1 David earns far more now than he did in his old job. a little more/slightly more Next time, try and be a little more patient.
more and more /,rm:r and mxT<i use
continues to become more difficult, more expensive etc than it was before: More and more students are using computers to do their schoolwork. I As the years passed, she depended more and more on her daughter.
more and more expeasive/tired/dijjicalt
etc The concert was very long, and I began to feel more and more bored. more and more slowly/quickly/clearly
etc As the gas cools, the molecules move more and more slowly.
increasingly in'kriisiqli; (adu| use this to
say that something continues to happen more often than before, or continues to become more difficult, more expensive etc than it was before: increasingly, it is the female students who are getting the best grades.
increasingly dijFflcult/common/impor- tant/complex It is looking increasingly likely that Tarrant will resign. I People have become increasingly interested in environmental issues.
A
Increasingly and more and more mean the same, but there are some differences in the way they are used. Increasingly is used mainly in written English, and you can use it at the start of a sentence as a 'sentence adverb' (=one that describes the whole sentence): Increasingly, criminals are carrying guns. More and j more is used in written and spoken English, and can be used directly before a plural noun: More and more criminals are carrying guns.
this to say that something continues to happen more often than it did before or
499
MOST
Higher price/proportion/level/rate There is now a higher proportion of women in management jobs.
+ than The cost of student accommodation is higher than it was a year ago.
greater 'greio1"/ [adj] formal use this about a feeling or state that is stronger or more noticeable than it was before
greater interest/need/support//reedom
After the war, the country began to enjoy greater prosperity. + than. The need for people with computing skills is greater than ever before.
more than someone or something else
more /шэ:г/ [quantifier] more than another person, thing, or place. My parents are both teachers, but my father earns more. I Ask Hilary. She knows more about it.
+ than It's not fair. He s got more than I have. I There is more oil in the Middle East than in any other part of the world.
higher hai3r; [ad/] use this about prices, speeds, or amounts that are bigger than someone else's
+ than In the 1960s, Japan achieved a higher rate of economic growth than most other countries. 1 Car prices in Britain are higher than in many European countries.
MOST
opposite least
if you want to know about using adjectives for comparing things, go to the essential grammar, section 14
see also more
most of an amount, number, total, group etc
most /msust/' [quantifier] the largest part of something, or the largest number of people, places, things etc most people/things/days etc IVhat most people want is a peaceful life. I Most euenings we just stay in and watch TV most о/ the students/my friends I her money etc (=most people or things in а group) Most of the people I spoke to were very worried. I Alex spends most of his allowance on books. I Most of what Hannah told me wasn't true. I This is a poor country, and most of it is desert.
A Don't say 'the most people drive to j work'. Say most people drive to work
Д Don't say 'almost Japanese people five in cities'. Say most Japanese people live
in cities.
almost all/nearly all ;,о:1т*ы з:1,
,ni3rli 'o:l not all, but almost alclass="underline" We got nearly all our food from the farm. + of 1*ve read almost all of Jane Austen's novels. I Nearly all of my clothes are too small now.
mostly/mainly /'maostli, meinli/ [ado]
use this to say that most of the people or things in a group are of the same type: A huge crowd of Oasis fans, mostly girls, waited outside the hotel. I Our customers are mainlу young people interested in fashion. I She reads a lot of books, mostly science fiction stories.
the majority /дэ тэ^зог^||т^зл;-.
Use a plural verb after the majority (of): Some of the children go home for lunch, but the majority have their lunch in school.
msdза:-/' [n singular] more than half of the people or things in a large group + of In June the majority of our students will be taking examinations, the vast/great majority (=far more than half) an education policy that will please the vast majority of parents I The great majority of accidents in the Alps occur while climbers are coming down. be in the majority (=be the largest part of a group) Young people were in the majority at the meeting.
A
more than anyone or anything else
most /maost/ more than anything else - use this especially to talk about something that you like, want, need, or dislike more than anything else: I want to study biology - that's what interests me most. I The part we enjoyed most was the trip to the Grand Canyon.