Page 224 - English Grammar in Use

Unit
106 Comparative 2 (much better / any better etc.)

A much / a lot etc. + comparative
Before comparatives you can use:
much a lot far (= a lot) a bit a little slightly (= a little)
I felt ill earlier, but I feel much better now. (or a lot better)
Don’t go by train. It’s a lot more expensive. (or much more expensive)
Could you speak a bit more slowly? (or a little more slowly)
This bag is slightly heavier than the other one.
The problem is far more serious than we thought at first.

B any / no + comparative
You can use any and no + comparative (any longer / no bigger etc.):
I’ve waited long enough. I’m not waiting any longer. (= not even a little longer)
We expected their apartment to be very big, but it’s no bigger than ours.
or … it isn’t any bigger than ours. (= not even a little bigger)
How do you feel now? Do you feel any better?
This hotel is better than the other one, and it’s no more expensive.

C better and better, more and more etc.
We repeat comparatives (better and better etc.) to say that something changes continuously:
Your English is improving. It’s getting better and better.
The city has grown fast in recent years. It’s got bigger and bigger.
As I listened to his story, I became more and more convinced that he was lying.
More and more tourists are visiting this part of the country.

D the … the …
You can say the sooner the better, the more the better etc. :
a: What time shall we leave?
B: The sooner the better. (= as soon as possible)
a: What sort of bag do you want? A big one?
B: Yes, the bigger the better. (= as big as possible)
When you’re travelling, the less luggage you have the better.

We also use the … the … to say that one thing depends on another thing:
The sooner we leave, the earlier we’ll arrive. (= if we leave sooner, we’ll arrive earlier)
The younger you are, the easier it is to learn.
The more expensive the hotel, the better the service.
The more I thought about the plan, the less I liked it.

E older and elder
The comparative of old is older:
David looks older than he really is. (not looks elder)
We use elder only when we talk about people in a family (my elder sister, their elder son etc.).
You can also use older:
My elder sister is a TV producer. (or My older sister …)

But we do not say that ‘somebody is elder’:
My sister is older than me. (not elder than me)

any/no ➜ Unit 86 Comparative 1, 3 ➜ Units 105, 107 eldest ➜ Unit 108C
212 even + comparative ➜ Unit 112C