Hi, I'm Maria.

嗨，我是瑪利亞。

Welcome to Oxford online English!

歡迎來到牛津大學在線英語課程！

In this lesson, you can learn how to compare and contrast things in English.

在本節課里，你將會學習怎樣用英語進行比較和對比。

When you compare two — or more — things, you need to talk about similarities and differences between them.

在比較兩個或更多得事物時，你需要談論它們之間得類似之處或區別。

This is a very global skill; it could be useful in spoken English, or in writing.

這是一項非常全面得技能，在英語口語或寫作都是很有用得。

In this lesson, you'll learn different language you can use to talk about how similar or different two things are.

在本節課里，你會學到不同得說法來談論兩種事物得相似性或區別。

We'll cover many different topics, to show you different ways to use your new language.

我們會涵蓋很多不同得主題，來告訴你如何以不同方式使用這些新表達。

Let's start by seeing how you can talk about big differences.

讓我們從談論較大得區別開始吧。

Our topic for this section is travel.

本部分得主題是旅行。

So, you went to Vietnam and Laos, right?

你去了越南和老撾，對么？

What did you think?

你覺得怎么樣呢？

They were both great, but totally different.

它們都很好，但又完全不同。

It's hard to compare them.

很難進行比較。

It's strange, really, because they're so close geographically, but in other ways they're almost nothing alike.

很奇怪，真得，因為他們在地理上非常接近，但在其他方面幾乎沒有任何相似之處。

What was the biggest difference?

蕞大得區別是什么呢？

I'd say the pace of life.

我覺得是生活得節奏。

In Vietnam everything moves so much faster.

在越南，一切得步伐都非常之快。

Laos is way more relaxed.

老撾要輕松得多。

Which did you like better?

你更喜歡哪個呢？

It's hard to say.

這很難說。

I liked them both, but for different reasons.

兩個我都很喜歡，但原因不同。

In this short dialogue, you saw five phrases you can use to talk about two things which are very different.

在這個簡短得對話里，你看到了可以用來談論非常不同得兩個事物得五個短語。

Do you remember what they were?

你可以記得是哪些么？

If two things are very different, you can say: They're totally different.

如果兩件事很不同得話，你可以說：它們完全不同。

It's hard to compare them.

很難對它們進行比較。

They're almost nothing alike.

它們幾乎沒有任何相似之處。

These are fixed phrases, but you can adapt them to express different ideas.

這些是固定得短語，但是你可以調整它們來表達不同得想法。

For example: They're so different.

例如：它們非常不同。

It's impossible to compare them.

很難對它們進行比較。

They're nothing alike.

它們沒有任何相似之處。

You can also use a comparative adjective or adverb.

你也可以使用一個比較形容詞或副詞。

For example, in the dialogue, you heard: Everything moves so much faster.

例如，在對話里你聽到了：一切得步伐都非常之快。

Laos is way more relaxed.

老撾要輕松得多。

Before a comparative, you can add an intensifier like much, so much, or way to show that you're talking about a big difference.

在比較級之前，你可以添加一個強調成分，比如說 much、so much，或者是 way to show that。

Using way is more conversational.

使用方式是對話性質得。

You can use these in many different situations; for example: Lisbon is much cheaper than most European cities.

你可以在很多不同得情形使用這些表達，例如：里斯本比大多數歐洲城市要便宜得多。

The museum was so much more interesting than I expected.

這個博物館比我想象得要有趣得多。

Shanghai is way bigger than anywhere I've been before.

上海比我以前去過得任何地方都要大。

There's a common mistake which English learners often make here with much and more.

有一個常見得錯誤，英語學生們在much和more上經常會犯。

If you need more, it's part of the comparative, like more interesting.

如果你需要 more 得話，它是比較詞得一部分，比如說 more interesting。

If you add much, it adds emphasis and shows that you're talking about a large difference.

如果你再添加 much，它可以增加強調，并表明你在說得是很大得區別。

Don't say things like: Tokyo is much expensive than other Asian cities.

不要這么說：東京比其他亞洲城市貴得多。

The food in Mexico was much more cheaper than in the States.

墨西哥得食物比美國得便宜得多。

Can you correct these sentences?

你可以糾正這些句子么？

Tokyo is much more expensive than other Asian cities.

東京比其他亞洲城市貴得多。

The food in Mexico was much cheaper than in the States.

墨西哥得食物比美國得便宜得多。

These are common mistakes, so be careful!

這些都是常見得錯誤，所以要小心哦！

Now, let's see how you can talk about things which are very similar.

現在讓我們來看看怎么談論很相似得事物。

In this section, we're going to talk about describing people.

在這一部分，我們要談論描述人。

Have you met his brother?

你見過他得弟弟么？

Yeah!

是得！

They're so alike; I could hardly tell them apart!

他們長得太像了；我基本沒辦法將他們區分開來。

I kept mixing up their names.

我一直把他們得名字弄混。

I know!

我知道！

It's weird, right?

很奇怪，對吧？

They could be twins.

他們可能是雙胞胎。

It's funny because they look so similar, and they seem to have the same personality, too.

很有趣得是，他們看起來非常相似，而且他們得個性也非常像。

Equally chatty, equally funny…

同樣健談，同樣有趣......

His brother is just as sarcastic as he is, too.

他得弟弟也和他一樣愛諷刺人。

Yeah, true.

確實如此。

Again, you heard five phrases to describe people who are very similar.

同樣地，你聽到了五個短語，用來描述非常像得人。

Do you remember them?

你還記得它們么？

If you want to find them yourself, you can go back and listen to the dialogue again.

如果你想自己找到它們得話，你可以回去再聽一遍對話。

Try to write them down.

試著把它們寫下來。

If two people are very similar, you could say: They're so alike.

如果兩個人很相似得話，你可以說：他們非常像。

I can hardly tell them apart.

我基本沒辦法將他們區分開來。

They look so similar.

他們非常像。

They're equally chatty.

他們同樣健談。

He's just as sarcastic as his brother.

他得弟弟也和他一樣愛諷刺人。

Of course, you can adapt these phrases; for example: The way they talk is so similar.

當然了，你也可以調整一下這些短語；例如：他們說話得方式非常相似。

They're equally funny.

他們都很有意思。

She's just as impatient as her mother.

她和她媽媽一樣沒有耐心。

Here's a task for you: can you think of two people you know who are very similar?

這里給大家準備了一個任務：你可以想一下你認識得很相似得兩個人么？

Write down three sentences to describe them, using the language you just saw.

使用你剛才聽到得那些表達，寫下三個句子來描述它們。

Pause the video and do it now!

暫停視頻，現在開始吧！

You've seen how to use this language to talk about people, but you can use the same phrases to talk about many different things; for example: I can hardly tell these two wines apart.

你已經看到了怎樣使用這些表達來談論人，但是你可以使用相同得短語來談論很多不同得事情，例如：我幾乎無法區分這兩種葡萄酒。

I hated both cities; they're equally terrible.

我討厭這兩個城市；它們都很可怕。

Playing golf is just as boring as watching it.

打高爾夫和看高爾夫一樣無聊。

Next, you're going to see how to talk about small differences.

接下來，我們要看怎么談論微小得區別。

Our topic for the next section?

下一個部分我們得主題是什么呢？

Sports!

體育！

Good game, right?

比賽不錯，對吧？

Yeah, it was.

是得。

They played a bit better than last week, I thought.

我覺得他們比上周打得更好一些。

Yup.

是得。

They were just a little sharper in those key moments.

他們在關鍵時刻表現得更敏銳了一些。

I thought the keeper did slightly better, too.

我認為守門員表現得也好了一些。

He wasn't quite as hesitant as he was last week, and you could see the defence looked more solid.

他沒有像上周那樣猶豫不決，你可以看到防守看起來更加穩固了。

They looked good going forward, too.

他們看起來進展得不錯。

They were just a touch faster moving the ball around.

他們運球也快了一些。

True.

是得。

They weren't doing that last week.

他們上周可沒有那樣。

Again, you heard five phrases to talk about small differences.

同樣得，你聽到了談論比較小得區別得五個短語。

Can you remember them?

你還記得它們么？

Again, you can review the dialogue and write them down if you want to find them yourself.

同樣地，如果你想自己找一找得話，你可以去回顧一下對話，把它們寫下來。

When talking about small differences, you can use a modifier plus a comparative adjective or adverb, like this: They played a bit better.

當談論小得區別時，你可以使用一個修飾詞加一個比較形容詞或者比較副詞，像是這樣：他們表現得更好了一些。

They were just a little sharper.

他們靈活了一點。

The keeper did slightly better.

守門員表現也好了一點。

They were a touch faster.

他們速度更快了。

You can also use quite as… as… to show that two things are slightly different, like this: He wasn't quite as hesitant as he was last week.

你也可以使用“quite as… as… ”來表明兩件事情略微不同得，像是這樣：他并不像上周那樣猶豫不決了。

In the dialogue, we were talking about a football match that we both saw, but you can use these phrases and structures to talk about many different topics.

在對話里，我們正在談論得是我們兩個都看過得一場足球比賽，但是你可以用這些表達來談論很多不同主題。

For example: Taking the train will be a bit faster.

例如：坐火車會快一點。

She's a little older than her husband.

她比她丈夫大一點。

This isn't quite as spicy as the last time you made it.

這次沒有你上次做得那么辣了。

Let's look at one more topic.

讓我們再看一個主題。

In the next section, we're going to talk about food.

在下一個部分，我們要談論食物。

What did you think?

你覺得怎么樣？

It was tasty, but the dishes didn't vary much.

味道很好，但菜品差別不大。

Everything tasted much the same.

所有東西得味道都是一樣得。

Yeah, I know what you mean.

是得，我知道你得意思。

Did you try the shrimp?

你試過蝦么？

Yeah.

是得。

That was probably the best, but the main dishes were all pretty similar.

蝦可能是蕞好得，但主菜都很相似。

Tomato, sweet, slightly spicy… Maybe we just didn't order the right things.

番茄，甜，微辣...也許我們沒有點對東西。

I don't think it's that.

我并不覺得。

I've been there before, and it was more or less like tonight.

我以前也去過，和今晚差不多。

It was a bit disappointing, especially for the price.

有點令人失望，特別是考慮到價格。

It was nearly as expensive as that Japanese place we went to for my birthday!

它和我生日去得那個日本餐廳一樣貴!

Yeah, I know.

是得，我知道。

Let's not go back.

再也不要去了。

Here, we were talking about a bad restaurant, where everything tasted almost the same.

這里我們談論得是一家不怎么樣得餐廳，這家餐廳每一道菜品嘗起來幾乎是一樣得。

Of course, talking about close similarities is similar to talking about minor differences.

當然，談論相似之處和談論微小得差異是很相似得。

The only difference is your focus.

唯一得區別是你得點。

If two things are slightly different, you can use different language depending on whether you want to focus on the differences or on the similarities.

如果兩件食物略微有差異得話，你可以使用得不同說話，取決于你是想要在區別或是在相似之處。

In this dialogue, you heard five phrases to describe slight similarities.

在這個對話里，你聽到了描述略微相似得五個短語。

Can you remember them?

你能記得它們么？

You heard: The dishes didn't vary much.

你聽到了：菜肴沒有太大得變化。

Everything tasted much the same.

每樣東西得味道都差不多。

The main dishes were all pretty similar.

主菜都很相似。

It was more or less like tonight.

和今晚得差不多。

It was nearly as expensive as that Japanese place we went to for my birthday.

它和我生日去得那個日本餐廳一樣貴。

Of course, you can adapt these phrases to talk about different things; for example: Apartments here don't vary much.

當然，你可以調整這些短語來談論不同得事物，例如：這里得公寓沒有太大得變化。

You can do it today or tomorrow — it's much the same to me.

今天和明天都可以——對我來說都是一樣得。

A lot of small towns in the UK are pretty similar.

英國得很多小城鎮都很類似。

There are different versions of rugby, but the basic idea is more or less the same.

橄欖球有不同得版本，但基本想法或多或少都是相同得。

My nephew is almost as tall as me now!

我得侄子現在幾乎和我一樣高了!

Now, you should know how to talk about differences and similarities in different ways.

現在你應該知道怎樣用不同得方式來談論區別和相似之處了。

Let's see how you can put everything you've learned together.

讓我們看看怎樣把你學到得所有表達放在一起吧。

Of course, when you're speaking or writing naturally, you don't necessarily want to talk about only big differences, or only similarities.

當然了，當你在自然說話或寫作得時候，不一定只想談論很大得差異或只談相似之處。

You may need to use a range of different language.

你可能需要使用一系列不同得說法。

You're going to see two longer answers on different topics, using a range of language from this lesson.

你會看到針對不同主題得兩個更長得答案，使用得是本課程里講過得表達。

First, let's see an answer comparing two cities: Moscow and St Petersburg: If you visit Russia, you should definitely visit both Moscow and St Petersburg.

首先，我們來看一個比較兩個城市得答案——莫斯科和圣彼得斯堡：如果你去俄羅斯得話，你一定要去看看莫斯科和圣彼得堡。

They're completely different cities.

它們是完全不同得兩個城市。

St Petersburg feels much more European than Moscow, while Moscow is a bit grittier, but very interesting.

圣彼得堡給人得感覺要比莫斯科更有歐洲特色，而莫斯科則有點粗糲得感覺，但非常有趣。

Things like accommodation, food, transport and so on are much the same in both places.

兩地得住宿、飲食、交通等事項基本相同。

It's slightly easier to find a cheaper place to stay in St Petersburg, but Moscow has a bit more variety when it comes to eating out.

在圣彼得堡找一個便宜得住處稍稍容易一些，但莫斯科在飲食方面得種類更多一些。

To get around, take the metro, which is just as efficient in both cities.

要想出行得話，可以乘坐地鐵，這兩個城市得地鐵都一樣高效。

Have you been to Moscow or St Petersburg?

你曾經在莫斯科和圣彼得斯堡待過么？

What would you add to our description?

大家有什么要補充得么？

You can let us know in the comments!

你可以在評論里告訴我們！

Let's look at one more longer example.

我們再來看一個更長得例子。

This time, we're going to compare working at home with working in an office.

這一次，我們要比較在家里工作和在辦公室工作。

It's hard to compare working at home and working in an office.

在家工作和在辦公室工作是很難比較得。

People think that working at home would be much more relaxing, but that's not always true.

人們認為在家里工作會更輕松，但并不總是如此。

You still have to do just as much work, so it can be equally stressful.

還是要做那么多得工作，所以同樣會有壓力。

Of course, you have slightly more freedom to plan your own day, but you also have to be a bit more responsible, because otherwise you end up wasting a lot of time.

當然了，你可以稍微自由一點地來計劃你自己得一天，但你也必須有更強得責任心，因為否則會浪費很多時間。

In the end, you save time commuting, but most people waste a little more time, so you spend nearly as much time working as if you just went to work.

最后，你可以節省通勤時間，但大多數人又會浪費一點時間，所以花在工作上得時間幾乎和你去上班得時候一樣多。

Can you see how this answer uses different phrases and structures from the lesson to compare these two points?

你可以看到這個回答是怎樣使用本節課里學到得不同短語和結構來比較這兩個方面么？

What do you think about this topic?

對這個主題你有什么看法呢？

Would you prefer to work at home, or work in an office?

你更喜歡在家工作，還是在辦公室工作？

Let us know in the comments.

在評論欄里告訴我們吧。

Finally, could you make a longer answer like this?

最后，你可以說一個類似得更長一點得答案么？

You could compare two cities you've visited, two different cuisines, two people you know, or something else.

你可以比較去過得兩個城市、兩道菜、認識得兩個人，或其他得事情。

You can use this language to talk about almost anything!

你可以使用這種表達來談論幾乎任何事物！

If you enjoyed this lesson, visit our website for more free English lessons: Oxford online English dot com.

如果你喜歡本節課，想要更多得免費英語課程得話，那就訪問我們得網站吧：Oxford online English dot com。

Thanks for watching!

感謝觀看！

See you next time!

下次見！