Comparative structures

I. Show differences
S + outnumbered + O
1. In five of the six disciplines, males outnumbered females.
2. This was also true of medicine. Veterinary medicine was the only discipline in which
women outnumbered men (roughly 110 women vs. 90 men).
S + predominated in……………
1. Women predominated in schools for children.
2. Males, on the other hand, predominated in the higher status teaching role of university
lecturer.
3. The chart shows that at this university, science-related subjects continue to be male-
dominated.
4. In industrial areas, male workers predominate.
The gender gap was (particularly) large in……………………where……………………
1. The gender gap was particularly large in the field of physics, where there were five
times as many male students as female students.
The biggest difference between the…………………...was in………………………………
2. The biggest difference between the two sexes in any age group was in the second
youngest group where an approximate 17.5 hours was recorded for males and a viewing
time of a little over 22 5 hours for the opposite gender in 1999.
as opposed to/compared to/ In comparison with
1. Only 5 per cent of those in the youngest age group (16 to 24) were ex-smokers, as
opposed to roughly 40 per cent of those aged 65 to 75.
2. A total of 52% of graduates were employed full-time, compared to 15% for part-time,
12% unemployed, 8% categorised as unknown, 8% pursuing full-time further education,
and finally 5% combining part-time work and higher education study.
3. Overall, a much larger percentage of Canadians and Americans had access to the
Internet in comparison with Mexicans, and Canada experienced the fastest growth in
Internet usage.
This contrasts with/which contrasts with
1. Social networking is the most favoured activity for the younger group, accounting for 24
percent of their time on the Internet. This contrasts with just eight percent spent on
this by 60 to 70 year olds.
 2. This is closely followed by 24 percent paid out on fuel bills, which contrasts with a much
lower figure for this item for the high income group (only 7 percent).
3. Both increased by 3%, finishing the time surveyed at 26% for the former and 34% for the
latter. This contrasted with 5 person households (falling by a quarter to 6%) and 6 or
more people in a home, which plummeted from 6% to 2%.
II. Show similarities
There are/were (surprisingly) similar percentages for…………………
1. In other activities there were surprisingly similar percentages for the two groups.
had/attracted (almost/relatively) the same number of + N (people)
1. Toronto and Saskatoon had almost exactly the same number of people in their
communities with just over 16,000.
2. Similarly, the second and third largest aboriginal groups were to be found in Edmonton
and Vancouver and had almost the same number of people in their groups with a little
over 32,000 and 31,000 per community.
The same pattern can be seen for…………………/A similar pattern was seen in……………
1. The same pattern can be seen for people with no children: while 19% of single people in
this group were living below the poverty line, the figure for couples was much lower, at
only 7%.
2. A similar pattern was seen in the results concerning voting age.
S1 and S2 are/were (more) equally represented in………………..
1. Men and women were more equally represented in subjects related to the study of
living things: biology, medicine, and veterinary medicine.
2. Men and women were more equally represented in teaching institutions catering for
older children and young adults: secondary schools and colleges.
The proportion/percentage/amount/number of………….………………is (very similar), with……….
1. The proportion of expenditure on clothing for the two groups is very similar, with only
one percent difference between the two (six percent for high income group and five
percent for the low).
This was also (particularly) true of………………………
1. This was also true of medicine. Veterinary medicine was the only discipline in which
women outnumbered men (roughly 110 women vs. 90 men).
There is/was only……………….difference between…………………….
 1. Finally, there was only two percent difference between the two groups in the
proportion of time they spent buying things on the Internet.
The gender differences were less significant in…………………….
1. The gender differences were less significant in middle aged cyclists (40-59), with 13.7%
(female) and 9.3% (male).
III. Other comparative structures
There are/were (nearly/about/more than)…………..times as many +Ns as + Ns
[More than/about/almost]…………times higher/larger than……………..
There are/were…………..more +Ns than Ns
More + Ns than + Ns + V
1. The gender gap was particularly large in the field of physics, where there were five
times as many male students as female students.
2. Males held a larger share of teaching posts in higher-level institutions. This was
particularly true for universities, where twice as many males were teaching staff than
females.
3. Those over 60 were 24.1% of the population, which was more than six times higher
than it was in Yemen.
4. The number of male students in English classes was about six times higher than that of
their female counterparts.
5. There were 24 more female students than male students in English classes.
6. More male students than female students enrolled in English classes.
Other useful expressions with "age"
Increase/decrease with age
Those aged [15-25]
Those between the ages of [45-54]
For ages [24-35]
The [20-39] age group
The youngest/older age group
People in middle age/in the [25-35] age group/in the younger/older group
[15-59] year-olds [15- to 59-year-old] people
1. On the other hand, the percentage of those who had quit smoking tended to increase
with age.
 2. People in middle age (35 to 54) tended to be the heaviest smokers - approximately 13
per cent of the total.
3. For Italians, the highest percentage is for those [who are] aged 15-59 years at 46.2%.
4. In 2000, in Yemen, over half the population was aged 0-14, and 46.3% of the population
was aged from 15 to 59.
5. The final group, aged 75+, doubled to 20% in the first year, had surrendered those gains
by 2013, before undergoing a stable increase and reaching 20% to finish the period.
6. 52% of those between the ages of 45 and 54 went to concerts in 2010, leading all age
brackets.
7. For ages 24-35, the numbers are slightly different with 76% having graduated university
and 15% with a school certification.
8. It is readily apparent that older people, particularly in the oldest age bracket, tended to
have no or fewer qualifications.
9. This pattern continued with the 20-39 age group, with 18.2% of young women cycling
compared to 10.8% of young men.
10. A relatively small proportion of those in the youngest age group, and an even smaller
percentage of those in the oldest group (roughly 3 per cent) smoked heavily.
11. The younger age group spent 21 percent of their time accessing music and films but this
was only four percent more than the older age group.
12. The proportion tended to decrease with age. Only 40 per cent of people aged 65 to 74
had never smoked.
13. Turning to Italians, the highest percentage was 15-59 year-olds.
14. This contrasts with just eight percent spent on this by 60 to 70 year-olds.
15. By contrast, the 4- to 15-year-old girls in 1995 and their 16- to 24-year-old counterparts
in 1999 watched the least with a little less than 17.5 hours each.
Other useful expressions with "gender"
male/female sex counterpart
1. The opposite sex, however, experienced the biggest change in fishing from 12% to 45%,
a total climb of 33%.
2. It is interesting to note that the biggest difference between the two sexes in any one
age group and the same activity was for baseball in the youngest age group: men had
87% whilst the opposite gender had only 2%.
3. Similarly, the same gender saw no variation for fishing which remained at 0% in the
same two age groups.
4. The only two age groups where both sexes experienced an increase in viewing time
were for those viewers between 45 and 54 years of age and those between 55 and 64.
5. Finally, the female respondents were much happier with the club opening hours than
their male counterparts.
 6. By contrast, the 4- to 15-year-old girls in 1995 and their 16- to 24-year-old counterparts
in 1999 watched the least with a little less than 17.5 hours each.
7. College lecturers, for example, were 50 per cent female and 50 per cent male.
8. We can see from the responses that the male members are generally happy or satisfied
with the range of activities at the club, with only 5% dissatisfied.
9. Male students made up a particularly large proportion of the student group in subjects
related to the study of inanimate objects and materials: physics, astronomy, and
geology.
10. The percentage of men and women of Australia remained steady during the period at
49.9% for males and 51.1% for females.
Using connectives
In terms of = With regard to = Turning to = Concerning = Regarding + sb/sth
1. In terms of sugar, there was the greatest disparity with 42% of snacks being sugary and
just 16% of breakfasts being made up of sugar.
2. With regard to food, beverages, and tobacco the nation that spent the highest was
Turkey, at 32.14%, followed by Ireland, at nearly 29%.
3. Turning to clothes and shoes, which accounted for the second highest proportion of
spending.
4. A similar pattern was seen in the results concerning voting age.
5. Regarding the low income group, the highest proportion of their money is spent on food
and drink - 29 percent, compared to just 15 percent for the high income group.