MORE THAN vs AS / Exact vs exactly

Question

Which would you say?That's the exact amount of money I need to be able to go./that's exactly the amount I need to...Here housing is 2 times more expensive than in the other areas./2 times as expensive...    Housing here cost half as much as housing as housing in other areas. There are still a couple (of) more things I need to do.I like long hands more/better than short.Thank you

Mr Wordy · Accepted Answer

That's the exact amount of money I need to be able to go./that's exactly the amount I need to... -- both OK.
Here housing is twice as expensive as it is in the other areas./~~2 times as expensive...~~ -- "the other areas" refers to specific areas that are known to the reader/listener. The sentence would be more common without "the" (even though it is then, strictly speaking, very vague; for any area, you could almost certainly find some "other areas" where this is true).

costs

~~as housing~~

There are still a couple of things / a couple more things I need to do.
I like long hands more/better than short. -- Both are possible.

Alc24 · Answer

Thank you Mr wordy,

One thing please:

Why can't you say:

Housing here is two times more expensive than housing there.

Thank you

Mr Wordy · Answer

alc24
Why can't you say:

Housing here is two times more expensive than housing there.

There are two separate issues here.

The first is the use of "two times". This is not actually gramatically wrong, but the word "twice" does the job more efficiently and elegantly, so why not use it.

The second is the use of "two times more expensive than". What should this mean? If house A costs £200,000, and house B costs £600,000, then B costs £400,000 more than A. Does this mean that B is "two times more expensive than A"? Or does "two times more expensive than A" mean that B costs £400,000? In practice, the second meaning would almost always be assumed, but the whole logic of the thing is, in my opinion, muddled. In my opinion it is always better to say "two times as expensive as", which, as we've said, would normally be rendered as "twice as expensive as".

Khoff · Answer

Alex -- please go back and look at this thread: Half as expensive/half as cheap

Have you forgotten it so soon?

Alc24 · Answer

When I wrote it down, I was thinking of you and the thread you had looked at, I remember you couldn't say half as expensive, which is why I wrote half as much. I couldn't find the thread which is why I asked, sorry and thanks again.
Happy new year to you Khoff

Alx

Alc24 · Answer

Hello Khoff,

One question,

how come mr wordy says you can say "twice as expensive" I know you can't say it but does it depend on the person?

Thank you Khoff

MORE THAN vs AS / Exact vs exactly

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions