“Bethany is a lot quieter in real life than she is over the phone.”

One of the salespeople you often communicate with came to visit your office for the first time. She seemed different than you imagined her. You're talking with a coworker who also works with her. You say:

Bethany is a lot quieter in real life than she is over the phone.

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“They're more energy efficient than conventional bulbs because they generate a lot less heat.”

You use fluorescent light bulbs in your house to save electricity. You're explaining why you use them to an acquaintance who says he doesn't know why people use them. You say:

They're more energy efficient than conventional bulbs because they generate a lot less heat.

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“Home ownership is more trouble than it's worth.”

You own a house. You've had to spend a lot of time and money on repairs, taxes, and your mortgage. Now you'd rather rent an apartment instead. You're complaining about this to a friend. You say:

Home ownership is more trouble than it's worth.

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“In many ways, people are worse off now than they were 10 years ago.”

You're writing an essay about the U.S. economy. Some numbers show that the economy is bigger than it was 10 years ago, but you don't think that the economy has actually improved. You write:

In many ways, people are worse off now than they were 10 years ago.

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“It's awfully cold for March.”

You're making small talk with a friend about the weather. It's March, when the weather usually starts to get warm, but today it's snowing. You say:

It's awfully cold for March.

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“Honestly, I feel more relieved than anything.”

You just got your Ph.D. A friend asks you if you're proud of yourself. You feel kind of accomplished. But your strongest feeling is happiness that you can stop researching and writing papers for a while. You say:

Honestly, I feel more relieved than anything.

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“It's a vast improvement over my last camera.”

You just bought a new camera, which you like a lot. The camera you had before wasn't very good. You're talking with a friend, and she asks you about the camera. You say:

It's a vast improvement over my last camera.

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“He's still better than the rest of them put together.”

You and a friend are talking about soccer. You're discussing a player who used to be really, really good, but now he's older and not as good as he used to be. However, he's still a lot better than the other players on his team. You say:

He's still better than the rest of them put together.

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“You're even worse at this than me!”

You're not a very good basketball player, but you and a friend decide to go to a basketball court and play 1-on-1 basketball. When you start playing, you find out that your friend is really bad at it. You tease him:

You're even worse at this than me!

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“These do look good for a mobile phone.”

You're looking at photos on your friend's new mobile phone. Your friend mentions how impressed he's been with the quality of the photos that the phone takes. You agree that the photos look good. You say

These do look good for a mobile phone.

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