Hi, Tim here with another 925 English lesson.

In today's lesson, we're going to learn how to talk about similarities.

Every day, we compare products, companies, jobs - all kinds of things!

We talk about how they are different and how they are the same or similar.

So, how can we say two things are equal or exactly the same? For example, what if you want to say two people are the same height?

One easy way is to say "as tall as." For example: "Tom is as tall as John." You can do this with any adjectives. You might say "as smart as," "as difficult as," or "as cheap as."

Want to give this a try? Let's start with an example of the expression we just learned. Then we'll try some other expressions for saying two things are the same.

Listen to each example then repeat it yourself. Ready? Let's get started.

My old phone is just as good as your new one.

The Samsung and the LG TVs are about the same in quality.

There's no real difference between these two products.

In my opinion, this and the red one are equally nice.

How was that? Besides "as good as," we also heard two things can be "about the same," or there's "no real difference" between them. That's pretty easy, right?

And in the last example, we heard two things can be "equally nice." Saying "equally nice" is just like saying "as nice as."

And in the same way, you can say "equally difficult," "equally expensive," or equally anything else.

Now, some things are the same, but some things are just similar.

When I think of similar things, I often think of me and my brother. Similar appearance, similar personality, similar beliefs. Not exactly the same, just similar.

That word "similar" is useful. I might say, "my brother and I are similar." Or "quite similar." or "very similar." Or I might say, "I am like" my brother, or I "look like" my brother. That means we are similar, or we look similar.

How about some more practice? This time, we'll try saying two things are similar, rather than exactly the same. Once again, repeat the examples after you hear them.

The new Kia minivan looks kind of like a Toyota Sienna.

This website is quite similar to our competition's site.

Both Dave and Kathy are from the Midwest.

I prefer afternoon meetings, and so does Tom.

Great work. And did you notice that expression "both Dave and Kathy?" That's a great way to say something is true about two people. For example: "Both my brother and I live in New York."

There's another easy way to say something is true about two people. You just need the words "so do "or "so does". For example: "I live in New York, and so does my brother."

All right, we've practiced lots of expressions for showing how two things are the same or similar. Well, not just two things. We also practiced comparing people with these expressions.

But how does all this sound in a conversation? Let's listen to a short dialogue between Juan and Ellen. Juan is asking Ellen to compare some new laptops to their old ones.

What do you think of these new laptops?

They look quite similar to our old ones.

In design, maybe. But what about quality?

Well, I think the old ones are just as good as these new ones.

As you heard Ellen starts by saying the laptops are "quite similar" in general. And when asked about quality, she uses the expression "just as good as" to show they're the same quality.

Now it's your turn to practice. We'll repeat the dialogue, but this time we're going to beep out the second speakers words. You will have to say those parts yourself.

Remember to start by saying the laptops are "quite similar." Then you'll say how they're equal in terms of quality. Here we go!

What do you think of these new laptops?

In design, maybe. But what about quality?

All right, that about does it for this lesson.

We've learned some great ways to talk about how things are similar or the same.

In our next lesson ,we'll learn about the opposite idea: talking about how things are different. Until then, so long and happy learning!