IELTS Grammar: City Life vs. Countryside Living

City and country life both have their benefits and drawbacks — and they’re often compared in IELTS Speaking and Writing tasks. In this activity, you’ll practise using comparative and superlative adjectives to describe places, experiences, and opinions. Read the short text and fill in the blanks to boost your grammar accuracy and vocabulary range.

1. City Life vs. Countryside Living

City life and countryside living offer very different experiences. Some people believe that cities are __________ (1) exciting places to live, with more opportunities and things to do. Others prefer the countryside, where life is often __________ (2) and more peaceful.

Cities usually have __________ (3) job opportunities, educational options, and entertainment. However, they can also be noisy, crowded, and expensive. In contrast, rural areas are __________ (4) polluted and often provide a closer connection to nature.

For many people, the decision comes down to lifestyle. Young professionals may choose the city because it’s __________ (5) for career growth, while families or retirees might prefer the countryside for its calm and space.

Check answers at the bottom of the page.

Grammar Explanations

1. “the most exciting”

• We use "the most + adjective" for superlatives (e.g. “the most exciting” = more exciting than all others).

2. “quieter”

• Use the comparative form “quieter” to compare two things: city vs. countryside.

3. “more”

• “More” is the correct comparative word to describe uncountable or general increase (e.g. more opportunities).

4. “less”

• “Less” is used for uncountable nouns like pollution. “Fewer” is for countable things.

5. “the best”

• Superlative form: “the best” = the top choice for career growth, among all options.

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Correct Answers:

1. (C) the most
2. (B) quieter
3. (C) more
4. (A) less
5. (D) the best