grammar · academic
to a lesser extent + clause
used to indicate that something is true but to a smaller degree compared with something else
Examples
“Government policy influences employment, and market forces do so to a lesser extent.”
“Technology improves productivity, though to a lesser extent in small firms.”
“Urban centres benefit from investment, while rural areas benefit to a lesser extent.”
Band 8 sentence
“While taxation can reduce inequality, its impact is often to a lesser extent than that of educational reform.”
Collocations
- affect/influence/benefit to a lesser extent
- to a far/considerably lesser extent
Word family
Common mistakes
lesser extent than→to a lesser extent
to lesser extent→to a lesser extent
Say it for a higher band
5less→6to a smaller degree→7+to a lesser extent + clause
Synonyms
to a smaller degree
to a much lesser extent
Easily confused
to a greater extent
“Education contributes to social mobility to a greater extent than many other factors.”
Related words
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In Comparatives
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