Cheap: low in price

The idea

Use a cheap ticket before a noun or the ticket is cheap after be. Compare prices with cheaper than.

Examples

• This ticket is cheap.
• She found a cheap flight to Rome.
• The apples here are cheaper than those at the station.
• We bought a cheap table for the room.
• Is the bus cheaper than the train?
• The book was cheap, but it was useful.

Watch out

Cheap can sometimes suggest poor quality, but a low price alone does not establish quality. Context makes the intended meaning clearer.

Try it yourself

1. Choose the comparative for price. One ticket costs five dollars and the other ten: the first is ___. (cheaper / more expensive)

   Show answer or example answer

   cheaper

   Cheaper compares the prices of two tickets.

2. Choose what price alone tells you about quality. A ticket costs little. Does the price alone establish its quality? (no / yes)

   Show answer or example answer

   no

   A low price alone does not establish quality.

3. Choose the opposite for a high price. A high-price item is ___. (expensive / cheap)

   Show answer or example answer

   expensive

   Expensive is the opposite when the price is high.

Use it today

Describe something cheap and compare its price with another option.