Okay! Now! If we want to specify the alternatives we are comparing to, we normally use the preposition over as in “have an advantage OVER sth.” Since advantage refers to a position superior to another thing, it is kind of natural to use OVER here to say that is is higher than the other thing. So 'A has an advantage over B'. means that A is in a favorable or superior position compared to B.This phrase is commonly used when talking about competition in business, sports or even evolution.
Let me give you some examples here:
Example Sentences:
Humans have an evolutionary advantage over other animals.
The New York Knicks have a clear advantage over Miami Heat
Our company has an advantage over our competitors.
There are many other verbs that can be used together with advantage. For instance, you can “gain an advantage”, “win an advantage”, and “develop an advantage” or “sth. Can give or offer you an advantage” and you can “take advantage of sth.”
To make these more specific, let's have a look at some more examples.
Example Sentences:
You should take advantage of all the resources bestmytest.com offers to improve your English.
My English skills gave/offered me a clear advantage over other applicants..
By reducing costs we could develop a competitive advantage over our competitors.
During the process of evolution, humans developed an intellectual advantage over other animals.
Our company gained/won a competitive advantage over our competitors by reducing costs.
Especially in business, "advantage" is often used together with the adjective “competitive” to highlight the competitive environment businesses are in. For example, if you say
Example Sentences:
Our company has a competitive advantage over Google.
The definition of the noun advantage reads as follows: An advantage is a quality or condition that puts something in a favorable or superior position. Simply said, an advantage is a characteristic that makes something better than something else.
We often use "advantage" to talk about the benefits of a thing or person. For instance, the following three sentences use "advantage" to describe the benefits of living in a big city:
Example Sentences:
One of the advantages of living in a big city is that there is plenty of entertainment.
One advantage of living in a big city is that there is plenty of entertainment.
The advantage of living in a big city is that there is plenty of entertainment.
Instead of using “to have an advantage” all the time you can say “to be at an advantage” as well... In this case, how could you change the three sentences? You can pause this video and try it yourself… It's not too complicated. :) We can change the phrasing as follows:
Example Sentences:
The New York Knicks are at a clear advantage over Miami Heat
Humans are at an evolutionary advantage over other animals.
Our company is at an advantage over our competitors.
Advantage is often used with “to” as well, as in the following phrases.
Example Sentences:
To one's advantage
Often we simply paraphrase here and say:
Example Sentences:
Living in a big city has many advantages.
If something is 'to one's advantage' it means that something gives an advantage or is beneficial to someone. Here are example sentences
Example Sentences:
The ice cream store was able to turn the hot weather to its advantage.
It is to your advantage to invest wisely.
The new regulations will work to our advantage.
However, only if "advantage" is used at the very beginning of a sentence do we say "advantage of something". When using expletive constructions like “There are/is” it would sound wrong or unnatural to say "There are many advantages of living in a big city". Many students make this mistake. Here you should use the preposition "to" as in the following sentence: