Several different grammatical structures are used for comparing. English adjectives and adverbs can be in positive, comparative or superlative forms. Positive adjectives can be used to say that people or things are equal or unequal in a particular way.
Comparative adjectives and adverbs are used to say that people or things are unequal in a particular way.
1It is more expensive ............... I thought.
Wrong!
Use "than" after a comparative adjective to compare two things.
2Chennai is ............... Mumbai.
Wrong!
Use "hotter than" to make a comparative statement between two places.
3Susie is ............... of the two sisters.
Wrong!
Use "the prettier" when choosing one person from a group of two.
4Mary is ............... student in the class.
Wrong!
Use "the best" for a superlative before a noun.
5He is not ............... his brother.
Wrong!
Use "as successful as" in the comparison pattern not as... as.
6The car is running ............... it did before the service.
Wrong!
Use "more smoothly than" to compare how the car runs now with how it ran before.
7It was ............... dress I have ever worn.
Wrong!
Use "the most expensive" for a superlative before a noun.
8It was ten times ............... I expected.
Wrong!
Use "more difficult than" after ten times to compare the real difficulty with the expected difficulty.
9I can walk ............... you.
Select 2 answers.
Wrong!
"Three times farther than" and "three times as far as" are both correct ways to compare walking distance.
10He is ............... his brother.
Wrong!
Use "twice as lively as" with twice in the as... as comparison pattern.
11He explained it carefully, but I was still ...............
Wrong!
"None the wiser" is a fixed expression meaning that you still do not understand.
12The more information that comes in, ...............
Wrong!
Use "the more confused the picture is" in the pattern the + comparative expression + subject + verb.
Answers
- It is more expensive than I thought.
- Chennai is hotter than Mumbai.
- Susie is the prettier of the two sisters.
- Mary is the best student in the class.
- He is not as successful as his brother.
- The car is running more smoothly than it did before the service.
- It was the most expensive dress I have ever worn.
- It was ten times more difficult than I expected.
- I can walk three times farther than / three times as far as you.
- He is twice as lively as his brother.
- He explained it carefully, but I was still none the wiser.
- The more information that comes in, the more confused the picture is.