Today we will analyze the structure “the more…, the less” V English language to help us express our thoughts "the more, the less …" etc. Let's start with interesting example one of the most famous jokes...
The more I study, the more I know.
The more I learn, the more I know.
The more I know, the more I forget.
The more I know, the more I forget.
The more I forget, the less I know.
The more I forget, the less I know.
The less I know, the less I forget.
The less I know, the less I forget.
The less I forget, the more I know.
The less I forget, the more I know.
So why then study?!
So why study?
rule
Most likely, many of you have already been able to formulate the rule for the formation of a comparative construction “than ..., so ...” using the above examples. So let's recap:
The + comparative degree of the adjective, the + comparative degree of the adjective.
More examples:
The bigger the fish is, the happier I am. How more fish the happier I am.
The higher they get - the harder they fall. The higher they rise, the harder they fall.
NB note that union "what, that" very unusual. Word the there is not certain . It was originally form of the demonstrative pronoun ye(meaning by that much). - (Swan 139.5)
as … as- such as notso … as- not like than- how much / far / a lot+ comparative degree of adjective - much ... the+ comparative degree ..., the+ comparative degree of the adjective - than ..., the more
He isas tallas his brother. He is as tall (same height) as his brother. He isnot so braveas his brother. He is not as brave as his brother. The winds in St.Petersburg are strongerthan in Moscow. The winds in St. Petersburg are stronger how in Moscow. Some cloud formmuch higher in the sky than the others. Some clouds form much higher than others. The farther north you gothe colder the climate becomes. The further you are moving north the colder climate becomes.
The line AB is longer than the line CD. Line AB longer than CD line. The Russian language is more difficult than the English one. Russian language more difficult than English.
Adverbs
An adverb is a part of speech that indicates the sign of an action or the circumstances under which an action occurs. An adverb refers to a verb and answers questions How? Where? When? action takes place. An adverb can also refer to both an adjective and another adverb.
He speaksloudly . He says loud. He is neverlate . He never late. I don't knowwhere you live. I don't know, Where you live. She is avery good friend. She - Very good friend.
Adverbs are a heterogeneous class of words. They differ in their structure. Some of them are simple words here - Here, well - good), others are formed from adjectives using the suffix "-ly" (slow/slowly - slow/slow happy/happy – happy / happily), others are compound words ( nowhere –nowheredownstairs – at the bottom), the fourth ones make up whole phrases ( at first –at first,all of a sudden – all of a sudden).
According to their meaning, adverbs are divided into the following groups:
1. Adverbs of manner of action: well - Fine, badly - Badly , quickly - quickly, etc.
2. Adverbs of time : yesterday - yesterday , today – Today, tomorrow -Tomorrow, always – Always, never – never , lately – recently , then - Then and etc.
3. Adverbs of place: above – above, above , below – at the bottom, outside – outside, inside – inside , here - Here , there - there etc.
4. Adverbs of measure and degree : very – Very, much – a lot of , little – few , too - too much , nearly – almost etc.
Degrees of comparison of adverbs
Many adverbs (mostly adverbs of mode of action) have degrees of comparison: positive, comparative and superlative, which are formed in the same way as the degrees of comparison of adjectives.
|
positive degree |
Comparative |
Superlatives |
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Monosyllabic adverbs and adverbs early. |
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fast- fast soon– soon early– early |
faster- faster sooner- quicker earlier- earlier |
(the) fastest- the fastest (the) soonest- more likely (the) earliest- first of all |
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Adverbs formed from adjectives with the suffix - ly. |
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clearly- It's clear |
more clearly- clearer less clearly- less clear |
(the)most clearly- the clearest (the)least clearly- least clear |
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Adverbs well- Fine, badly- Badly, much- a lot of, little- few, far- form degrees of comparison far from other roots. |
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well- Fine badly- Badly much- a lot of little- few far- far |
better- better worse- worse more- more less- less |
(the) best- the best thing (the) worst- the worst (the) most- most (the) least- least of all (the) farthest- furthest (the) furthest- furthest |
They normally playmuch better . They usually play much better. She did the jobworst of all . She got the job done worse all.
Exercise 1. Form a comparative and superlative degree from the following adjectives:
Big, heavy, dirty, clean, near, bad, famous, little, much, clever, good, expensive, cheap, important, pale, hot, beautiful, large, practical, fat, early, pretty, happy, bright, dark, dry, flat, fresh, full, quick, late, nice, rich, sad, thin, thick, wet, weak, funny, easy, lazy, ugly, comfortable, quiet, far.
Exercise 2. Composeoffers:
Sample: Life/becoming/hard – Life is getting harder and harder.
Life/becoming/difficult - Life is becoming more and more difficult.
1. people/living/long 2. going abroad/becoming/popular 3. crime/becoming/common 4. the light in the rooms/becoming/dim 5. computers/becoming/expensive 6. factories/employing/few/workers 7 .his heart/beating/hard 8. Moscow/becoming/beautiful 9. his voice/becoming/weak 10. nights in winter/becoming/long.
Exercise 3. Selectcorrectoption:
1. Martin was the (more talented/most talented) of the two brothers. 2. Of the three shirts I like the blue one (better/best). 3. My dog is the (prettier/prettiest) of the two. 4. This summary is the (better/best) of the two presented. 5. There are nine planets in our solar system and Pluto is the (farther/farthest). 6. Mary is the (tallest/taller) of the two girls. 7. The boss likes my plan (better/best) of the two. 8. This is the (less difficult/least difficult) of the four cases. 9. This knife is the (sharpest/sharper) of the two. 10. Mother was the (more/most) beautiful of seven daughters.
Exercise 4. Form a comparative or superlative degree from the adjectives in brackets, depending on the meaning:
1. The Trans-Siberian railway is (long) in the world. 2. The twenty-second of December is the (short) in the year. 3. Iron is the (useful) of all metals. 4. The Neva is (wide) and (deep) than the Moskva River. 5. Elbrus is the (high) peak in the Caucasian mountains. 6. His plan is (practical) than yours. 7. His plan is (practical) of all. 8. This room is (small) than all the rooms in the house. 9. London is the (large) city in England. 10. Silver is (heavy) than cooper. 11. This wall is (low) than that one. 12. This experience is (good) than the last one. 13. My cigarettes are (bad) than yours. 14. Yesterday was the (hot) day we have this summer. 15. We must wait for some (far) instructions. 16. Who is that boy in the (far) corner of the room? 17. He is my (old) pen-friend. 18. I am (old) than you. 19. Jim is the (old) son in the family. 20. He is two years (old) than Mary. 21. This chapter is the (late) in this book. 22. What is the (late) new? 23. My sister is much (old) than myself. 24. This is the (warm) room in the house. 25. Only when (late) guest left the room she signed freely. 26. She is much (useful) at home than here. 27. She is (beautiful) girl I have ever seen. 28. He is one of (good) engineers of the plant. 29. Today your answer is (bad) than last week.
Exercise 5. Form a comparative or superlative degree from the adjectives in brackets, depending on the meaning:
1. That is (incredible) story I have ever heard. 2. It is not always (bright) students who do well in tests. 3. Terylene shirts are (hard) wearing, but cotton shirts are much (comfortable). 4. Which is (deep), Lake Michigan or Lake Superior? 5. She is far (self-confident) than she used to be. 6. (tall) man among the guests is a basketball player. 7. I like both of them, but I think Kate is (easy) to talk to. 8. Most people are (well off) than their parents used to be. 9. She has a lot to be thankful for; but (sad) thing of all is that she does not realize it. 10. I want to buy a car - (powerful) one than you have. 11. You look a lot (sad) than you did last time I saw you. 12. There is nothing (irritating) than locking yourself out of your own house. 13. Both roads lead to the city centre, but the left-hand one is probably a bit (short) and (direct). 14. The boys in our school are much (good-looking) and a lot (good) at football than the boys in other schools in the town.
Exercise 6. Compare two objects using the correct degree of the adjective:
Sample: Gold–silver (expensive) – Gold is more expensive than silver.
English grammar - German grammar (easy); Winter - summer (warm); July–January (cold); The Urals - the Caucasus (high); The Mississippi – the Thames (long); Days in summer - days in winter (short); Italy-France (small); The Black Sea - the Pacific Ocean (deep); The climate in England - the climate in Russia (severe).
Exercise 7. Open the brackets and give the correct form of the comparative construction:
Sample: (Much) you read, (well) you will know English. – The more you read, the better you will know English.
1. (Interesting) the book is, (fast) you read it. 2. (Early) you come, (quickly) we finish the work. 3. (Hot) the weather is, (bad) I feel. 4. (Soon) he takes the medicine, (well) he will feel. 5. (Little) she ate, (angry) she was. 6. (Long) the children saw the film, (frightened) they felt. 7. (late) you come, (little) you will sleep. 8. (Much) you study, (clever) you will become. 9. (Cold) the winter is, (hot) the summer will be. 10. (Near) you come up, (well) you will see the picture.
Exercise 8. Compare two objects as shown in the example:
Sample: A lemon - an apple (sour) - A lemon is sourer than an apple.
An apple is not so sour as a lemon.
The Black Sea - the White Sea (warm); 2. Oil - water (light); 3. Bulgaria - Russia (small); 4. Butter - caviar (cheap); 5. Stone - wood (heavy); 6. Carrots - cucumbers (useful); 7. China-Japan (large); 8. Meat-vegetables (expensive); 9. Japanese - Spanish (difficult); 10. The Indian Ocean - the Arctic Ocean (warm).
Exercise 9. Fill in the gaps with wordsas… as, so… as:
1. The temperature today is ... high ... it was yesterday. 2. He is not…old…he looks. 3. He is ... strong ... his brother. 4. This street is…wide…the next one. 5. The trunk is not…heavy…I expected it to be. 6. His radio set is not …powerful …mine. 7. She is…tall…her sister. 8. In Kislovodsk it is not…hot…in Sochi.
Exercise 10as… as, notso… as:
I know that your job is important, but my job is important too. My job is …
The bicycle is fast, but the car is faster. The bicycle is…
Her knowledge is poor, but he knows a bit more. His knowledge is…
He is lazy, but his brother is lazy too. He is…
Their furniture costs $700, and ours is $870. Their furniture is…
France is big. Belgium is not a big country. Belgium is…
Her wages are $200 a week, and mine are $150. My wages are…
She is beautiful, but I like her sister better. I think she is…
He is tall, but I am taller. He is…
10. Tverskaya and Arbat are crowded streets. Tverskaya Street is…
Exercise 11. Translate into English, paying attention to the degree of comparison of adjectives:
1. Take this suitcase, it easier your his. 2. In the West End are the most expensive the shops. 3. What are you going to do further? 4. I think he is older you, but younger me. 5. It the most talented student in our group. 6. Although we had the worst places, we really liked the performance. 7. Where nearest Postal office? 8. Last the train arrived at midnight. 9. Latest The news was completely uninteresting. 10. They got additional information on this matter.
Comparative constructions with adjectives - Comparative constructions with adjectives
Comparative constructions with adjectives in English are used in all degrees of comparison.
Positive degree
1. as ... as; the same ... as (the same ... as; the same ... as). Express the identity of the qualities of two objects.She is as beautiful as her mother. She is as beautiful as her mother.
Ashley has got the same marks as Brandon. Ashley got the same grades as Brandon.
2. not so ... as; not as ... as (not like ... like; not like ... like). This construction expresses the different qualities of the two objects.
Emma is not as graceful as Olivia. Emma is not as graceful as Olivia.
Thomas is not so reachable as Joseph. Thomas is not as rich as Joseph.
3. is [number of times] as ... as. It is used if, when comparing, one of the objects exceeds the other by a certain number of times. If the second object is not mentioned in the sentence, then the construction is used is [number of times] as ...
Emily's wardrobe is twice as capacious as Kimberly's. Emily's closet is twice as big as Kimberly's.
Ethan is twice as young. Ethan is twice as young.
Comparative degree
1. than (than). This union is located after the adjective in the comparative degree.Jason has got more points than Steven. Jason scored more points than Steven.
2. much / far (significantly / much / much); by far (certainly/much); even (even); still (still). These words reinforce the meaning of the comparative construction in the sentence.
Patrick sees into the computers much better than his friend. Patrick is much more computer savvy than his friend.
This movie is far longer than the previous one. This film is much longer than the previous one.
She is greater by far than everyone at this party. She is by far the most gorgeous at this party.
This story is even more tangled than I thought. This story is even more complicated than I thought.
This forest is still denser. This forest is even thicker.
3. the ... the ... (than ..., the ...). This design indicates the causal nature of the compared qualities.
The longer we stay here the farther he leaves. The longer we stay here, the further he goes.
Superlative degree
the; the ... in; the ... of. These constructions are used to highlight an object that is superior in quality to all others. Usually one object is compared with many.It is the most beautiful place I "ve ever seen. This is the most a nice place that I have ever seen.
William is the best racer in this bout. William is the best rider in this race.
David is the most reliable person of them all. David is the most reliable person of them all.
Every day we compare something. At the same time, we can compare something with each other, or say that someone / something has certain qualities. For example:
“That book is more interesting than this one. Your perfume smells like a rose. This dress is just as beautiful as that one."
The English language has special constructions and words that allow us to make comparisons.
In the article we will consider 3 main methods.
- Degrees of comparison of adjectives in English
- Using the prepositions like and as for comparison in English
- Comparative construction as as in English
Comparisons of adjectives in English
This is the way we need to compare something or someone with each other.
For example, one car is more expensive than another, my girlfriend is older than me.
Depending on the adjective, there are 2 forms of the comparative degree:
1. A simple form of comparative degree - is formed with adjectives that consist of one, two or three syllables.
For example: soft (soft), new (new), dirty (dirty), calm (quiet), cool (cool), deep (deep).
2. A complex form of a comparative degree- is formed with adjectives that consist of three or more syllables.
For example: dangerous (dangerous), frightened (scared), effective (effective), handsome (cute), interesting (interesting), surprised (surprised).
How to compare these adjectives?
1. A simple form of the comparative degree of adjectives formed by adding the ending -er.
adjective + -er
For example:
Your hair is long er than mine.
Your hair is longer than mine.
Her car is cheap er than his.
Her car is cheaper than his.
2. Complex form of the comparative degree adjectives is formed using the words more (more) or less (less), which are placed before the adjective.
more/less + adjective
For example:
Explain your ideas more clearly.
Explain your idea more clearly.
This book is more interesting than that.
This book is more interesting than that one.
Using the prepositions like and as for comparison in English
To say that someone is like someone or does something in a similar way, in English you need to use the words like and as.
USING LIKE
We use like when comparing different people or things. That is, despite their similarity, they will be different people/objects.
For example:
You look like a cover star (meaning you look alike, but you're not her. We're talking about two different people).
We use the word like when we say that:
1. One person/object is similar to another person/object
Your daughter is just like you.
2. One person/thing does something in the same way as another person/thing
She tries to dance like a TV dancer.
For example:
You sound like my wife.
You sound like my wife.
The fruit taste like strawberry.
This fruit tastes like a strawberry.
What to put after like?
Like is usually followed by:
- Person or object (answers the question “who? / what?”)
For example:
I think it tastes like coconut.
I think it tastes like coconut.
She dresses like that model.
She dresses like that model.
- Words that replace a person or object (for example, instead of a friend - he). In English, these are
me - I
you - you
us - we
them - they
him - he
her - she
it - it
For example:
You are like him.
You are just like him.
She plays like us.
She plays like us.
USING AS
We use the word as when we are talking about the same person or thing. We say that one object or person has a role or is needed for some purpose.
For example:
He worked as a cashier last summer (he was a cashier, so it's the same person).
In doing so, we can say that:
1. He functions as someone
This summer she worked as a waiter.
2. Used as something
He used the stone as a hammer.
They chose Peter as a captain.
We chose Peter as captain (literally: We chose Peter as captain).
He works as a doctor.
He works as a doctor (literally: He works like a doctor).
Using the comparative construction as as in English
Design as ... as translated into Russian "the same...as, the same...as". We use it when we say that two things/persons are similar in some way.
This construction is used in comparison and can show:
1. That someone/something has the same qualities
For example: Her room is as big as mine.
Since we say that something, someone is the same, then most often such sentences are built using the verb to be (am, are, is, was, were, will be).
Read more about the verb to be in each tense in the following articles:
In our design, we insert that quality (big, beautiful, smart, fast) that is the same for both objects / people.
We put it between as and as: as big as(as big as) as smart as(as smart as).
The scheme of such a proposal would be as follows:
Object/person + verb to be + as + quality + as + second object/person
Examples:
She is as beautiful as her sister.
She is as beautiful as her sister.
My book was as interesting as yours.
My book was just as interesting as yours.
2. The action is performed in the same way
For example: He runs as fast as Tom
We can also say that we are doing something, just like the other person is doing it. In this case, our construction is placed after the action. The action can stand at any time.
Between as and as we put a sign of action (fast, good, right).
The scheme of such a proposal:
Actor + action + as + sign + as + second person/object
She sings as well as me.
She sings just as well as me.
They worked as hard as we.
They worked just as hard as we did.
So, we looked at 3 comparison methods that we use most often. Now let's practice.
Reinforcement task
Translate the following sentences into English. Leave your answers in the comments below the article.
1. These shoes are more expensive than those.
2. She dresses like a boy.
3. He works as an actor.
4. My task is easier than yours.
5. She is as beautiful as her sister.
Expressing various degrees of quality inherent in the subject, the name of which is determined by this adjective or adverb. These degrees are positive(positive degree) comparative(Comparative Degree), excellent(Superlative degree).
Positive degree (interesting - interesting) adjectives is called their basic form, not expressing the degree of comparison.
comparative(more interesting - more interesting)(comparative) adjectives. The comparative degree allows you to compare things.
If the adjective consists of the 1st syllable, the ending -er is added: nice -nicer; big - bigger. If there are two syllables and the ending of the verb in the main form -y, the ending changes to -ier: heavy - heavy; early - earlier. If the adjective is long (consists of 2/3/4 syllables), the word more is used - more: expensive - more expensive.
Superlatives (the most interesting - the most interesting)(superlative) adjectives. The superlative degree of adjectives in English is necessary to indicate the quality to which the word "most" can be added.
Don't forget to add the article the! If the adjective consists of the 1st syllable, the ending the …-est is added: nice - the nicest; big - the biggest. If there are two syllables and the ending of the verb in the main form -y, the ending changes to the ... -iest: heavy - the heaviest; early - the earliest. If the adjective is long (consists of 2/3/4 syllables), the word most is used - the most (most): expensive - the most expensive.
| positive degree | comparative | Superlatives |
|---|---|---|
| cold - cold | cold er | the cold est |
| hot - hot | hot ter | the hott est |
| sunny - sunny | sunn ier | the sunn iest |
| dangerous - dangerous | more dangerous | the most dangerous |
| Exceptions: | ||
| good/well - good | better - better | (the) best - the best, the best |
| bad / badly - bad / ill - sick, unhealthy (about a person) | worse - worse / in the worst state of health (about a person) | (the) worst - the worst, worst / in the most difficult condition (about a person) |
| little - little, little | less - less | (the) least - the least, the smallest, the smallest |
| many, much - a lot | more - more | (the) most - most of all. largest (in number, size, degree) |
| far - distant, distant | farther ["fɑːðə], further ["fɜːðə] - further: further news = any more news | (the) farthest, furthest - the farthest |
| old - old | older (about age) / elder (about seniority) - older: elder brother - older brother | (the) oldest/eldest - the oldest |
| late - late | later - later | (the) last |
Use after superlative adjectives in with cities, buildings, etc. exceptions: of my life, of the year. For example, It "s one of the oldest castles in Britain. - It is one of the oldest castles in Great Britain. It was one of the worst experiences of my life. - It was one of worst experiences in my life.
