* Her illness was far more serious than we thought at first. (or ... much more serious... or ... a lot more serious ... )
B. You can use any and no + comparatives (any longer/no bigger etc.):
* I've waited long enough. I'm not waiting any longer. (= not even a little longer)
* We expected their house to be very big but it's no bigger than ours. (or it isn't any bigger than ours.)
* Yesterday you said you felt ill. Do you feel any better today?
* This hotel is better than the other one and it's no more expensive.
C. Harder and harder/more and more/more and more difficult etc.
We repeat comparatives like this (... and ...) to say that something is changing continuously:
* It's becoming harder and harder to find a job.
* It's becoming more and more difficult to find a job.
* Your English is improving. It's getting better and better.
* These days more and more people are learning English.
D. The ... the better
Study these examples:
* 'What time shall we leave?' 'The sooner the better.' (= as soon as possible)
* 'What sort of box do you want? A big one?' 'Yes, the bigger the better.' (= as big as possible)
* When you're travelling, the less luggage you have to carry the better. (= it is best to have as little luggage as possible)
We also use the ... the ... (with two comparatives) to say that one thing depends on another thing:
* The warmer the weather, the better I feel. (= if the weather is warmer, I feel better)
* The sooner we leave, the sooner we will arrive.
* The younger you are, the easier it is to learn.
* The more expensive the hotel, the better the service.
* The more electricity you use, the higher your bill will be.
* The more I thought about the plan, the less I liked it.
E. Older and elder
The comparative of old is older:
* Tom looks older than he really is.
You can use elder (or older) when you talk about people in a family. You can say (my) elder brother/sister/son/daughter:
* My elder brother is a pilot. (or My older brother ...)
We say 'my elder brother' but we do not say that 'somebody is elder ...':
* My brother is older than me. (not 'elder than me')
For eldest, see Unit 107D.
EXERCISES
105.1 Use the words in brackets to complete the sentences. Use much/a bit etc. + a comparative form. Use than where necessary.
1. Her illness was _much more serious than_ we thought at first. (much/serious)
2. This bag is too small. I need something ---. (much/big)
3. I'm afraid the problem is --- it seems. (much/complicated)
4. You looked depressed this morning but you look ---now. (a bit/happy)
5. I enjoyed our visit to the museum. It was --- I expected. (far/Interesting)
6. You're driving too fast. Could you drive ---? ( a bit/slowly)
7. It's --- to learn a foreign language in the country where it is spoken. (a lot/easy)
8. I thought she was younger than me but in fact she's --- (slightly/old)
105.2 Complete the sentences using any/no + a comparative. Use than where necessary.
1. I'm fed up with waiting. I'm not waiting _any longer._
2. I'm sorry I'm a bit late but I couldn't get here ---.
3. This shop isn't expensive. The prices are --- anywhere else.
4. I must stop for a rest. I can't walk ---.
5. The traffic isn't particularly bad today. It's --- usual.
105.3 Complete the sentences using the structure in Section C (... and ...)
1. It's becoming _harder and harder_ to find a job. (hard)
2. That hole in your pullover is getting ---. (big)
3. My bags seemed to get --- as I carried them. (heavy)
4. As I waited for my interview, I became ---. (nervous)
5. As the day went on, the weather got ---. (bad)
6. Travelling is becoming ---. (expensive)
7. Since she has been in Britain, her English has got ---. (good)
8. As the conversation went on, he became ---. (talkative)
105.4 These sentences are like those in Section D. Use the word(s) in brackets (in the correct form) to complete the sentences.
1. I like warm weather. The warmer the weather, _the better I feel._ (feel)
2. I didn't really like him when we first met.
But the more I got to know him, ---. (like)
3 If you're in business, you want to make a profit.
The more goods you sell, ---. (profit)
4 It's hard to concentrate when you're tired.
The more tired you are, ---. (hard)
5. She had to wait a very long time.
The longer she waited, ---. (impatient/become)
105.5 Which is correct, older or elder? Or both of them?
1. My _older/elder_ brother is a pilot. (older and elder are both correct)
2. I'm surprised Diane is only 25. I thought she was _older/elder._
3. Ann's younger sister is still at school. Her _older/elder_ sister is a nurse.
4 Martin is _older/elder_ than his brother.
UNIT 106 Comparison (3)--as ... as/than
A. Study this example situation:
Shirley, Henry and Arthur are all millionaires. They are all very rich.
Shirley has 10 million pounds, Henry has 8 million pounds and Arthur has 2 million pounds. So:
Henry is rich.
He is richer than Arthur.
But he isn't as rich as Shirley. (= Shirley is richer than he is)
Some more examples of not as ... (as):
* Tom isn't as old as he looks. (= he looks older than he is)
* The city centre wasn't as crowded this morning as it usually is. (= it is usually more crowded)
* jenny didn't do as well in the exam as she had hoped. (= she had hoped to do better)
* 'The weather is better today, isn't it?' 'Yes, it's not as cold.' (= yesterday was colder)
* I don't know as many people as you do. (= you know more people)
You can also say 'not so. (as)':
* It's not warm but it isn't so cold as yesterday. (= ... it isn't as cold as ...)
Less ... (than) is similar to not as ... (as):
* I spent less money than you. (= I didn't spend as much money ...)
* The city centre was less crowded than usual. (= it wasn't as crowded ...)
B. You can use as ... as (but not 'so ... as') in positive sentences and in questions:
* I'm sorry I'm late. I got here as fast as I could.
* There's plenty of food. You can have as much as you like.
* Let's walk. It's just as quick as taking the bus.
* Can you send me the money as soon as possible, please?
Also: twice as ... as, three times as ... as etc.:
* Petrol is twice as expensive as it was a few years ago.
* Their house is about three times as big as ours.
C. We say the same as (not 'the same like'):
* Ann's salary is the same as mine. or Ann gets the same salary as me.
* Tom is the same age as George.
* 'What would you like to drink?' 'I'll have the same as you.'
D. Than me/than I am etc.
We usually say:
* You are taller than me. (not 'than I')
* He is not as clever as her. (not 'as she')
After than/as it is more usual to say me/him/her/them/us when there is no verb. Compare:
* You are taller than I am. but You are taller than me.
* They have more money than we have. but They have more money than us.
* I can't run as fast as he can. but I can't run as fast as him.
EXERCISES
106.1 Complete the sentences using as ... as.
1. I'm quite tall but you are taller. I'm not _as tell as you._
2. My salary is high but yours is higher. My salary isn't ---.
3. You know a bit about cars but I know more. You don't ---.
4. It's still cold but it was colder yesterday. It isn't ---.
5. I still feel a bit tired but I felt a lot more tired yesterday.
I don't ---.
6. They've lived here for quite a long time but we've lived here longer.
They haven't ---.
7. I was a bit nervous before the interview but usually I'm a lot more nervous.
I wasn't ---.
106.2 Rewrite these sentences so that they have the same meaning.
1. Jack is younger than he looks. Jack isn't _as old as he looks._
2. 1 didn't spend as much money as you. You _spent more money than me._
3. The station was nearer than I thought. The station wasn't ---.
4. The meal didn't cost as much as I expected. The meal ---.
5. I go out less than I used to. I don't ---.
6. Her hair isn't as long as it used to be. She used to ---.
7. 1 know them better than you do. You don't ---.
8. There were fewer people at this meeting than at the last one.
There weren't ---.
106.3 Complete the sentences using as ... as. Choose one of the following:
bad, comfortable, fast, long, often, quietly, soon, well, well-qualified,
1. I'm sorry I'm a bit late. I got here _as fast as_ I could.
2. It was a difficult question. I answered it --- I could.
3. 'How long can I stay with you?' 'You can stay --- you like.'
4. I need the information quickly, so please let me know --- possible.
5. I like to keep fit, so I go swimming --- I can.
6. I didn't want to wake anybody, so I came in --- I could.
In the following sentences use just as ... as.
7. I'm going to sleep on the floor. It's --- sleeping in that hard bed.
8. Why did he get the job rather than me? I'm --- him.
9. At first I thought you were nice but really you're --- everybody else.
106.4 Write sentences using the same as.
1. Sally and Kate are both 22 years old. _Sally is the same age as Kate._
2. You and I both have dark brown hair. Your hair ---.
3. I arrived at 10.25 and so did you. I ---.
4. My birthday is 5 April. Tom's birthday is 5 April too. My ---.
106.5 Complete the sentences with than... or as...
1. I can't reach as high as you. You are taller _than me._
2. He doesn't know much. I know more ---.
3. I don't work particularly hard. Most people work as hard ---.
4. We were very surprised. Nobody was more surprised ---.
5. She's not a very good player. I'm a better player ---.
6. They've been very lucky. I wish we were as lucky ---.
UNIT 107 Superlatives--the longest/the most enjoyable etc.
A. Study these examples:
What is the longest river in the world?
What was the most enjoyable holiday you've ever had?
Longest and most enjoyable are superlative forms.
B. The superlative form is ~est or most ... In general, we use ~est for short words and most ... for longer words. (The rules are the same as those for the comparative - see Unit 104.)
long -> longest, hot -> hottest, easy -> easiest, hard -> hardest
but most famous, most boring most difficult, most expensive
These adjectives are irregular:
good -> best, bad -> worst, far -> furthest
For spelling, see Appendix 6.
C. We normally use the before a superlative (the longest/the most famous etc.):
* Yesterday was the hottest day of the year.
* That film was really boring. It was the most boring film I've ever seen.
* She is a really nice person - one of the nicest people I know.
* Why does he always come to see me at the worst possible moment? Compare:
* This hotel is the cheapest in town. (superlative)
* This hotel is cheaper than all the others in town. (comparative)
D. Oldest and eldest
The superlative of old is oldest:
* That church is the oldest building in the town. (not 'the eldest')
We use eldest (or oldest) when we are talking about people in a family:
* My eldest son is 13 years old. (or My oldest son . )
* Are you the eldest in your family? (or . the oldest.
E. After superlatives we use in with places (towns, buildings etc.):
* What is the longest river in the world? (not 'of the world')
* We had a lovely room. It was one of the nicest in the hotel. (not 'of the hotel')
We also use in for organisations and groups of people (a class/team/company etc.):
* Who is the best student in the class? (not 'of the class')
We normally use of for a period of time:
* What was the happiest day of your life?
* Yesterday was the hottest day of the year.
F. We often use the present perfect (I have done) after a superlative (see also Unit 8A):
* What's the best film you've ever seen?
* That was the most delicious meal I've had for a long time.
G. Sometimes we use most + adjective to mean 'very':
* The book you lent me was most interesting. (= very interesting)
* Thank you for the money. It was most generous of you. (= very generous)
EXERCISES
107.1 Complete the sentences. Use a superlative (~est or most ... ) + a preposition.
1 It's a very nice room. It _is the nicest room in_ the hotel.
2. It's a very cheap restaurant. It's --- the town.
3. It was a very happy day. It was --- my life.
4. She's a very intelligent student. She --- the class.
5. It's a very valuable painting. It --- the gallery.
6. Spring is a very busy time for me. It --- the year.
In the following sentences use one of + a superlative + a preposition.
7 It's a very nice room. It _is one of the nicest rooms in_ the hotel.
8. He's a very rich man. He's one --- the world.
9. It's a very old castle. It --- Britain.
10. She's a very good player. She --- the team.
11. It was a very bad experience. It --- my life.
12. He's a very dangerous criminal. He --- the country.
107.2 Complete the sentences. Use a superlative (~est or most ...) or a comparative (~er or more ...).
1. We stayed at _the cheapest_ hotel in the town. (cheap)
2. Our hotel was _cheaper_ than all the others in the town. (cheap)
3. The United States is very large but Canada is ---. (large)
4. What's --- river in the world? (long)
5. He was a bit depressed yesterday but he looks --- today. (happy)
6. It was an awful day. It was --- day of my life. (bad)
7. What is --- sport in your country? (popular)
8. Everest is --- mountain in the world. It is than any other mountain. (high)
9. We had a great holiday. It was one of the --- holidays we've ever had. (enjoyable)
10. I prefer this chair to the other one. It's ---. (comfortable)
11. What's --- way of getting from here to the station? (quick)
12. Mr and Mrs Brown have got three daughters --- is 14 years old. (old)
107.3 What do you say in these situations? Use a superlative + ... ever ... Use the words given in brackets (in the correct form).
1. You've just been to the cinema. The film was extremely boring. You tell your friend: (boring/film/see) _That's the most boring film I've ever seen._
2. Your friend has just told you a joke, which you think is very funny. You say: (funny/joke/hear) That's ---.
3. You're drinking coffee with a friend. It's really good coffee. You say: (good/coffee/taste) This ---.
4. You are talking to a friend about Mary. Mary is very patient. You tell your friend about her: (patient/person/meet) She ---.
5. You have just run ten kilometres. You've never run further than this. You say to your friend: (far/run) That ---.
6. You decided to give up your job. Now you think this was a bad mistake. You say to your friend: (bad/mistake/make) It ---.
7. Your friend meets a lot of people, some of them famous. You ask your friend: (famous/person/meet?) Who ---?
UNIT 108 Word order (1)--verb + object; place and time
A. Verb + object
The verb and the object of the verb normally go together. We do not usually put other words between them:
I like children very much. (not 'l like very much children')
Did you see your friends yesterday?
Ann often plays tennis
Study these -examples. Notice how the verb and the object go together each time:
* Do you clean the house every weekend? (not 'Do you clean every weekend the house?')
* Everybody enjoyed the party very much. (not 'Everybody enjoyed very much the party')
* Our guide spoke English fluently. (not '...spoke fluently English')
* I not only lost all my money - I also lost my passport. (not 'I lost also my passport')
* At the end of the street you'll see a supermarket on your left. (not '...see on your left a supermarket')
B. Place and time
Usually the verb and the place (where?) go together:
go home, live in a city, walk to work etc.
If the verb has an object, the place comes after the verb + object: