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Advanced Comparisons

Advanced Comparisons

Reference

Rule Example
change togetherthe + comparative, the + comparativethe more, the better
continuous changemore and more · -er and -er · increasinglycolder and colder
exact differencetwice / half / three times as … astwice as big as
much lessnowhere near / nothing like as … asnowhere near as good
clearly the topby far + the + superlativeby far the best

Common mistakes

  1. The more you practise, more you improve. → The more you practise, the more you improve.
    the … the …
  2. It's twice bigger than mine. → It's twice as big as mine.
    twice as … as
  3. The film was nowhere near good as the book. → The film was nowhere near as good as the book.
    nowhere near as … as
  4. She's the best by far player. → She's by far the best player.
    by far + the + superlative

Advanced Comparisons — Exercises

Choose the correct form

Circle the correct answer.

  1. The harder you work, _____ you'll do. (the better / better / the best)
  2. The days are getting _____ . (shorter and shorter / more and more short / the shorter)
  3. This flat is _____ as the old one. (twice as big / twice bigger / two times bigger as)
  4. The sequel was _____ as the first film. (nowhere near as good / nowhere near good / nowhere as good near)
  5. She is _____ the fastest runner in the club. (by far / far by / very)
  6. Please reply _____ . (as soon as possible / as soon possible / soon as possible)
  7. Cycling is becoming _____ popular in cities. (increasingly / more increasingly / increasing)
  8. A taxi costs three times _____ as the bus. (as much / more / as many)

Rewrite the sentence

Complete the second sentence so it means the same. Use the word in capitals.

  1. If you leave early, it's better. (THE) →   you leave, the better.
  2. The book was much better than the film. (NOWHERE) → The film was   good as the book.
  3. Our garden is half the size of theirs. (TWICE) → Their garden is   ours.
  4. Nobody in the team is nearly as good as Ana. (FAR) → Ana is   player in the team.
  5. Prices keep rising. (MORE) → Things are getting   expensive.
  6. This year is much warmer than last year. (LIKE) → Last year was   as warm as this year.

Advanced Comparisons — Answer Key

Choose the correct form

  1. the better — the … the + comparative.
  2. shorter and shorter — Continuous change, short adjective → shorter and shorter.
  3. twice as big — twice as big as.
  4. nowhere near as good — nowhere near as + adjective + as.
  5. by far — by far + the + superlative.
  6. as soon as possible — as soon as possible.
  7. increasingly — increasingly + adjective.
  8. as much — Uncountable amount → three times as much as.

Rewrite the sentence

  1. The earlier
  2. nowhere near as
  3. twice as big as
  4. by far the best
  5. more and more
  6. nothing like