Patterns of comparison

1. Comparison of equality,

…as + positive degree + as …

e.g. The weather today is as cold as it was yesterday.

2. Comparison of inequality

…not as + positive degree + as… = …not so + positive degree + as…

e.g. The weather today is not as cold as it was yesterday. =

= The weather today is not so cold as it was yesterday.

3. Comparison of superiority

…comparative degree + than …

e.g. London is bigger than Manchester.

There is less sugar in this glass than in that one.

…superlative degree + of …

e.g. London is the biggest city of Great Britain.

“Gone with the Wind” is the best book of American literature I’ve ever read.

4. Comparison of inferiority,

…less + positive degree + than …

e.g. In my opinion the books of this young author are less interesting than those of his father’s.

The film I saw yesterday was less sad than the one we saw last week.

5. Comparison of parallel increase or decrease

… the + comparative degree … the + comparative degree …

e.g. The sooner, the better. = Чем скорее, тем лучше.

The more you know about this matter, the better. = Чем больше ты знаешь об этом деле, тем лучше.

The earlier we set off, the sooner we'll arrive. = Чем раньше мы отправимся, тем скорее мы доберемся.

Note: If sentences with comparison of parallel increase or decrease refer to future, the main clause is used in the future tense while the subordinate clause is used in the present tense,

e.g. The more words you learn now, the easier it will be for you to read English books in the original next year.

The less information he has about the exam procedure, the more difficult it will be for him to pass it.

**TASK 80. Make up sentences with comparison of parallel increase or decrease. Follow the example.

Example. The children got noisy. The teacher became angry. = The noisier the children got, the angrier the teacher became.

1. We worked hard. We earned lots of money.

2. I pushed the swing high. The little boy laughed loudly.

3. If you eat lots of chocolate, you'll get fat.

4. If a car is new, it is valuable.

5. It grew dark. I became scared.

6. The days became longer. The nights got shorter.

7. A few days were left before the exam. Dave got excited.

8. Jane practised a lot. Her skating improved.

9. I had to queue in the bank for a long time. I was getting impatient.

10. The child cried very much. The mother became angry.

11. The road became dangerous. We drove slowly.

12. My rent became high. I had little money on food.

13. The plane rose high. It became difficult to breathe.

**TASK 81. Fill in the blanks using the right form of the adjective.

1. The noise got ____________ and ____________ (loud) until I couldn't bear it any ____________ (long).

2. ____________ (hard) he works, the____________ (successful) he becomes.

3. It rained ____________ and ____________ (hard) until the river burst its banks.

4. ___________ (cold) it got, ____________ (many) things they had to put on to keep warm.

5. _________ (fast) Jake ran, __________ (many) races he won.

6. ____________ (high) the champion jumped, ____________ (loud) the crowd cheered.

7. Cars are getting ____________ (cheap) as the years go by.

8. ____________ (young) you are, ____________ (easy) you find it to learn things.

9. ____________ (many) people are opening their own businesses these days.

10. ____________ (old) the boy gets, ____________ (tall) he grows.

*TASK 82. Some patterns of comparison are used in similes. Practise reading the following similes with the correct stress.

Note: a simile is a literary device used for imaginative comparison.

As white as snow as blue as the sky as cool as a cucumber

As bright as fire as hot as the sun as blind as a bat

As cold as ice as pale as the moon as busy as a bee

As strong as steel as brave as a lion as dead as a doornail

As light as air as true as a dog as light as a feather

As thin as paper as quick as a cat as nutty as a fruitcake

As sweet as music as free as a bird as white as a ghost

As black as soot as pretty as a kitten as old as the hills

As green as grass as clumsy as a puppy as good as any

*TASK 83. Read the rhyme written by Ogden Nash. Find a simile to finish the last line.

As wet as a fish - as dry as a bone;

As live as a bird - as dead as a stone:

As plump as a partridge - as crafty as a rat;

As strong as a horse - as weak as a cat;

As hard as a flint - as soft as a mole;

As white as a lily - as black as a coal;

As plain as a pike - as rough as a bear:

As tight as a drum - as free as the air;

As heavy as lead - as light as a feather;

As steady as time - uncertain as weather;

As hot as an oven - as cold as a frog;

As gay as a lark - as sick as a dog;

As savage as a tiger - as mild as a dove

As stiff as a poker - as limp as a glove;

As blind as a bat - as deaf as a post:

As cool as a cucumber - as warm as a toast;

As flat as a flounder - as round as a ball;

As blunt as a hammer - as sharp as an owl;

As brittle as glass - as tough as gristle;

As neat as a pin - as clean as a whistle;

As red as a rose - as square as a box

_____________________________

*TASK 84. Read another poem with similes with the right stresses.