NA ME: DATE:

Gra mmar Self -C hec ks

(Unit 8, page 88)

Repea ted c o mpara tive s a nd do uble co mpa rative s

Look at the stat emen ts using re pe ate d com par at ive s.

Repeate d com par at ives d escribe th in gs tha t are inc reasin g or decr easing .
The birthrate is getting l ower a nd lo wer .
Few er a nd few er children are leaving school.
It’s becoming more a nd mo re difficult.
By the end of the century, couples were waiting l on ger a nd lon ge r to marry.

FIGURE IT O UT. ..
Fill in the bla nks.
1. Which repeated comparatives in the example sentences describe things that are increasing?
____________________________________ ____________________________________

2. Which repeated comparatives in the example sentences describe things that are decreasing?

____________________________________ ____________________________________

Look at the stat emen ts using dou ble com pa rat ives .

Dou ble com pa rat ives describe a ca use-a nd -effect pr ocess.

The more education women get, th e l ater they marry.
[Women are getting more education, so they’re marrying later.]
The bett er the quality of health care (is), th e h igher the life expectancy (is).
[If the quality of health care is better, the life expectancy is higher.]

FIGURE IT O UT. ..
Choose the le tter of the best inte rpreta tio n.
1. The less children studied, the more slowly they learned.
a. Children studied less because they were slow learners.
b. Children studied less, so they learned more slowly.
Fill in the bla nk.
2. Which verb is sometimes omitted in double comparatives? ________________

BE C AR EF UL! Do n’t use con tin uous ver b forms in do uble compara tives.

FIGURE IT O UT. ..
Check the correc t state ment .
 a. The longer couples wait to have children, the fewer children they have.
 b. The longer couples are waiting to have children, the fewer children they’re having.

Summit 1 Unit 8
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