COMPARISON

REPEATED COMPARATIVES AND DOUBLE COMPARATIVES

Repeated comparatives describe things that are increasing or decreasing.

The birth-rate is getting lower and lower.

Fewer and fewer children are leaving school.
It’s becoming more and more difficult.
By the end of the century, couples were waiting longer and longer to marry.

FILL THE GAPS ACCORDING TO THE EXAMPLES ABOVE:

1. He gets _______________________ (boring). I can’t listen to him any longer.

2. I didn’t like this book at first, but it’s getting ________________________________(interesting)
3. My daughter’s English results are getting __________________________________(bad)
4. The boss will be angry with you. You arrive _________________________ (late) at work.
5. In spring the weather gets _______________________________________ (warm)
6. It’s time you tidied your room. It’s getting _____________________________ (messy)
7. Food is getting _______________________________ (expensive)
8. I think TV programs are getting ________________________________ (violent)
9. I find it _____________________________________________ (difficult) to see him.
10. She’s getting over her operation. She feels ________________________ (good)

Double comparatives describe a cause-and-effect process.

The more education women get, the later they marry.

The better the quality of health care (is), the higher the life expectancy (is).

What happens when you sunbathe?

The longer you are in the sun, the more tanned you get
The more sensitive your skin is, the more dangerous it is.
The earlier in the morning you sunbathe, the less dangerous it is for your skin.

1.- What happens when you practise sport?

5.- What happens if you drink too much?

2.- What happens when you eat too much?

6.- What happens if you can’t sleep?

3.- What happens when you have exams?

7.- What happens if you’ve got a lot of work?

4.- What happens if you are waiting for

somebody? 8.- What happens if it rains?
 Double Comparatives 1

Choose one of the following adjectives and put it into the correct form before placing it in a space in
the sentences.

better less
loud happy
hot merry
probable late
small safe
better fast
more cheap
rich more
big hard

1. The __________ you study for these exams, the __________ you will do.

2. She doesn't really like vodka, so the __________ a bottle you find, the __________ it will be for
us.

3. My neighbour is driving me mad! It seems that the __________ it is at night, the __________ he
plays his music!

4. He spent a year in India and loves spicy food. The __________ the food is, the __________ he
likes it.

5. Of course you can come to the party. The __________ the __________.

6. She will be really angry about that vase being broken! The __________ she knows about it, the
___________.

7. He has 6 large dogs to protect his house. The __________ the dog, the __________ he feels.

8. Earning money has always been the thing that pleases him most. The _________ he becomes, the
________ he is.

9. You must drive slower in built up areas. The __________ you drive in the city, the __________ it is
that you will have an accident.

DOUBLE COMPARATIVE 2

As I get older, I become more irritable I usually eat very little and I get
fat
THE OLDER I get, THE MORE IRRITABLE I become THE LESS I eat, THE FATTER
I get

1.- If a child is well brought up, he will 4.- If you study hard, you’ll find exam quite
behave well easy

2.- If you always drive so fast, you’re likely to 5.- I waited for him for a long time and I was
have getting
an accident worried

3.- If you work so little, you’ll have low marks 6.- I practised a lot of sport and I became fit
in your
exams 7.- I explained it to him a lot of times and he
couldn’t
understand at all
 14.- If you are careful when driving, you’ll
8.- How cold! I put on a lot of clothes and I’m have few
still accidents
cold
15.- He earns a lot of money, but his wife is
9.- I’ve known him for a long time, but I still always
don’t like complaining
him
10.- If the students are clever, they’re easy to 16.- If you do a lot of exercises, you’ll learn
teach the
subject well
11.- It’s better if you come back soon
17.- I listened to his story for a long time and
12.- It’ll be worse if you pay him a lot of I was
attention more and more surprised

13.- If you work in a pleasant atmosphere, 18.- If you live far from your school, you’ll
you won’t have to get
be stressed up early

DOUBLE COMPARATIVE 3

I feel better and better when the weather is warm

The warmer the weather, the better I feel

1. I like it more when things are dangerous.

2. As Mark is getting old, he looks more and more like his grandfather.

3. When I met him I didn’t like him at all but I do, now that I know him

better.

4. She had to wait for a long time and she got very impatient.

5. If a chicken is old, it’s rather tough.

6. When a student is careful, he makes very few mistakes.

7. A diamond is very expensive if it’s perfect.

8. When the plums are ripen, they are very sweet.

9. If you drink a lot of coffee, you’ll get more and more nervous.

10. When people eat very quickly, there is a high chance of indigestion.

11. Houses close to the centre are very expensive.

 12. When people are young, they learn very quickly.

13. If we leave early, the roads will be clear.

14. A big supermarket usually has a very wide choice.

15. when the weather is hot the beaches get crowded.

16. I’m trying to work this out, but I’m more and more confused.

REVIEW ON ALL COMPARATIVES AND SUPERLATIVES

1.- Oil and water don’t mix very easily because water isn’t ..............
……………................ oil.
(thick)

2.- Everyone enjoys listening to him. He tells ............………..................... stories

you’ve ever
heard. (amusing)

3.- Health is a question of diet. ......................…............ food you

eat, .................…...........
you are. (good/healthy)

4.- Nobody wants to go out with him. He’s ...............……............................

person I’ve ever
known. (boring)

5.- You should talk to him .................…............ possible. ..................

……............ you wait,
.................................... (soon/long/bad)

6.- The exam turned out to be ....................…………………………................ we had

thought.
(easy)

7.- He’s an experienced climber. He’s climbed some of ............

……….....................mountains
in the world. (high)

8.- I don’t know what he does. ..............…................ he gets, ..............

……….....................
he looks. (old/young)

9.- If you do ...........................………...... exercise, you’ll get ....

………………..........................
(much/fit)
10.- A - I won’t invite ........…….................... people, otherwise there won’t be
enough room
in the dining-room. (many)
B - Yes, but you must take into account that ..............................……….......
people you
invite, ...................…………….............. presents you will get.
(many/many)

11.- You haven’t done this exam ...........………...................... you usually do. I
think you must
study ................................………......... next time.
(well/hard)

12.- He never stops. He’s ............................………............ person in the office.

(hard-working)

13.- Minor roads have ..........................………........ traffic but they are ..........
…...................
and ..................................………........... motorways.
(little/slow/dangerous)

14.- ................................ I think about the problem, ...................

………................ it seems
to me to solve. (much/difficult)

15.- Excuse me, can you tell me where ..........……………..................... post office
is?
(near)

16.- His new car is ............……................ and ..............……............... his old

one. Obviously,
it is .......................……………...... . It is ...................……….............. model
in the market.
(large/fast/expensive/new)