Questions tagged [comparative]
For questions about the construction in sentences where two or more things are compared with each other, e.g. "I am taller than you".
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drive slowly or drive more slowly?
Would it be wrong or unnatural/awkward if I asked somebody to "Drive slowly! You're driving too fast". Instead of "Drive more slowly! You're driving too fast"
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bigger than I have ever seen
a. That cat is bigger than I have ever seen.
b. That cat is bigger than I have ever seen it.
Is there a difference between the meanings of these sentences?
I think 'a cat bigger than I have ever seen' ...
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Comparatives and superlatives
Can I say for instance “it's totally more important,” or is that wrong and that word totally doesn't work there?
Do we only have a certain range of words which we can use when creating comparatives ...
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Far+ Adjective or Much +Adjective
Which sentence is correct.
1.Harry's watch is far more expensive than mine.
2.Harry's watch is much more expensive than mine.
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definite article 'the' before a comparative degree of adjective
This was the more remarkable because I was found unable to answer a single question in the Latin paper.
Reference: FIRST YEAR AT HARROW by Winston S. Churchill
In this sentence, the definite article '...
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How does "the + comparative adjective" work here?
I was reading chapter 5 of The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells and came across this sentence:
"This smoke was so bright that the deep blue sky overhead and the hazy stretches of brown common ...
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What to use instead of "smallest" in these contexts?
These are what I've found, so feel free to add to it.
First sentence:
It was the smallest/lowest/least significant/ value among all three categories in 1990.
The second sentence:
It reached the ...
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Usage of Superlative/Comparative for 2 Elements
I would like to know what is a better way to say "top two".
I wrote 5 sentences. Please help me understand which is grammatically correct or a better way to explain this situation.
India ...
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Could you parse "She was younger than any of us had figured on"?
an example of "to figure on something" from ldoceonline.com:
She was younger than any of us had figured on.
So, the phrase is "to figure on X".
But where is the X in this sentence?
...
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Double comparatives [duplicate]
As I know, "spend" has different structures:
Spend time V-ing/ Spend time on sth
She spends a lot of time working. She feels stressed.
If I use Double comparatives, this sentence will be :
...
user81242
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a question about "as". is it a typo of "is"?
Volunteers rated the toffee eaten during low-pitched music as more bitter than that consumed during the high-pitched rendition.
I have been known many examples of "as",but all are compared ...
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They had a better understanding of A than (they had) (an understanding) of B
a. But earlier on, American intelligence officials said they often had a better understanding of Russia's military plans than of Ukraine's. (Source: The New York Times)
Is it possible to use these ...
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more the more: get more and more energetic the more they run
Google Translation gave the following sentence:
Marathon runners get more and more energetic the more they run.
What is the grammar on "more the more" part?
I understand "The more ...
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The more denim was washed, the softer it would get. (time aspect of 'would')
The more denim was washed, the softer it would get.
The the sentence describes the past or is it a subjnctive mood which describes 'present situation'?
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correlative comparative structures with "the"
I wonder which sentence sounds more natural as well as grammatically correct?
The more you start disliking her, the more actively your memories of her will be faded from your mind.
The more you ...
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as ... as - "African-American culture as embodied in music, art, and literature flourished as never before."
(a)
African-American culture as embodied in music, art, and literature flourished as never before.
Is this sentence above an example of "as ... as"?
Or is it an example of ellipsis? What ...
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'Your English is as good as Shakespeare.' Is it a correct sentence?
Your English is as good as Shakespeare
...told me an online test that assessed my vocabulary. However, I think the structure of this comparison is wrong. It should rather be 'your English is as good ...
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No other or any other
We can say : "No other river is longer than the Nile." But can I say : "In my opinion, John Cena is more professional than any other wrestler in WWE."?
I use here "any other&...
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How to compare the same thing
I first wrote this and then realized I'm not comparing the same thing. "It" refers to "the amount of lamb consumed". That's to say, I'm comparing consumption with meats. What I ...
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Is it less funds or fewer funds?
As far as I know, countable nouns are used with 'few' and 'fewer,' whereas uncountable ones go with 'little' and 'less.' However, I encountered these examples:
Reduced saving means less funds for ...
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comparatives + "in comparison to"/"compared to"
Can we use a comparative (e.g. bigger or more difficult) with "compared to" or "in comparison to"? is There are contradictory disputes, answers, and examples on the Internet ...
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than (it) seems/appears
(1a) These boxes contain more toys than it seems possible. — as far as I know, it's correct
(1b) These boxes contain more toys than seems possible. — is it correct?
(2a) These boxes contain more toys ...
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Omission of verbs in 'the more... the more...' construction
Recently I found the following phrase in an English guide book:
In all regions except Southeast Asia it can be seen that the higher
the consumption of cigarettes, the higher the tobacco-related
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What's the comparative and superlative of shy and dry?
What's the comparative and superlative of shy and dry?
I've found you can either keep the y or change it for ier / iest.
shyer - shyest or shier- shiest
Dryer -dryest or drier - driest
Also more shy ...
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the absence of infinitives after "than"
The question is about the than-sentences which have an infinitive at the end and about why the absence of infinitive can make a sentence incorrect.
oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com:
(1) They are not ...
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"The dose is higher than the doctors thought (was) necessary" [duplicate]
Source:
(1a) The dose is higher than is necessary.
(1b) The dose is higher than necessary. - without "is"
(2a) The dose is higher than the doctors thought was necessary.
(2b) The dose is ...
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"I read <more> books <more> than magazines." — parsing
(1a) I read books more than magazines. — correct
"More" in (1a) modifies "read".
(1b) I read books more than I do/did magazines. — correct
Since (1b) exists, then "than" ...
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"He is more than a friend is"
(1a) He is taller than his friend. — correct
(1b) He is taller than his friend is. — as I know, (1b) is also correct, although less common than (1a)
(2a) He is more than a friend. — correct
(2b) He is ...
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This fact makes the Korean language much simpler than English is
My sentences:
(1a) Bob read more books than Fred. — We compare two nouns: "Bob" and "Fred".
(1b) Bob read more books than Fred did. — We compare two phrases: "Bob read" ...
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They praise her more than do him [closed]
(1) They praise her more than him. — correct but ambiguous because can mean both (2) and (3)
(2) They praise her more than he praises her. — correct
(2a) They praise her more than he does. — correct
I ...
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"If extraversion is so much more beneficial ... than is introversion" - why not "than introversion is"?
I came across this sentence from a psychology article
If extraversion is so much more beneficial (at least superficially) than is introversion, then why isn't everyone an extravert?
If I were the ...
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It's better / it's best
Should a comparative or a superlative be used in this sentence? Why?
In my experience, it's better / it's best to have only one best friend who is reliable.
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Question on comparative
This is one of the etymologies of 'whale' in Moby Dick:
Whale It is more immediately from the Dut. and Ger. Wallen; a.s. Walw-ian, to roll, to wallow.
What does 'immediately' mean here, and why is ...
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What does 'did' refer to?
What is your favorite color? Do you often wear fashion items in that color? As for me, my favorite color is green, but I felt it did not go well with my skin tone, so I used to avoid wearing it. One ...
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He wrote more novels than she (wrote) songs
He wrote 5 novels, and she wrote 4 songs.
I think you can say:
a. He wrote more novels than she wrote songs.
b. He wrote more novels than she did songs.
Since the verb is repeated, can you omit it?
...
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(All the/None the/Any the/Much the) + comparatives
This topic is taken from Advanced Oxford Grammar by M. Swan. I'm just struggling as to how to use them and literally translate them into my native language sense. Some online dictionaries label them ...
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How to say that something is really important in general, but not as important as other things?
Although learning a foreign language is really important, it plays a
subordinate role in children's life compared with other components of education such as
social skills, intellect and craftsmanship.
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Comparison between quantities of several things
For academic writing, which of these three comparative styles is preferred, or more correct?
The mantle velocity of the China Craton is around 8 Km/s, similar to the typical cratons.
The mantle ...
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How to rephrase a long comprative sentence
I am trying to state a comparative argument in a long sentence for an academic paper. I don't want to split it. Is there any way for shortening it? Is it always necessary to use "those of the&...
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"They are more convenient and reliable." vs "They are more convenient, and reliable."
They are more convenient and reliable.
They are more convenient, and reliable. <--- [I'm not sure that this sentence is natural.]
Am I right that in the first sentence the adjective is "more ...
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"No, more than that." --> "No, more expensive.", "More expensive.", "No, more.", "More."?
How much did your shoes cost? ₤60? - No, more than that.
Is it natural to say instead of "No, more than that.":
"No, more expensive.",
"More expensive.",
"No, more.&...
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"much more than" vs "more often than"
You go out much more than I do.
You go out more often than I do.
Do these sentences have the same meaning? If I translate them into my native language, it seems they have the same meaning.
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Usage of "comparative + Than" as an adverb
In a formal writing, can the sentence:
I became more interested in mathematics than physics.
be rephrased as:
I became interested in mathematics more than physics.
Do they both have the same ...
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have a hat like John
Could a be used to mean b?
a. Sam has a hat like John.
b. Sam has a hat like John's.
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The word order of a comparative phrase seems strange
I have seen the following paragraph in some article:
One can imagine a computer simulation of the action of peptides in the hypothalamus that is accurate down to the last synapse. But equally one can ...
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Inflections of the adverb 'well' (some senses are invariable)
Inflections of the adverb 'well' (Some senses are invariable)
Better adv comparative ; best adv superlative
https://www.wordreference.com/definition/well
What does the dict. refer to by "Some ...
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Lesser is to less, as ___ is to more? What's the equivalent of "morer"?
I'm resurrecting this comment.
What Syntactic Categories or terms distinguish "less" and "lesser"? "Comparative form" isn't the answer, because Less, lesser, and littler ...
user8712
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'' Think'' and '' Find'' in a comparative sentence
I know that the structure '' Find something/ someone + Adj'' can be rewritten using '' Think someone/ something + to be + Adj''.
I find this book interesting= I think this book is interesting.
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Cheap products are often inferior/ more inferior
Cheap products are often_______
Options: A.more inferior/ B.much inferior / C.inferior / D.very inferior
The given answer is inferior
Is inferior already in comparative degree? So that "more&...
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What is the comparative of the adjective "manual"?
I am wondering what is the comparative of "manual", the adjective that expresses doing something involving or using human effort.
Is it correct to say: "If you want want to achieve that ...
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