Section 2. Grammar workout

Missing or incomplete comparisons

Many sentences contain comparisons, some of these involve the comparative forms of adjectives.

Examples:

Sea bass__________ freshwater bass.

(A) are larger than (correct)

(B) are larger the

(D) are larger

On the average, the Pacific Ocean is deeper than the Atlantic.

Rhonda is a more experienced performer than Theresa.

This show is less interesting than the one we watched last night.

Be sure that the sentence compares similar things or concepts.

The ears of African elephants are bigger than Indian elephants. (INCORRECT) The ears of African elephants are bigger than those of Indian elephants. (CORRECT)

The first sentence above is incorrect because it compares two dissimilar things: an African elephant's ears and an Indian elephant. In the second, the word those refers to ears, so the comparison is between similar things.

Another type of comparison involves the phrase as...as; not so…as.

Examples:

The lab lasted as long as the class did.

There weren't as many people at the meeting as I had thought there would be.

Wild strawberries are ___________as cultivated strawberries.

(A) not so sweet (correct)

(B) not as sweet

(D) not as sweeter

The words like/alike and unlike/not alike can also be used to express comparison:

Like A, B, …; A, like B, …; A is like B; A and В are alike.

Unlike X, Y, …; X, unlike Y…;. X is unlike Y; X and Y are not alike

Other phrases can be used in making comparisons:

A is the same as В; A and В are the same; A is similar to В.

X is different from Y; X and Y are different; X differs from Y.

A special kind of comparison is called a proportional statement. A proportional statement follows this pattern: The more A.., the more B.

Example:

The higher the humidity, the more uncomfortable people feel.

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