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.
Its 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 cant listen to him any longer.

2. I didnt like this book at first, but its getting ________________________________(interesting)
3. My daughters 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. Its time you tidied your room. Its getting _____________________________ (messy)
7. Food is getting _______________________________ (expensive)
8. I think TV programs are getting ________________________________ (violent)
9. I find it _____________________________________________ (difficult) to see him.
10. Shes 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 cant sleep?

3.- What happens when you have exams? 7.- What happens if youve 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 behave well 10.- If the students are clever, theyre easy to teach

2.- If you always drive so fast, youre likely to have 11.- Its better if you come back soon
an accident
12.- Itll be worse if you pay him a lot of attention
3.- If you work so little, youll have low marks in your
exams 13.- If you work in a pleasant atmosphere, you wont
be stressed
4.- If you study hard, youll find exam quite easy
14.- If you are careful when driving, youll have few
5.- I waited for him for a long time and I was getting accidents
worried
15.- He earns a lot of money, but his wife is always
6.- I practised a lot of sport and I became fit complaining

7.- I explained it to him a lot of times and he couldnt 16.- If you do a lot of exercises, youll learn the
understand at all subject well

8.- How cold! I put on a lot of clothes and Im still 17.- I listened to his story for a long time and I was
cold more and more surprised

9.- Ive known him for a long time, but I still dont like 18.- If you live far from your school, youll have to get
him 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 didnt 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, its rather tough.

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

7. A diamond is very expensive if its perfect.

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

9. If you drink a lot of coffee, youll 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. Im trying to work this out, but Im more and more confused.

REVIEW ON ALL COMPARATIVES AND SUPERLATIVES

1.- Oil and water dont mix very easily because water isnt .............................. oil.
(thick)

2.- Everyone enjoys listening to him. He tells ................................. stories youve 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. Hes ........................................... person Ive 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.- Hes an experienced climber. Hes climbed some of .................................mountains

in the world. (high)

8.- I dont know what he does. .............................. he gets, ...................................

he looks. (old/young)

9.- If you do ................................. exercise, youll get ..............................

(much/fit)

10.- A - I wont invite ............................ people, otherwise there wont 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 havent done this exam ................................. you usually do. I think you must
study ......................................... next time.
(well/hard)

12.- He never stops. Hes ........................................ 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)

PAGE 1
REPEATED COMPARATIVES
1. more and more boring
 2. more and more interesting
3. worse and worse
4. later and later
5. warmer and warmer
6. messier and messier
7. more and more expensive
8. more and more violent
9. more and more difficult
10. better and better

DOUBLE COMPARATIVES
(IDEAS)

1. the more sport you practise, the fitter you get

2. the more you eat, the fatter you get
3. the more I study, the better marks Ill get in the exam
4. the longer I wait, the more impatient I get
5. the more I drink, the less self-control I have
6. the less I sleep, the more tired I am the following day
7. the more work I have, the longer I have to work
8. the more it rains, the better crops they get

PAGE 2
DOUBLE COMPARATIVES 1
1. harder - better
2. smaller - cheaper
3. later - louder
4. hotter - more
5. more - merrier
6. less - better
7. bigger - safer
8. richer - happier
9. faster - more probable

DOUBLE COMPARATIVES 2

1. The better a child is brought up, the better he behaves

2. The faster you drive, the more likely you are to have an accident
3. The less you work, the lower marks youll have in your exam
4. The harder you study, the easier youll find exams
5. The longer I waited for him, the more worried I got
6. The more sport I practised, the fitter I got
7. The more I explained it to him, the less he understood
8. The more clothes I put on, the colder I am
9. The longer I know him, the less I like hium
10. The cleverer the students are, the easier it is to teach them
11. The sooner you come, the better
12. The more attention you pay to him, the worse
13. The more pleasant atmosphere you work in, the less stressed youll be
14. The more careful you are when driving, the fewer accidents youll have
15. The more money he earns, the more his wife complains
16. The more exercises you do, the better youll learn the subject
17. The longer I listened to his story, the more surprise I was
18. The farther from your school you live, the earlier you-ll have to get

PAGE 3

DOUBLE COMPARATIVES 3
1. The more dangerous things are, the more I like it
2. The older Mark gets, the more he looks like his grandfather
3. The more I get to know him, the more I like him
4. The longer she waited, the more impatient she got
5. The older a chicken is, the tougher
6. The more careful a student is, the fewer mistakes he makes
7. The more perfect a diamond is, the more expensive
8. the more ripen plums are, the sweeter
9. The more coffee you drink, the more nervous you get
10. The more quickly people eat, the higher chance of indigestion they have
 11. the closer to the centre a house is, the more expensive
12. The younger people are, the more quickly they learn
13. The earlier we leave, the clearer the roads will be
14. The bigger a supermarket, the wider choice it has
15. The hotter the weather is, the more crowded the beaches get
16. The more I try to work this out, the more confused I get

PAGE 4

REVIEW ON ALL COMPARATIVES

1. as thick as
2. the most amusing
3. the better the healthier
4. the most boring
5. as soon as the longer the worse
6. easier than
7. the highest
8. the older the younger
9. more fitter
10. more the more the more
11. as well as harder
12. the most hardworking
13. less slower more dangerous
14. the more the more difficult
15. the nearest
16. larger faster than more expensive the newest