Degrees of Comparison: Special Structures Used for Comparing
We use the comparative to compare one person, thing, action or group with another person, thing etc. We use the superlative to compare somebody/something with the whole group that he/she/it belongs to.
Some special structures used for comparing are explained here.
All / any / none the + comparative
In this structure the means ‘by as much’.
-
The journey was all the more difficult because our car broke down in the middle.
-
Her high blood pressure made it all the more important to seek immediate medical attention.
Three / four times + comparative
The structure three / four times + comparative can be used instead of three / four times as much as.
-
I can run three times faster than you. (= I can run three times as fast as you.)
-
The task was ten times more difficult than I expected. (OR The task was ten times as much difficult as I expected.)
-
The journey took four times longer than I had expected. (OR The journey took four times as long as I had expected.)
Note that twice and half cannot be followed by the structure times + comparative. Instead, we use the structures twice as…as and half as…as.
-
You are not half as beautiful as you think you are. (NOT You are not half times less beautiful…)
-
She is going out with a man twice as old as her.
Pronouns after as and than
In an informal style, object pronouns (me, him, them, her, us) are used after as and than. In a more formal style, subject pronouns (I, he, they, she, we) are used usually with verbs.
-
I earn as much as him. (Less formal)
-
I earn as much as he does. (More formal)
-
She is older than me. (Less formal)
-
She is older than I am. (More formal)
In this structure the subject pronoun is unusual if it is not followed by a verb.
Infinitives after superlatives
We often use the infinitive after a superlative. This structure has the same meaning as a relative clause.
-
She is the youngest woman ever to win the Nobel Peace Prize. (= She is the youngest woman who has ever won the Nobel Peace Prize.)
This structure is also possible after first, last and next.
-
Who was the first woman to become the Prime Minister of the UK? (= Who was the first woman who became the Prime Minister of the UK?)
Non-assertive words after superlatives
Non-assertive words like ever, yet and any are not normally used in affirmative clauses. However, they can follow comparatives and superlatives.
-
It’s the best book I have ever read.
-
This is my hardest job yet.
|
|