Comparatives

Complete the sentences with the comparative or superlative form of the adverb in brackets.

1. Who works             (hard) out of all the students in the class?

2. There isn’t much traffic today, so we should arrive        (soon) than we expected.

3. If you ate             (slowly), you’d enjoy your food more!

4. The Swiss tennis player performed        (well) than his opponent and won the tournament.

5. Erik did       (badly) than I did in this month’s test.

6. The world’s population is growing        (fast) today than at any point in history.

7. My grandparents’ house isn’t far, but my aunt lives             (near) of all my family.

Match the two halves of the comparative sentences.

1. A quarter is …….. much as 25%.   [a, b, c]

a) nowhere near as

b) almost as

c) just as

2. A second is …….. long as a minute.   [a, b, c]

a) not quite as

b) nothing like as

c) nearly as

3. Eleven forty-five p.m. is …….. late as midnight.   [a, b, c]

a) nearly as

b) nowhere near as

c) just as

4. Ninety-eight cents is …….. much as a euro.   [a, b, c]

a) just as

b) not quite as

c) nothing like as

5. Spain is …….. cold as Iceland.   [a, b, c]

a) nearly as

b) almost as

c) nowhere near as

6 The UK is …….. big as Canada.   [a, b, c]

a) almost as

b) nothing like as

c) not quite as

Complete the second sentence so that it means the same as the first.

1. That was the worst holiday I’d ever had!

I’d never had a holiday as             one!

2. If we walk fast, we’ll get there quicker.

The                  we’ll get there.

3. Fast food used to be less healthy.

Fast food is                     used to be.

4. My jacket is nothing like as comfortable as yours.

You jacket is far                       mine.

5. Your brother is the same age as me.

Your brother is just           I am.

6. Indian food is far spicier than English food.

English food is nothing                  Indian food.

Complete the text with the words below.

as far fewer like more nowhere than the

Thanks to some films and TV shows, and certain types of music, many people still regard big cities in the USA as violent and crime-filled. However, recent reports show that they’re 1         near as dangerous as some people believe. Statistics for violent crime are nothing 2      as bad as they were in the 1990s; the chance of being robbed or murdered is much lower 3      in the 1990s when those crimes were far 4      common than they are today. There are also slightly 5       property crimes than forty years ago, with a drop of 2.8% being reported by some sources. Many inner-city areas once considered ‘no-go’ zones are 6     more pleasant than they used to be, and cities generally are just as safe 7    anywhere else in the world. The problem, of course, is that the more the media focuses on the few serious crimes, 8     more afraid people become.

Complete the second sentence with a comparative or superlative so that it means the same as the first. Use the correct form of the adverb or adjective from the first sentence.

1. You don’t walk as fast as me.

I walk                

2. No one in my family sings as badly as my sister.

My sister is                              

3. My best friend is more outgoing than me.

I’m not                              

4. You’ll be safe if you’re cautions.

The more cautious you are,                    

5. My mum doesn’t drive as carefully as my dad.

My dad drives                           

6. No one I know is more critical than my brother.

My brother is