Exercise 60. Write the comparative forms of the following adjectives.

1. hard 2. rigid 3. important 4. light 5. deep 6. flexible 7. many 8. rich 9. good 10. powerful	11.  complex 12.  generous 13.  smooth 14.  soft 15.  bad 16.  little 17.  serious 18.  difficult 19.  high 20.  Great
Than – чем	Horses live longer than cats. (Лошади живут дольше, чем коты).

 

Exercise 61. Fill in the gaps with word more or less.

1. People are … intelligent than monkeys.

2. Biology is … important than English.

3. Books are … interesting than films.

4. Parents are … helpful than teachers.

5. Food is … expensive than clothes.

6. Dogs are … faithful than cats.

7. Poliomyelitis is … dangerous than flu.

Exercise 62. Compete the sentences using a comparative form.

1. Your work isn’t very good. I’m sure you can do ….

2. Don’t worry. His condition isn’t so bad. It could be ….

3. The cough medicine was surprisingly expensive. I expected it to be ….

4. My job is a bit boring sometimes. I’d like to do something ….

5. The cat was a bit depressed yesterday, but it looks … today.

6. His pulse rate was very weak. Then it became ….

7. The instructions were very complicated. They could have been ….

8. I was surprised how easy my first operation went. I thought it would be ….

 

Exercise 63. Write a comparative sentence using the information below.

Model:

Moscow was founded in 1147. Saint Petersburg was founded in 1703.

Moscow is older than Saint Petersburg.

1. Each year sharks kill 10 people. Cows fatally trample around 100 people every 12 months.

2. A Nile crocodile weighs around 1000 kg while an African lion weighs only 250 kg.

3. An average life span of gorillas is 40 years whereas grizzly bears live up to 25 years.

4. The cat skeleton contains more than 230 bones, whereas a human skeleton has about 206 bones.

5. Some dogs are capable of reaching speeds up to 60 km/h, when a hare can run 72 km per hour.

6. An average gestation period for an African elephant is 2 years while an average gestation period for an Asian elephant is 19 to 22 months.

NB! Для того чтобы избежать повторения одного и того же существительного, употребляется слово-заместитель one (ones).

This farm is bigger than that one. – Эта ферма больше, чем та (ферма).

 

Exercise 64. Translate from Russian into English.

1. Этот эксперимент такой же опасный, как тот. 2. Это лекарство менее эффективно, чем то. 3. Домашние животные имеют более высокий иммунитет, чем дикие. 4. Эта клиника лучше оснащена, чем та. 5. Он более талантливый хирург, чем другие. 6. Эти болезни менее заразны, чем те.7. Эта корова моложе той.

 

Для усиления или ослабления сравнительной степени перед прилагательными и наречиями употребляются слова:

much / a lot / far – значительно, гораздо How do you feel? Much better, thanks. – Как ты себя чувствуешь? Гораздо лучше, спасибо. a bit / a little / slightly – немного, чуть Could you speak a bit more slowly? Не могли бы вы говорить немножко помедленнее?

 

Exercise 65. Use the words in brackets to complete the sentences. Use than where necessary.

1. Her illness was … we thought at first. (much / serious)

2. I’m afraid the problem is … it seems. (much / complicated)

3. I enjoyed our visit to the clinic. It was … I expected. (far / interesting)

4. The dog’s temperature was very high yesterday. Today it is …. (a bit / low)

5. At birth a panda is… a mouse. (slightly / small)

6. This scalpel is too small. I need something … to dissect the body. (much / big)

7. It’s … to learn anatomy when you have enough practical classes. (a lot / easy)

8. I wish our lecturer were …. (a little / friendly).

 

the … the … – чем … тем …

 

Exercise 66. Read and translate the following sentences.

1. The younger you are, the easier it is to learn. 2. The more he thought about the plan, the less he liked it. 3. The harder you work, the better the result will be. 4. The more expensive the clinic, the better the service. 5. The sooner we start, the earlier we will finish. 6. The more tired you are, the harder it is to concentrate.

 

(Just) as … as – такой (же) … как (и)	He is as tall as you. (Он такой же высокий, как и ты).
Not so … as/not as … as – не такой … как	It is not so cold as yesterday. (Сегодня не так холодно, как вчера).
The same as – такой же	I get the same salary as you. (Я получаю такую же зарплату, как ты).

 

Exercise 67. Read and translate the following sentences.

1. Anatomy is as difficult as Biology. 2. My essay is not as long as yours.3. His dog is friendlier than mine. 4. She got higher marks in her Chemistry exam than in Philosophy. 5. The results of the experiment were not as bad as they had expected. 6. The sick dog was the same age and size as my dog. 7. The treatment was not as successful as I had hoped. 8. The new clinic isn’t as big as the old one, but it is much more modern.

 

twice as … as, three times as … as etc. – в два раза, в три раза и т. п.