al . un (18) Making comparisons (review) 18.1 We can use the comparative form” (older, more careful) and the superlative form? (oldest, the most careful) of an adjective when we make comparisons. ‘forte les atout changing adjectives into thercomparatne an sipetive forme se Append Is that the oldest Ace you and Eddie ‘eampe in Hong Kong? | 3g : the same age? NOTE? ‘We can’t compare things of different natures. % Yourhaitislonger than Janet. ¥ Your hair is longer than Janet's (hair) X Thecolour of this dress is brighter than that dress. ¥ This dress is brighter in colour than that one. 18.2 Adverbs can also have a comparative form (faster, more fluently) and a superlative form (the fastest, the most fluently). You speak English very well. How about a ‘She speaks even better: In fact, your elder sister? & of all my brothers and sisters, she speaks the most fluently, He is running faster than ‘le cest of them, but | cart ‘ell hell manage to break se eecord. 193Notes @) 18.3 We use more, most, less, least, fewer, fewest, etc. to compare quantities. xrlative form Comparative form Used with plural countable nouns and uncountable nouns John won more medals on Sports Day _—_Ofallthe athletes, John won the most medal than any other athlete. This bottled lemon tea contains the most sugar Thisbottled lemon tea contains more amongaall the bottled drinks on the market. sugar than that bottled green tea Used with plural countable nouns only Derek has fewer figurines than Alex Derek has the fewest figurines ofthe three brothers. Used with uncountable nouns only Thisyogurt contains less fot than many _This yogurt contains the least fat compared to all popular brands. the other popular brands We canalso use the following structures when making comparisons: + comparative + than Brian is taller than his mother. Kate does everything more carefully than her brother. + superlative + in/of... Lantau Island is the biggest of Hong Kong's outlying islands. He speaks the best English in ourclass. + one/some of + superlative + plural noun We stayed at the Grand Hotel. It is one of the most expensive hotels in Bangkok + (uot) as + adjective/adverb + as | got here as early as you did This sofa is not as big as yours. + the + comparative + subject + verb, the + comparative + subject + verb ‘The harder you work, the more you learn. ‘We use this structure to say that two things change together ‘or that one thing depends on another. ‘The higher we climbed, the colder we ft. ‘The longer he waited, the more impatient he became. 194TAllanswes @ | Moking comparisons eiew) Unit (1B y NOTEg 1 In conversation, the verb after than or as is often left out. He did better than most of us (did). Lily can sing as wel as her sister (can). However, ifthe omission of the verb makes the meaning of the sentence ambiguous, cor can lead to a different meaning, it must stay. We tried as hard as we could. % Werried as hard as we. ‘he got here earlier than | had expected. Compare: She gochereealir than (he gochere eae than dd) 2. Inconversation, itis more usual to use an abject pronoun (me, us her, him, them, ec.) after than or as. She has more books than me. However, we usually use a subject pronoun (I, we etc) with verbs after than or asif ‘we want to create a more formal style, She has more books than I do. ‘The other guests were more casualy dressed than he was. You areas tall as she is. 3 Wecan use (very) much, a lot, a little, a bit, etc. before a comparative. Today is much colder than yesterday. ‘This watch costs $350. eis abit more expensive than that one. (@ writing focus We con make comparisons between two ideas to strengthen or emphasize cour point oF view in the following types of writing: + argumentative essays + debate speeches Grammar Practice © complete these sentences using the correct forms of the given words. 1 Mybrotheristwoyears___older__(old) than Iam. 2. Why don't you sit on the sofa? It’s) _comfortable _ (comfortable) than that old chair. 3° Thefilmwas much ©) better (good) than Thad expected. I enjoyed it (euch) than the film I saw last week. 195Notes QD 196 Allansvers @ 4 Don't write a letter. He'll get your message much ©) easier (early) if you send it by email. 5 Mybackpackis too small. Ineeda © _latger (large) one. 6 Canyou manage with those two bags? They look @)_ he: (heavy). 7 Thisknife won't cut.Do you havea) sharper___ (sharp) one? 8 Heknowsthisdistrict ©) beter (good) than I do. He's lived here for a long time. 9 Thad avery good time yesterday. In fact, it was the © _hoppiest__ (happy) day of my life. 10. You don't need to wear a jacket. Today isn'tas@)_ cold (old) as yesterday. LL Youcan trust her with the job. She has) mote __( much) experience than the rest of us. 12. The country park was ©) farther/further (far) away than [had thought. We didn't get there until noon. Complete these sentences, Use the correct comparative form of the opposite of the underlined adjective or adverb. The first one has been done for you as an example. 1 That building is not new. In fact, it's __ older than most buildings in this town, 2 ‘Didhe get here early?” ‘No, he came much) __bater than most of us? 3 ‘Did the storm cause much damage?’ ‘No, the damage was@)_less than we had anticipated’ 4 You were wrong if you thought he was tall. He's even ©) _ shorter than Iam. 5 Sorry, you are talking too fast. Could you speak a bit ©) _slower/more sowly_ please? ceasier/simpler! 6 This books too difficult for me. Could you lend me something @) “more simple__? 7 The job didn’t take much time. We finished itin ©) less than an hour. 8 This dress is too expensive for me. Do you have any @)__ cheaper ones? 9 Mybrother’s bedroom is very messy. Mine is ©) _tidier/neater/ceaner_that his. 10. Melinda isn't as selfish as they say. If you ask me, she’s @)_more generous/kinder than most of the girls know.~ul a aes © © Rewrite these sentences without changing the meaning using the given words. 1 Jane knows more people than I do. (as ... as) Ido not/T don't know as many people as Jane does. 2 Kelly sold more flags than we did last Saturday. (as... as) @) _ Wed nor/wWe dicot set as many Mags as Kelly did last Saturday. 3 Grace is not as active as her sister. (than) @ Gaaceis oss active than her sister/Grace’s sister is more active than she is, 4 He eats more than I do. (as...as) © _tdo nov dont eat as much ashe does. 5 Sheisn't as old as she looks. (than) (© _ sheisyounger than she looks. 6 Brian likes basketball more than I do. (as... a8) © _ to nor dont tke basketball as much a Brian does. 7 Mr Smith has been in Hong Kong longer than Miss Jones. (as... as) ‘Miss Jones has not/Miss Jones hasnt heen in Hong Kong as long as Mr Smith (has) © ot a Ko 8 Peter did not enjoy Frozen fas much as Frozen. (than) © Peter enjoyed Frozen more than Frozen th/Peter enjoyed Feazen Wess than Frozen 9 Benis notas stupid as you think. (than) ©@ _ ben is smarter/more intelligent than you think 10 Sue likes blue, but she likes purple more. (as ... as) © _ suedoes not/Sue doesn't like blue as much as (she likes) purple 197Allanswers @ 198 Language Practice © Article Read the information and complete the article using the correct forms of the given words. The frst ‘one has been done for you as an example. BO ee ee ey vcs 47 45 20 14 HKS30 000 HKS50 000 HKS6 000 i swimming (three times a week), chess, cooking Hobbies ! / suinning ere There are four people in the Wong family. Three members of the family have a job. Mrs Wong teaches at a university while her husband works in a bank. _She is better paid (she/good/pay) than her husband. ® © __Herhusbandeamsless (her husband/ earn/littie) than she does, but he likes his job.) @_ Mybossand colleagues aregood (my boss and colleagues/good) to me and ® © _wegetonwel____ weet onfvell)? he says. ‘Simon is studying at university and working part-time. Of the members of the family who © tet donot make money, _heeamstheleast____(he/earn/little). “2 eam asmuch___ (Ynot/earn/much/as) as my parents do, but I think QO _ rysabaryis good (my salary/good) enough for me. Ican pay my own tuition fees? Simon says. Kathy is a Secondary 2 student. She and her brother are close. They often go swimming together in the evenings. ® {Simon doesnotswimasoften __(Simon/notAwim/often/ as) as she does because © his usually very red (he/usually/very/tired) after school or work. Kathy practises swimming three times a week. co Pc (she/good/Swimmer) at her school and ® © issn (she/one of fast/swimmers) in Hong Kong. She has taken part ina number of competitions and won many medals. Another hobby they share is chess. © ___simonisabeterplyer (Simon/good/player) than his sister. He often beats her when they play.a One thing that the siblings do not have in common is cooking. Simon finds it boring but Kathy loves to cook. However, 9@Q ___shecamorcookaswel (she/cannot/ cook/y00d/s) as her mother yerst) ©_Selibeshe wie blo cooks lt bee (she/able/ cook/a lot/good) soon, her mother says. 9 @D___TeWong any ust be among the haps anes (the Wong fomily/must/ ‘among the/happy/family) in Hong Kong! © Blogentry Complete the blog entry by underlining the correct words/phrases in brackets. KK POLK ‘There are many festivals around the world. Some of them are not ® (as well-known as / ‘more well-known / the most well-known ) others. Here are some of them: 1 St. Patrick's Day The Irish people celebrate St. Patrick's Day on 17 March, Itis (the most celebrated / the more celebrated / the many celebrated )estival in Ireland, being even ® (as popular as / more popular than / the most popular ) Christmas and Easter. On this special day, there are parades in many Irish cities. Partygoers dress in green and you can see images of shamrocks, which are three- or four-leaved plants, displayed almost everywhere in Ireland. 2. Cinco de Mayo ‘Cinco de Mayo’ is a Spanish phrase meaning ‘fifth of May’. It started out as an unimportant holiday in Mexico, but it has now become one of the® ( least celebrated / more celebrated / most celebrated ) festivals in the US, where huge parades and parties take place. 199Allanswers ED 200 In the past, people celebrated the victory of the Mexican army over the French during the Franco-Mexican war in 1862 on this day. However, © ( few / most / much) people nowadays consider this festival to be a celebration of Mexican culture and heritage. ‘This festival is particularly popular in the US cities that have the "(largest / much / least ) Mexican populations. 3 GroundhogDay © There isn't a ( most special / more special /less special ) way to forecast the end of winter than Groundhog Day. On 2 February, a specially selected groundhog comes out of its burrow in a small town in the US after hibernation. If the groundhog sees its shadow, it means there will be six more weeks of winter. [fit does not see its shadow, it means there willbe a/an (Sarr / more early / most early) spring than usual. In 1993, a comedy film inspired by the festival was made, and is considered to be the ©o ( more hilarious / less hilarious / most hilarious ) film of that entire year. No one can keep a straight face while watching it. 4 EarthDay/Arbor Day © As people become “ ( most aware of / less aware of / more aware of ) environmental protection, Earth Day has gained popularity. A group of university students in the US chose 22 April as Earth Day in 1970, with the purpose of reminding people to show © ( the least appreciation / more appreciation / less appreciation ) of the environment. © Arbor Day is similar to Earth Day, but is actually " (old/ the oldest / older ) than it. On this day, people are encouraged to plant or love trees. Therefore,“ ( mast / many / ‘more ) trees are planted on this day than on any other day in some countries. ‘The list of unusual festivals around the worldis much ‘more long / longer / less long ) than we have space for here. These are just a few of them. Of all these festivals, Ilove St. Patrick's Day most because Ilike watching parades and, os ore importantly / more important / importantly ), [love green! How about you? What is your favourite? Drop me aline and let me know!S Using the Language «= ,—————_ Describing differences and changes We can use words and phrases for making comparisons when we talk about differences and changes in, for example, articles or social media posts. @amples © Margot has written on social media about her classmates who are twins, Read her post and note how she uses words and phrases for making comparisons. Liz and Pat are identical twins, but Pat is taller than Liz. However, Liz can still run as fast as Pat. The pair are really popular with everyone. One thing that | find interesting is that Liz has the neatest handwriting | have ever seen. Pat, on the other hand, has the messiest handwriting in our class. Moreover, Pat is much louder than her sister. Lizis, in fact, the most soft-spoken person | know. Wecan use moreover (underlined) to add information (see Unit 25, for more). © The excerpt below is taken from an article introducing two new shopping malls. Read the article and note which words and phrases for making comparisons are used. Lavender Plazas the biggest mall in the city so far, whereas Violet Mallis smaller. Of all the malls around town, Lavender Plaza also has the most shops. What's more, its ‘opening hours are longer than most others’. Violet Mall does have something special to offer, as it boasts one of the most advanced cinemas in the world! In terms of visitor rumbers, Violet Mall didn't do as well as Lavender Plaza when they both opened, probably because people prefer going to bigger malls. When a series of big blockbusters come out next month, more movie-goers will flood into Violet Mall. We can use because (underlined) to explain the dfferencesbetween the tems being compared (see Unit 25 formor). 201Notes QD : ‘Allanswers @) @ur turn ® 202 Olivers posting on social media about the three finalists in his schoo’ singing contest. Complete the following sentences from his post using the correct forms of the words given in brackets. + Allthree singers gave some of ® © _ bebest (good) performances Ihave everseen.Ithinkitwillbemuch®@2 _asder (hard) for the judges to decide the winner this year. + Tnoticed Holly's and Chelsea's voices were not ©@_aspovertilas _(ae/powerful) Stephanie's, but they have other unique strengths, Holly has great range and can hit those top notes ©) __moreeasiy _(eqsy) than the others. Chelsea's styleis 6 Stephanie performed ® © the most iia (gifult) song she had sung so far. 1 @@_thesimplest____ (imple) of the three, but she really knows how to capture emotion when she sings. The following excerpt is taken from a magazine article about some changes that have been made to a theme park. Complete the text using the correct forms of the words given in brackets. Magic Mania, which has been closed for" © __longer__ (ong) than two years, is reopening this week. Magic Mania spokesperson Aaron Li told us, “The renovations were not completed 2 _ascuichlyas__(as/quick) we'd hoped. However, now we'te ready for customers!’ Customers have been told to expect © _thebiggest____(bigy selection of rides in all of Hong Kong's theme parks, along with 0 © __ shorter (short) queuing times. The park will also offer an impressive array of animals which the management has vowed to look after *”@2_morecarciuly __ (careful) than before. ‘We have built ©? © _bieser____ (ig) enclosures. Our staff will be #9 ©) _more wellrined (well-trained), and there will be no more animal shows, said Li. Write a short paragraph comparing and contrasting different things using words and phrases for making comparisons. You may write about one of the following ideas: (1) film you like and one ‘you do not like as much; 2) a great meal youhad and a terrible meal you had; or (3) sport you enjoy watching/playing and a sport you dislike watching/playing. Ofall of my favourite films, the Harry Potter sees of films is the best I've ever seen. | think itis bette than the Lord ofthe Rings series which tis often compated to. Harry Potter has a more interesting plot in general and the characters are more memorable. The soundtrackis also the most beautiful Ihave ever heard in cinema history | listen tot all the time. The Lord of the Rings films are longer than they need to be and that makes them boring,