Grammar Practice

Comparatives and superlatives

Grammar Reference p180–182
20 For 1–6 decide which of a, b or c means about the same as the first sentence.
1 I’m nothing like as patient as I used to be.
a I’m more patient now than I was.
b I used to have a little more patience.
c I used to have a lot more patience.

2 Helen earns nearly as much money as her boss.

a Helen’s boss earns quite a bit more than she does.
b Helen’s boss earns a little more than she does.
c Helen earns more money than her boss.

3 There are just as many cafés in London as in Paris.

a There are more cafés in London.
b There aren’t as many cafés in Paris.
c There are about the same number of cafés in Paris and London.

4 Russian is nowhere near as difficult as German.

a German is a lot more difficult than Russian.
b German is a bit easier than Russian
c There isn’t much difference between Russian and German.

5 A tennis ball isn’t nearly as heavy as a cannonball.

a A cannonball is a bit heavier than a tennis ball.
b A tennis ball is a lot lighter than a cannonball.
c A tennis ball is heavier than a cannonball.

6 She can speak French, but not quite as well as she can speak Italian.
a Her Italian is a little better than her French.
b Her French is a little better than her Italian.
c Her Italian is much better than her French.

21 Rewrite sentences a–h using the words in brackets.

a Kate is nearly as tall as her dad. (only slightly/short)
Kate is only slightly shorter than her dad.……………………………….
…………………………….
b Pete and Ben are both fast runners. Perhaps Pete is not quite as fast as Ben. (a
little/slow)
…Pherhaps Pete is a little slower than Ben.…………………………….
…………………………….
c It’s not quite as warm as it was yesterday. (a bit/cool)
Today is a bit cooler than yesterday………………………….
…………………………….
d The Ritz Hotel is nowhere near as comfortable as The Metro. (much less)
…The Ritz Hotel is much less comfortable as The Metro…………………………….
…………………………….
e Writing English is just as easy as speaking it. (no more/difficult)
Writing English is no more difficult than speaking it………………………….
…………………………….
f A tennis court is nothing like as big as a football pitch. (far/big)
A football pitch is far bigger than a tennis court……………………………….
…………………………….
g Sumo wrestlers are a great deal heavier than ballet dancers. (nowhere near/heavy)
…Ballet dancers are nowhere near as heavy as sumo
wrestlers…………………………….…………………………….
h Playing rugby is no more dangerous than playing football. (just as/safe)
…Playing rugby is just as safe as playing football…………………………….
…………………………….
22 For each of a–h complete the sentence with the correct word from those in
brackets.
a He is such ……. an idiot that he hasn’t got a friend in the world. (so/such)
b It is such……….. an unfriendly dog that no-one will go near it. (so/such)
c You have to be quite………. tall to be a policeman, and I’m afraid we have to
reject your application. (quite/so)
d I’m sorry, but you haven’t passed your driving test. You went a bit too…….. fast
round the roundabout. (too/very)
e I really wasn’t brave enough………….. to go on any of the fairground rides.
(such/enough)
f The coffee in The Dome is better than………… in Café Uno. (as/than)
g We rigged the boat up but then decided that the sea was too………… rough to go
sailing. (too/enough)
h It’s the best I can do. This is as good as…………… it gets. (as/like)