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