The … the … comparatives

The … the … comparatives

Exercise 1

Choose the correct forms to complete the following the… the… comparatives.

1 The morerichermost you have, the more you want.

2 More activeThe most activeThe more active you are, the fewer cardiovascular problems you will have.

3 More concentrate I amMore I concentrateThe more I concentrate, the more accurate my answers are.

4 The more admired a person is, vainerthe vainerthe more vain he or she becomes.

5 A: 'Do you like strong coffee?'   B: 'Yes, I do. The stronger is, the betterThe stronger, the betterAs much stronger, the better.

6 More optimistic is your bossThe more optimistic is your bossThe more optimistic your boss is, the more productive you will be.

7 The more caloriesThe most caloriesAs more calories you consume, the more exercise you need to do to burn them.

8 The more time parents can spend with their children, the fewer problems they willfewer problems they willfewer problems will they have in adulthood.

9 I want to buy a big TV. The bigger is itbiggerbiggest it is, the better.

10 The more relaxed your child isThe more relaxed is your childThe most relaxed your child is, the less the vaccine will hurt.

 Loading...

 

The … the … comparatives

Download full-size image from Pinterest

Comparative adjective or adverb

We can repeat the structure the + comparative + subject + verb to describe a cause-and-effect relationship between two things that depend on each other, where the degree of one action affects the degree of another. For example:

• The healthier you eat, the better you feel. (=If you eat healthier, you feel better.)
• The harder he works, the more stressed he is. (=If he works harder, he is more stressed.)

Note that when we have the verb be in this structure, we can omit it.

• The longer the wait, the more agitated the people become. 
• =The longer the wait is, the more agitated the people become. 

The more/the less + noun

You can also use a noun in the same structure instead of an adjective or adverb.

•  The more exercise you do, the fitter you get.
• The less carbohydrates you consume, the healthier you will be.

The more/the less + clause

Or you can use the more/the less + subject + verb instead of using an adjective or noun.

• The more you read, the wiser you get. 
• The more you know, the less you need to say. 

The …, the better

We can use the structure the + comparative adjective, the better to express preference in relation to the quantity or quality of something.

• Please call me soon. The sooner, the better. 
• A: ‘Isn’t this fridge too big?’   B: ‘No, the bigger, the better.’ 

We are working on this!

We're developing a NEW LEARNING PLATFORM with a subscription plan that includes additional features at an affordable price. One of those features will be PDF downloads.

Learn more!