9.4 Comparison of adverbs

Presentation

Look at these examples:

She paints beautifully.

She paints more beautifully than I do.

She writes neatly.

She writes more neatly than I do.

She works hard.

She works harder than I do.

When do we make comparative adverbs (i) with more? (2.) with -er?

Practice

A: He works hard, doesn’t he?

B: Oh I don’t know. I work much harder than he does.

A: Of course – nobody works as hard as you do.

Have more conversations like this. Begin with these sentences:

1. He gets up early, doesn’t he ?

2. She smokes heavily, doesn’t she ?

3. He played well, didn’t he ?

4. He can dance beautifully, can’t he ?

5. They live dangerously, don’t they ?

6. She can run fast, can’t she?

7. They stay up late, don’t they ?

8. She behaved badly, didn’t she ?

than that? as I can.

Look at the example, and have similar conversations.

more quickly faster

quickly fast

Example:	Work/fast Work/quick
A: Can’t you work a bit			more quickly faster			than that?
В: No, I can’t. I’m working as				quickly faster	as I can.

1. play/quiet 5. speak/clear

2. type/careful 6. write/neat

3. drive/fast 7. stretch/far

4. dance/good 8. walk/straight

9.5 Comparisons involving verbs Presentation and practice

Complete the following sentences so that they mean the same as the sentences in italics.

• 1. He earns £90 a week but he spends £100 a week.

1. He spends more .

2. He doesn’t earn

2. That cheese smells terrible but it tastes very good.

1. That cheese tastes much better .

2. That cheese doesn’t taste .

Now do the same with these sentences:

1. She plays the piano quite well, but she sings even better.

2. That chair is really very comfortable, though it doesn’t look it.

3. He goes running every morning, and he plays squash twice a week.

4. She doesn’t sound very friendly on the telephone, but she’s really extremely friendly.

5. He bought three kilos of sausages, but we only needed two.

9.6 Salary scales Free practice

Work in groups. You are working for the state salary commission, and you have been asked to decide on fair salaries for these groups of workers:

nurces policemen miners

teachers long-distance lorry drivers

Compare the five jobs, and decide who should earn the most, and who should earn the least. Consider these factors:

training working conditions responsibility

hours worked job satisfaction

Tell other groups what you have decided.