2. Comparison and contrast

This chapter deals with the language used to describe something by comparing it to another thing or to a number of other things. Adjectives and adverbs adopt particular forms for this purpose but certain prepositions and conjunctions may also be used to cany out this function. In addition the chapter considers ways of comparing facts or ideas and, in particular, the language used to point out con­trasts between those facts or ideas.

2. L comparison Comparative structures

James is younger than his sister. a) I was more relaxed than him. He got more annoyed than me. Compare: b) I was more relaxed than he was. He got more annoyed than I did. He speaks English better than I can. We climbed higher and higher and we grew more and more afraid. The more he spoke, the less we un­derstood. The older parents get, the more diffi­cult they become. Compare: As the journey continued, we grew in­creasingly tired.	The comparative is followed by than to introduce the other element in the compari­son. If a personal pronoun follows than it takes an object form (a). (However, if the personal pronoun is itself followed by a verb it takes a subject form (b). The repetition of a comparative after and suggests gradual progression. When two actions develop simultane­ously they can be linked using the ... the with comparative forms. A similar effect can be obtained using the conjunction as.
Comparison of quantity / Similarity
1. Take as much time as you want. There were almost as many people out side the stadium as there were inside, a) The elephant seemed as high as г house. For me, English is as difficult as	To indicate equality of quantity the constructions as much ... as / as many ... as are used, i a) To indicate similarity / equality we can ; use as +- adjective + as.

Chinese.

2. The English team isn’t so/as good as the Scottish.

It isn’t so/as cold as it was last week.

2. She isn't as tall as me.

Compare: She isn’t as tall as I am.

2. They were playing like children.

She sang just like an angel.

They look like beggars.

It sounded like an explosion.

2. a) You must approach this problem (in the same way) as you did the pre­vious one. She walks (in the same way) as her mother used to.

h) He always gets drunk just like his father does. I can't do it like you can.

2. He always speaks as though he was more intelligent than everybody else. You looked as if you had seen a ghost

2. In a negative sentence we can use either not as... as or not so... as

3. For the use of personal pronouns after the construction (not) as/so ... as com­pare pronouns after than.

2. Like is also used as a preposition to ex­press similarity. It means 'similar to'. It is often used with verbs related to perception.

3. a) As is used as a conjunction meaning ¹in the same way'.

2. In formal English like cannot be used as a conjunction. However, in colloquial Eng­lish like or just like is often used instead of as, as a conjunction.

2. As if and as though combine the idea of comparison with that of manner or condi­tion.