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than ( ),

:

e.g. His term of imprisonment is shorter than hers. –

,.

Exercise 1. Write down the comparative and superlative forms of the adjectives and adverbs:

1.Short, long, wide, dirty, clean, dark, light, thick, thin, cold, dry, silly, weak, tall, strong, heavy, happy, big.

2.Beautiful, old, bad, great, poor, large, good, brave, cheap, hot, pretty,

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friendly, careful, stupid, narrow, dangerous, young.

3. Rich, interesting, expensive, comfortable, intelligent, strange, difficult,

quick, easy, rude, cheerful, fast, hopeful, lazy.

Exercise 2. Translate the following word-combinations paying attention to the

form of adjectives:

-large country – larger country – the largest country

-important method – more important method – the most important method –

the least important method

-rapid progress – more rapid progress – the most rapid progress

-little efficiency – less efficiency – the least efficiency

-good means – better means – the best means

-deep knowledge – deeper knowledge – the deepest knowledge – the deepest possible knowledge

-bad understanding – worse understanding – the worst understanding

-bad conditions – worse conditions – the worst conditions

-heavy traffic – heavier traffic – the heaviest traffic

-difficult task – more difficult task – the most difficult task – the least difficult

task

-short interrogation – shorter interrogation – the shortest interrogation – the shortest possible interrogation

-efficient application – more efficient application – the most efficient application

-good work – better work – the best work

Exercise 3. Define the degrees of comparison of adjectives and adverbs and

translate the following words and word combinations:

Worse, less archaic laws, civil officers, badly, more complicated, the least serious crime, criminal proceedings, a corrupt President, easier, the latest report, constitutional duties, the most dangerous criminal statutory crime, better, the most

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essential, more attentive.

Exercise 4. Translate into English:

Exercise 5. Translate into English:

. .

.

Exercise 6. Read and wonder. Underline the comparative and superlative forms:

STRANGE BUT TRUE

1.The most common family name in the world is Chang: there are about 75,000,000 people called Chang in China.

2.The most common first name in the world is Mohammed.

3.The oldest map was made 5,000 years ago. t

4.Rats can live without water longer than camels.

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5. The population in Mexico City is nearly three times more than in Nor-

way.

6.One of the narrowest streets in the world is St. John's Lane in Rome: it is 49 cm wide. But there is a street in Cornwall, England, that is even narrower: it is 48 cm wide at its narrowest point.

7.On average New York is colder than Reykjavik (Iceland). The coldest place in the world in Antarctica, has an average temperature of — 57,8° C.

(From English, Practice Book I by Michael Swan and Catherine Walter,

Cambridge University Press)

Exercise 7. Read the sentences, find adjectives and adverbs and define their

degrees of comparison:

1.The evidence of the witness should be examined carefully.

2.We should have less delinquency if people married more wisely, if parents knew better how to deal with their children's personal problems.

3.The judge said that the witness would be interviewed as soon as possible.

4.This article is directly related to the information we are looking for.

5.The more correct information is stored in a computer, the more precise

data we get.

6.I bought the latest edition of today's paper and read about these most terrible crimes.

7.Her illness was more serious than we at first thought.

8.He is the cleverest lawyer I know.

9.Here it is, the latest news from the middle East. The situation there hasn't got much better, has it?

10.The day that Christopher Roberts entered prison for the crime he had never committed was the worst day of his long and eventful life. Fortunately, he was eventually found innocent and set free.

11.The pollution in our town isn't as bad as it used to be, and crime and corruption have become less serious problems; things are getting better.

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12.People are not always so good as they appear – isn't that true, Mr. Nero?

13.The police are not always the most honest people in town, are they?

14.With taxes the way they are these days, it seems the more money I make, the less I have.

Exercise 8. Find the comparative constructions:

1.Let's take this way, it's a mile shorter than that one.

2.Now the road seemed many times as long, which always happens when you are dead tired.

3.Jane was as nervous as I once had been before the interview.

4.Kate works reasonably hard but she used to work much harder.

5.The more we know about law the more control we get over it.

6.This code costs twice as much as the other one.

7.The biggest Cali bosses appear to be safely behind bars.

8.The agents were further charged with conspiracy to commit arson.

9.A very large majority recognized the need for an effective punishment, called for the return of corporal punishment and asked for firmer discipline in schools.

10.It is now clear that, since the 1970s, drug trafficking has become the most organized, most professional and most profitable of all illegal activities.

11.We were dealing with a larger number of criminals and prisoners were very often violent.

12.Although Mr. Pickering received a retirement pension based on his contributions over more than 20 years, it was considerably less than the entitlement of an officer disabled at work.

13.The decisions will lead to higher pension.

14.Prosecutors were certain they had more than enough witnesses to back up the charge.

15.One of the most effective ways of tracing missing people is publicity.

16.The solution of this problem is twice as simple as they think.

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17.The longer I listened to the speech of the barrister, the more I liked it.

Exercise 9. The superlatives. Answer the questions using the list of punishments

for crimes:

1.What is the least serious punishment?

2.What is the most serious punishment?

(capital punishment – life imprisonment – community service – probation – fine - suspended sentence – corporal punishment – imprisonment)

3.What are the most serious crimes?

4.What are the least serious crimes?

(murder, theft, burglary, drunk-driving, hijacking, drug dealing, battery, robbery, bribery, smuggling)

5.What is the highest judicial body in Great Britain?

6.Does the Supreme Court consider the most serious cases?

Exercise 10. Translate the sentences into Russian:

1.Marry is taller than John.

2.He is more helpful than he used to be.

3.The restaurant is more expensive than the cafe.

4.Her son is the youngest cadet in his group.

5.It's the worst play I've ever seen.

6.If you eat a lot — you will get fatter.

7.doesn't work so difficult as I.

8.It is slowly getting colder and colder.

9.This scientist thinks of a better method.

10.That picture is much cheaper than that one.

11.This town is the smallest in our country.

12.The journey was longer than I had thought before.

13.His English is as good as mine.

14.Volvo isn't the most expensive of all the cars.

15.Nowadays computers are more complicated.

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Exercise 11. Guess the meaning of the proverbs and find the most suitable

Russian equivalents:

Honesty is the best policy.

Better late than never.

Better an egg today than a hen tomorrow.

Two heads are better than one.

False friends are worse than open enemies.

The less people think, the more they talk.

The more you have, the more you want.

Exercise 12. Translate the following sentences paying attention to the constЫuМtТon «tСО moЫО... tСО lОЬЬ»:

A. The more we learn, the more we know.

The more we know, the more we forget.

The more we forget, the less we know.

The less we know, the less we forget.

So, what's the use of learning all that?

B.The more corrupt the state the more the laws. (Cornelius Tacitus)

Exercise 13. Use the necessary form of the adjective or adverb and translate the

sentences into Russian:

1.The Mississippi is (long) river in the world.

2.My cigarettes are (bad) than yours.

3.The battle of Waterloo was the (great) battle of all times.

4.This lawyer is (experienced) than that one.

5.This sentence is not so (mild) as her sister `s sentence.

6.He is (strong) than his brother.

7.Our court building is as (near) from our house as yours.

8.Death penalty is (severe) punishment.

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Exercise 14. Choose the most suitable form:

1.The rooms are (clean) than they used to be.

2.It's (cold) here than in Moscow.

3.This is (expensive) book of them all.

4.His unswer was (bad) than I thought.

5.The Nile is (long) than the Volga.

6.She thinks this lawyer is (good) than that one.

7.These people are (polite) than in my town.

8.Who is (old) student in the group?

9.Is Michael (intelligent) than Stephan?

10.What is the name of the (high) mountain in Europe?

Exercise 15. Choose the most suitable form:

1.This is ... in our city. (big building)

2.She is ... we have ever met. (strange person)

3.The road becomes ... after some miles. (narrow)

4.Peter is ... of them all. (old)

5.It was ... time of my life. (bad)

6.The weather is much ... than yesterday. (good)

7.Ann was a bit ... than she usually is. (cheerful)

8.Going by train takes twice ... going by plain. (long)

9.He thinks English spelling is ... than Russian. (difficult)

10.This test was ... of all. (easy)

11.She works ... than her sisters (hard).

Exercise 16. Insert as ... as or so ... as:

1. I ski ... well ... my sister.

2. The weather is not ... bad ... I had expected. 3. That chair is ... comfortable ... this one.

4. Peter is ... intelligent ... my friend.

5. This girl is not ... nice ... that.

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Exercise 17. Insert as ... as, so ... as or than:

1. His story isn't ... long ... yours.

2. Our mother is ... young ... her.

3. This writer isn't ... famous ... Jack London.

4. My wife is more beautiful ... his.

5. Second class isn't ... expensive ... first.

6. My friend's dog is ... clever ... mine.

7. This story isn't ... interesting ... I thought. 8. That furniture is a little bit cheaper ... this. 9. Their flat is nearly ... comfortable ... our.

10. Her room is much more cleaner ...his.

Exercise 18. Choose the most suitable form:

1.She is (young) than Ann.

2.This film is much (good).

3.He speaks English (bed) than I do.

4.In spring the weather is (warm) than in winter.

5.I am not so (busy) as my mother is.

6.Is the Arctic Ocean (cold) in the world?

7.Which book is (interesting)?

8.This problem is (difficult) than yours.

9.My box isn't (heavy) as your.

10.These exercises are (easy) than in the book.

11.Which house is (high) in your street?

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12.To fly is (quick) than to go by car.

13.Whose child is (old) than my?

14.This example is (simple) of all.

15.He isn't so (stupid) as your brother is.

16.Which country is (beautiful)?

17.In this town the streets are (narrow) than in mine.

18.Your cat is (fat) I've ever seen.

19.Is August (hot) month of the year?

20.She is (attentive) child in her class.

21.My (old) sister is two years (old) than I.

22.What's (near) station?

Exercise 19. Complete these sentence in any appropriate way using the pattern

the more ... the better. Translate these sentences:

1.The later the general election, the (good) it will be for the Government.

2.The (well) we study, the better we know laws.

3.The (long) I listened to the speech of the barrister, the (much) I liked it.

4.The general rule is that the (high) is the status of the judge, the (much) serious cases he tries.

5.The (hard) we study, the (successfully) we take exams.

6.The (much) we discuss this case, the (little) I understand it.

7.The (long) I sit here, the (little) I feel like leaving the courtroom.

8.The (long) I study English, the (much) I realise what an interesting language it is.

9.The (soon) he comes to the lawyer, the (quick) he gets the necessary information.

10.The (long) the lawyer made his speech, the (difficult) it was to understand him.

Exercise 20. Fill in the gaps with as ... as; not as ... as; (not) so ... as; the same

(as); as; than:

1.He is … МХОЯОr … he seems.

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