1.2. Comparison and contrast

1.2.1.Comparison

Exercise 1. A: AS vs. LIKE. Fill in the blanks with the linkers.

1. Joan’s not self-confident she seems.

2. Peter says he is going to work a salesman.

3. Stop crying a child!

4. Please do exactly I told you.

5. My brother isn’t me at all.

6. John started singing a professional only a couple of years ago, when he recorded his first LP.

7. Laura sings a professional, even though she’s never given a real concert

8. To make a potato salad, start this: boil the potatoes…

9. Pick that shell up – we can use it an ashtray.

10. I still remember her. She used to be a daughter to me.

11. Our plan succeeded _______ we hoped.

B: AS vs. LIKE. Choose an item from the list below to complete the sentences.

A person, a secretary, a dessert, a union representative, an angel, an office , cardboard, he writes, her mother.

1. Susan sings .

2. I worked for five years.

3. Henry uses the dining room .

4. That cat snores just .

5. I’ve come to this meeting .

6. This bread tastes .

7. James speaks : carefully and precisely.

8. She’s clever and passionate -_______ .

9. Why don’t we have ice cream _____.

Exercise 2. Here are the beginnings and endings of some idiomatic expressions with as…as. Think of the situations where you would use them.

black cold flat good green thin warm white hard old pretty quiet red

a beetroot gold grass toast the grave a pancake the hills ice iron night a picture a rake a sheet

1.2.2.-1.2.3. CONTRAST / CONCESSION

Exercise 3. WHEREAS vs. ALTHOUGH. Join the ideas with the help of the linkers.

Soccer is played with a round ball Whales and dolphins are not fish Mercury is a metal English is a Germanic language Many people believe in astrology Dogs are pack animals In Britain spring starts in April Present cars run on petrol Smoking is still a common habit

whereas although

cats are solitary by nature. rugby is played with an oval ball. in Australia it starts in September. they spend their lives in water. future vehicles may use hydrogen. people know it is harmful. it is a liquid at room temperature. French is descended from Latin. it lacks any scientific proof.

Exercise 4. BUT vs. ALTHOUGH.

Look at the notes below. Make sentences with a similar meaning using the above linkers as in the example. Change the order if necessary.

Examlpe: Sally isn’t very tall / Sally is good at basketball.  Although Sally isn’t very tall, she is good at basketball. Sally isn’t very tall, but she is good at basketball.

1. Mongolia doesn’t have a large population /Mongolia is a large country.

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2. Jane likes to sing / Jane is not a very good singer.

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3. My car runs very well /I didn’t pay a lot of money for my car.

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4. Syntex is a smaller company than Tenbol / Syntex is more profitable than Tenbol.

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5. Van Gogh’s paintings are now worth millions / Van Gogh didn’t sell any paintings during his lifetime.

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6. The project was almost complete / it lost its funding.

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7. A lot of novels are published every year / very few novels become bestsellers.

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8. There remain diseases for which there’s no cure / smallpox has been eradicated.

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Exercise 5. HOWEVER & NEVERTHELESS. Choose a correct linker. Sometimes both may do.

Captain Crock is reporting on a planet he is exploring.

The creatures on this planet appear to be intelligent. However/Nevertheless, they have not tried to make contact with us. The area to the North is a desert. However/Nevertheless, the area to the South has thick forests. Several of our crew have had a strange illness, but nevertheless/however we intend to continue with our exploration. The planet has two suns. One of them is like our own sun. Nevertheless /However, the other is blue in colour. The planet is beautiful, but however / nevertheless there is something frightening about it. I have ordered Mercury brigade to explore to the South. However/Nevertheless, Mars brigade will stay to guard the spaceship. I was bitten by a giant ant this morning. However/Nevertheless, I shall continue… (Here Captain Crock’s report ends.)

Exercise 6. ON THE OTHER HAND vs. BY CONTRAST. Choose a relevant linker so that the sentence sounds logical.