comparatives

as if + NON-FINITE CLAUSE

‘As if’ means ‘as would be the case if’. Here’s an example of the subordinators as if +  Verb-ing clause. She studied the bracelet as if trying to estimate its fair market value. Listen ‘trying to estimate…’ is a manner clause, it describes how she studied. We could ask the question, How did she study it?   C2 point 133 CLAUSES/comparatives is defined as: ‘as if’ + […]

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SO + adjective + AS + TO-infinitive

The text discusses the “so + adjective + as + to-infinitive” structure in English, which expresses a state or condition leading to an outcome. It’s used in formal contexts and polite requests. Examples include “so unlucky as to be diagnosed with cancer,” indicating a diagnosis leading to hope, and “so kind as to cast your mind back,” a polite request for reminiscence. The structure is versatile, showing cause and effect in various contexts.

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‘He’s not that much better’ (not that much + COMPARATIVE)

  Yardbarker The Bears’ quarterback has been better of late, but not that much better. *’of late‘ means recently. Point 78 in ADJECTIVES/comparatives is defined as: ‘not that much’ to modify comparative adjectives to a small degree in iWeb: 1 NOT THAT MUCH BETTER 280 2 NOT THAT MUCH BIGGER 109 It’s just not that much bigger. gundogsupply.com (listen to a similar sentence) 3 NOT

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MORE + adjective

The main point is the use of ‘more’ as an adverb to form comparatives of adverbs and adjectives. This is seen at A2 level in the English Grammar Profile. Examples from the iWeb corpus include ‘more likely’, ‘more important’, and ‘more difficult’. The term ‘more’ can also be used with adverbs, which is considered B2 level. Additionally, the term ‘more’ is used with a range of vocabulary in the English Vocabulary Profile, such as ‘advanced’, ‘attractive’, ‘comfortable’, and others.

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comparative adjective list

BETTER AIRIER ANGRIER APTER BADDER BALDER BEEFIER BETTER-INFORMED BETTER-KNOWN BETTER-LOOKING BETTER-OFF BETTER-THAN-EXPECTED BIGGER BLACKER BLEAKER BLONDER BLOODIER BLUER BLUNTER BLURRIER BOLDER BOSSIER BOUNCIER BRAINIER BRASHER BRAVER BRIEFER BRIGHTER BROADER BROWNER BULKIER BUMPIER BUSHIER BUSIER BUSTIER CALMER CAMPER CATHETER CHEAPER CHEWIER CHILLIER CHUNKIER CLASSIER CLEANER CLEARER CLEVERER CLOSER CLOUDIER CLUNKIER COARSER COLDER COMFIER COOLER COSTLIER COZIER

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What part of speech is the word ‘MORE’?

So I go outside  and I‘m sitting in my car,  but I‘m getting more and more upset. All Square 1 ‘more’ is a comparative after-determiner (DAR), when it is followed by a noun phrase. For example: For more information, contact me. One or more of the people have come. 2 ‘more’ is a comparative adverb of degree (RGR), when it modifies an adjective or adverb. You are

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(slightly | a bit | much) + COMPARATIVE

At A2 in the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary: a bit [singular] (used as an adverb) (especially British English) = rather; to some extent Here are comparative examples: You might need a bit more than that. Is that everything? I mean, it seemed like he said quite a bit more than that. Listen   Now, let’s explain an expert example of the C1 grammar structure: ‘a bit’ + comparative adjective phrase.   Remember that

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more | less + likely

Point 169 in the category of MODALITY is defined as: ‘(much) more/less’ to modify ‘likely’ in a comparison. There is overlap with point 63 in ADVERB phrases: types and meanings at C1. degree adverbs (‘slightly’, ‘a bit’, ‘much‘) to modify comparatives A cluster search on iWeb for * * less|more likely * *:   1

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introduce a comparison

In the English Grammar Profile, B2 point 10 in DISCOURSE MARKERS in writing is defined as: a range of phrases as discourse markers to introduce a comparison. There are three examples of these in the English Grammar Profile. 1. Similarly For Hitler to fail at Stalingrad would be an enormous blow to the Nazi myth. It would be an enormous blow to the war itself. Similarly, Josef Stalin was unrelenting. He would not tolerate defeat. WWII from Space   Collocates of ‘Similarly‘ (word ranking: 2809)

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THE + comparative phrases ‘The more you have, the better it is.’

In the English Grammar Profile, B2 point 56 in the category of DETERMINERS and articles is defined as “the” in comparative phrases ‘more’, ‘less’, ‘worse’, ‘better’ * the more’, ‘less’, ‘worse’ * to talk about one thing that is affected by another. comparative clauses For example: The broader the sentiment across business, the more influence and power there is to make change. timesnewsgroup.com.au   The more guns there are here, the more likely there is to

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the same (NOUN) as + CLAUSE

In the English Grammar Profile, B2 point 101 in CLAUSES & comparatives is defined as ‘THE SAME’ (+ NOUN) + ‘AS’ + CLAUSE In the following example ‘way’ can be removed: I want to be around as many people as possible who feel the same way as I do. listen But Alan says none of us are the same as we were a moment ago and we shouldn’t try to be. listen   Sadly there is no mention of whether this is only finite clauses because

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RATHER THAN + non-finite clause | phrase

Let’s look at how ‘rather than‘ is used to compare.  In the English Vocabulary Profile, at B1 the meaning is:  ‘instead of ‘ rather than examples: I‘d like coffee rather than tea. I usually wear a swimsuit rather than shorts. In the above examples: coffee, tea, a swimsuit, shorts are nouns or noun phrases, so ‘rather than‘ or ‘instead of‘ are complex prepositions. Here’s

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as if | as though (COMPARISON)

The phrases “as if” and “as though” are used to express that something is like something else, but it is not actually the same. They can be used to compare things that are similar, or to describe something that is imaginary or hypothetical.

In English grammar, there are two different points that describe how to use these phrases:

EGP B2 Point 90: “as if” or “as though” + finite clause to introduce a second clause as a comparison.
EGP B1 Point 70: verbs of the senses + “as if” or “as though” + finite clause.
The main difference between these two points is that the B2 point allows for a wider range of verbs, including non-sensory verbs. The B1 point is specifically for sensory verbs, such as see, hear, feel, smell, and taste.

Here are some examples of how to use “as if” and “as though” in accordance with these grammar points:

B2 example: It’s as if the cat can read my mind.
B1 example: I feel as if I’m being watched.
It’s important to note that the B1 example uses the subjunctive mood in the second clause. This is because the speaker is describing a hypothetical situation.

The text also mentions that the phrase “as if” is more common than “as though.” This is true, especially in informal writing and speech. However, both phrases are considered to be grammatically correct.

Overall, the text provides a good overview of the different ways to use the phrases “as if” and “as though.” It also highlights some of the more subtle nuances of these phrases, such as the difference between the B2 and B1 grammar points.

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adverb comparative phrase ‘more frequently than’

‘more rapidly‘ is an example of an adverb phrase.  In this example, ‘rapidly‘ is the head of the phrase. B2 point 55 in the English Grammar Profile under the category of adverbs is defined: phrases that modify with an adverb and comparative structure. What is particularly noticeable about this structure is that it attracts higher

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