Grammar Practice - Oxford University Press



Grammar Practice

Comparatives and superlatives

Grammar Reference p180–182

20 For 1–6 decide which of a, b or c means about the same as the first sentence.

1 I’m nothing like as patient as I used to be.

a I’m more patient now than I was.

b I used to have a little more patience.

c I used to have a lot more patience.

2 Helen earns nearly as much money as her boss.

a Helen’s boss earns quite a bit more than she does.

b Helen’s boss earns a little more than she does.

c Helen earns more money than her boss.

3 There are just as many cafés in London as in Paris.

a There are more cafés in London.

b There aren’t as many cafés in Paris.

c There are about the same number of cafés in Paris and London.

4 Russian is nowhere near as difficult as German.

a German is a lot more difficult than Russian.

b German is a bit easier than Russian

c There isn’t much difference between Russian and German.

5 A tennis ball isn’t nearly as heavy as a cannonball.

a A cannonball is a bit heavier than a tennis ball.

b A tennis ball is a lot lighter than a cannonball.

c A tennis ball is heavier than a cannonball.

6 She can speak French, but not quite as well as she can speak Italian.

a Her Italian is a little better than her French.

b Her French is a little better than her Italian.

c Her Italian is much better than her French.

21 Rewrite sentences a–h using the words in brackets.

a Kate is nearly as tall as her dad. (only slightly/short)

……………………………….…………………………….

b Pete and Ben are both fast runners. Perhaps Pete is not quite as fast as Ben. (a little/slow)

……………………………….…………………………….

c It’s not quite as warm as it was yesterday. (a bit/cool)

……………………………….…………………………….

d The Ritz Hotel is nowhere near as comfortable as The Metro. (much less)

……………………………….…………………………….

e Writing English is just as easy as speaking it. (no more/difficult)

……………………………….…………………………….

f A tennis court is nothing like as big as a football pitch. (far/big)

……………………………….…………………………….

g Sumo wrestlers are a great deal heavier than ballet dancers. (nowhere near/heavy)

……………………………….…………………………….

h Playing rugby is no more dangerous than playing football. (just as/safe)

……………………………….…………………………….

22 For each of a–h complete the sentence with the correct word from those in brackets.

a He is ……. an idiot that he hasn’t got a friend in the world. (so/such)

b It is ……….. an unfriendly dog that no-one will go near it. (so/such)

c You have to be ………. tall to be a policeman, and I’m afraid we have to reject your application. (quite/so)

d I’m sorry, but you haven’t passed your driving test. You went a bit …….. fast round the roundabout. (too/very)

e I really wasn’t brave ………….. to go on any of the fairground rides. (such/enough)

f The coffee in The Dome is better ………… in Café Uno. (as/than)

g We rigged the boat up but then decided that the sea was ………… rough to go sailing. (too/enough)

h It’s the best I can do. This is as good …………… it gets. (as/like)

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