UNIT 5.

Degrees of Comparison

 

The Positive Degree	The Comparative Degree	The Superlative Degree
I. cold busy clever severe big	colder busier cleverer severer bigger	the coldest the busiest the cleverest the severest the biggest
II. interesting difficult	more interesting more difficult	the most interesting the most difficult
III. good хороший well хорошо bad плохой badly плохо little - ма- ленький many много much far - далекий, далеко late поздний old - старей	better - лучше   worse - хуже     less - меньше more - больше farther дальше, further более далекий later - позже older - старее elder	the best - наилучший, самый хороший the worst - наихуд­ший, самый плохой the least - наимень­ший the most - наибольший the farthest самый the furthest далекий   the latest - последний (о времени) the last - последний (o порядкеследования) the oldest самый the eldest старший

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Comparative Constructions.

1. При сравнений двух предметов после прилагательного в
сравнительной степени употребляется союз than:

The Volga is longer than the Dnieper. - Волга длиннее, чем Днепр. (Волга длиннее Днепра).

2. Для сравнения двух предметов одинакового качества (фор­
мы, размера и т.д.) употребляется союз as... as:

The 1st text is as long as the 2nd text. - Первый текст такой же длинный, как второй.

3. При сравнении двух предметов неодинакового качества
употребляются обороты n ot so... as, not as... as:
Jack isn't as old as he looks. - Джек выглядит старше,
чем он есть на самом деле.

Henry isn't so rich as Joe. - Генри не так богат, как Джо.

4. Если один ив сравниваемых объектов превосходит другой в
несколько раз по степени интенсивности к-л качества, то
употребляется следующая конструкция:

This route is twice as long as that one. - Этот маршрут вдвое Длиннее, чем тот.

His саг is four times as expensive as mine. - Его машина дороже моей вчетверо.

5. Параллельное нарастание интенсивности к-л качества выра­
жается конструкцией: the + сравнительная степень...,
the + сравнительная степень:

The longer is the night, the shorter is the day. - Чем длиннее ночь, тем короче день.

The older he grew the wiser he became. - Чем старше он становился, тем он становился мудрее.

Exercise 1. Form the degrees of comparison of the following

adjectives. A. Tall, high, light, cold, full, thick, quick, flat,

young, deep, sweet, weak, easy, busy, big, thin. B.Famous, active, serious, wonderful, beautiful, comfor-

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table, general, outstanding, interesting.

C. Good, little, bad, many, far, near, much.

Exercise 2. Translate into English.

A. Ярче, проще, старше, лучше, прекраснее, уже, новее,
быстрее, легче, хуже, короче, глубже, теплее, больше.

B. Самый занятой, самый краткий, самый знаменитый, самый
замечательный, самый большой, самый удобный, самый моло­
дой, самый маленький, наилучший, добрейший, самый счаст­
ливый, самый трудный, наихудший, самый грязный.

Exercise 3. Translate the following sentences into Russian.

A. 1. He is brighter than his brother.

2. She is taller than her sister.

3. His eyes are darker than coal.

4. Her forehead is whiter than snow.

5. His reading is better than his spelling.

6. This box is heavier than that one.

7. This house is higher than that one.

8. This road is longer than that one.

9. This book is more interesting than that one.
10. She is more serious than her sister.

B. 1. My health is worse than his.

2. His flat is larger than ours.

3. Our river is deeper than theirs.

4. This room is colder than ours.

5. Your task is easier than his.

6. Their flat is larger than their mother's.

7. Our task is easier than our friends'.

8. His garden is more wonderful than his neighbour's.

9. My flat is more comfortable than my father's.
1O. His feet are larger than his father's.

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С. 1. Her answer is the best. 2. His room is the warmest. 3. She is the prettiest girl of the group. 4. He is the best friend of mine. 5. He is the most outstanding of our scientists. 6. This is the most interesting problem of all. 7. She is the busiest of the faculty. 8. This is the most difficult experiment of his. 9. This news is the most exciting in the world. 10. This task is the most important in this Chapter.

Exercise 4. Give full answers to the following questions. Example: Is Nick the worst sportsman in your group?

- Yes, he is. Nick is the worst sportsman in our group.

1. Is honey sweeter than sugar?

2. Is he cleverer than his brother?

3. Is his work the best at the faculty?

4. Is June the hottest month of the year?

Б. Is Lomonosov the most outstanding scientist of Russia in the 18th century?

6. Is your friend the worst student of the faculty?

7. Is English easier than any other foreign language?

8. Is the longest day of the year the 30th of June?

9. Is it difficult to say which month is the best?

10, Are the days in summer shorter than the nights?

11. Is February the shortest month of the year?

Exercise 6. Answer the following questions.

Example: Is this magazine as thick as that book? Is it

thinner than that book? It is not so thick as

that book, is it? - This magazine is not so

thick as that, book. It is thinner than that

book.

1. Is Tyumen as big as Moscow? Is it smaller than Moscow?

It is not so big as Moscow, is it? Which is bieger Tyu-

men or Moscow?

2. Is Newton as famous as Einstein? Is Newton more famous than Einstein? Newton is as famous as Einstein, isn't he? Who is more famous, Newton or Einstein? Who is the most famous of the two?

3. Is the moon as far as the sun? Is the sun farther than the moon? The sun is as far as the moon isn't it? Which is farther, the sun or the moon? Which of the two Is the farthest?

4. Is this road as short as that one? Is it shorter than that one? It is as short as that one isn't it? Which road is shorter, this or that one? Which is the stor-test road of the two?

Exercise 6. Translate into Russian paying special attention to the phrases italicised.

1. My sister is six years older than I.

2. Our new house is five storeys higher than the one we lived in before.

3. I am seven centimetres taller than my brother.

4. She is three years younger than her husband.

5. Let's take this way, it's two miles shorter than that

one.

6. The temperature is rising. It is already four degrees
higher than it was in the morning.

7. This problem is twice more difficult than the one you
have just mentioned.

8. The lake we have just crossed is three times as wide,as the one we crossed yesterday.

9. Have you seen the new film? To my mind It is ten times

as interesting as the one you took we to last week. 10. The canyon before them was many times as long as the one they had so successful1у got over the day before.

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