EXERCISES for Chapter 22

1. Make up your own comparisons, using the pronouns he, she and I with the adjectives given below. For example:
      brave
      She is as brave as a lion.

      stubborn
      He was as stubborn as a mule.

1. strong
2. beautiful
3. slow
4. frightened
5. busy
6. happy
Answers

2. The following table gives the ages of five children:


Child's NameAge (years)
  Ruth  18
  Angela  12
  Tom   6
  May   3
  Joe   1

Write sentences comparing the ages of the children in each of the pairs indicated below. Use expressions such as twice, three times, four times, five times, one-half, one-third and one-quarter. For example:
      Ruth and Tom
      Ruth is three times as old as Tom.

      Angela and Tom
      Angela is twice as old as Tom

      May and Angela
      May is one-quarter as old as Angela.

1. Angela and May
2. Tom and May
3. Tom and Angela
4. Ruth and May
5. Tom and Ruth
6. Tom and Joe
7. May and Tom
8. Angela and Joe
9. Joe and May
10. May and Joe
Answers

3. Rewrite each of the following sentences as a comparison, using the word or words given in brackets as the second part of the comparison. For example:
      He has a heavy workload. (Tom)
      He has as heavy a workload as Tom.

      She was a good actress. (her cousin)
      She was as good an actress as her cousin.

      They are talented musicians. (their parents)
      They are as talented musicians as their parents.

1. She is a skilled carpenter. (her father)
2. Terry is an efficient manager. (Kay)
3. They are wonderful performers. (their predecessors)
4. He won a prestigious prize. (his competitor)
5. The white hens are good layers. (the brown ones)
6. Rupert is an able administrator. (his boss)
7. She is carrying a heavy parcel. (you)
8. He is a brilliant engineer. (we had been told)
9. She found an important clue. (anyone)
10. They are experienced directors. (one could wish)
Answers

4. Complete each of the following sentences by filling in the blank with the subjective case of the personal pronoun indicated in brackets, followed by the form of the Simple Present of the verb to be which agrees with the pronoun. For example:
      I am as clever as _____. (he, him)
      I am as clever as he is.

      They are as curious as ______. (us, we)
      They are as curious as we are.

1. We are as proud as _____________. (they, them)
2. Henrietta is as silly as _____________. (your, you)
3. They are as confident as _____________. (her, she)
4. Amanda is as surprised as _____________. (I, me)
5. I am not as patient as ___________. (he, him)
6. Ray is as old as _____________. (them, they)
7. Dan is as eager to attend the concert as _____________. (we, us)
8. You are as quick-witted as _____________. (she, her)
9. She is almost as shy as _____________. (him, he)
10. Leonora is just as beautiful as _____________. (me, I)
Answers

5. Paying attention to the correct spelling, complete the following sentences by filling in the blanks with the comparative forms of the adjectives shown in brackets. For example:
      This room is ______ than that one. (warm)
      This room is warmer than that one.

      This sand is _____ than that sand. (fine)
      This sand is finer than that sand.

      My towel is _____ than yours. (dry)
      My towel is drier than yours.

      The grass is ______ than it was yesterday. (wet)
      The grass is wetter than it was yesterday.

      There are _____ people here than I expected. (few)
      There are fewer people here than I expected.

      Her room is ______ than mine. (neat)
      Her room is neater than mine.

1. The village is ____________ than the city. (pretty)
2. This building is ____________ than the one next to it. (big)
3. Your watch is ____________ than mine. (slow)
4. Her roses smell ____________ than ours. (sweet)
5. The corner store is ____________ than the supermarket. (close)
6. The temperature is ____________ today than it was yesterday. (high)
7. His cat is ____________ than yours. (fat)
8. We arrived ____________ than she had expected. (soon)
9. It is ____________ on this side of the valley. (sunny)
10. She is _____________ than her sister. (young)
11. The afternoon is usually ____________ than the morning. (hot)
12. He is ____________ than you are. (weak)
13. The table is ____________ at this end. (low)
14. This book is _____________ than that one. (thin)
15. The bag is _____________ than the suitcase. (heavy)
Answers

6. Complete the following sentences by filling in the blanks with the comparative forms of the irregular adjectives given in brackets. For example:
      Pam is a ______ student than Roger. (good)
      Pam is a better student than Roger.

      His cough is _____ than yours. (bad)
      His cough is worse than yours.

1. I have ___________ eggs than I need. (many)
2. The bread tastes even ___________ than the rolls. (good)
3. She does not want to travel ____________ than necessary. (far)
4. Alice drinks ___________ coffee than Jerry does. (little)
5. We have ___________ honey than we need. (much)
6. Things may be ___________ than you think. (bad)
7. Business is ____________ this year than it was last year. (good)
8. Alan has ___________ money than Ben. (little)
9. She has ___________ self-confidence than I do. (much)
10. The weather was ___________ yesterday than it is today. (bad)
Answers

7. The following table gives the ages and heights of five children:


Child's NameAge (years) Height (centimeters)
  Nancy  16  150
  Dick  15  160
  Lorne  12  140
  Sara   8  110
  Barbara   7  115

Following the model of the examples, write sentences comparing the age or height of the children in each of the following pairs. For example:
      Dick and Lorne (age)
      Dick is older than Lorne.

      Lorne and Dick. (height)
      Lorne is shorter than Dick.

      Sara and Dick (age)
      Sara is younger than Dick.

      Dick and Sara (height)
      Dick is taller than Sara.

1. Nancy and Dick (age)
2. Dick and Nancy (height)
3. Nancy and Lorne (age)
4. Lorne and Nancy (height)
5. Sara and Lorne (age)
6. Lorne and Sara (height)
7. Sara and Barbara (age)
8. Sara and Barbara (height)
9. Barbara and Sara (age)
10. Barbara and Sara (height)
Answers

8. Rewrite the following sentences as comparisons, using the comparative form of the adjective, and the word than. For each sentence, use the word or words given in brackets as the second part of the comparison. For example:
      Tracy is a fast worker. (I am)
      Tracy is a faster worker than I am.

      He is a kind person. (his brother is)
      He is a kinder person than his brother is.

      Bob is a good student. (Tom)
      Bob is a better student than Tom.

1. She is a fine musician. (her cousin is)
2. He has a strong voice. (he used to have)
3. This chair has short legs. (that one does)
4. We are having a hot summer. (you are)
5. She is a good doctor. (her friend is)
6. He has a big book. (you do)
7. They have new boots. (we do)
8. He took an early train. (I did)
9. She is a bad typist. (her colleague is)
10. We order a sweet dessert. (Susan did)
Answers

9. Complete each of the following sentences by filling in the blank with the subjective case of the personal pronoun indicated in brackets, followed by the form of the Simple Present of the verb to be which agrees with the pronoun. For example:
      She is luckier than ____. (I, me)
      She is luckier than I am.

      We are faster than ________. (them, they)
      We are faster than they are.

1. She is older than _____________. (we, us)
2. They are slower than _____________. (him, he)
3. He is fatter than _____________. (me, I)
4. You are stronger than _____________. (they, them)
5. We are younger than _____________. (her, she)
6. I am taller than ____________. (he, him)
7. She is shorter than ____________. (I, me)
8. He is happier than _____________. (them, they)
9. They are no better than . (us, we)
10. I am thinner than _____________.(she, her)
Answers

10. Rewrite each of the following sentences, using the construction in which the comparative form of the adjective is repeated. For example:
      The wind is becoming increasingly strong.
      The wind is becoming stronger and stronger.

      The bag seemed to grow increasingly heavy.
      The bag seemed to grow heavier and heavier.

1. The sky is growing increasingly dark.
2. The grass is becoming increasingly green.
3. Our hands became increasingly dirty.
4. The situation is growing increasingly bad.
5. Their opponents are growing increasingly weak.
6. The mist became increasingly thick.
7. His singing is becoming increasingly good.
8. The trees are growing increasingly tall.
9. The soil is becoming increasingly dry.
10. The time remaining grew increasingly short.
Answers

11. Paying attention to the correct spelling, complete the following sentences by filling in the blanks with the superlative forms of the adjectives shown in brackets. For example:
      He is the _______ runner on the team. (fast)
      He is the fastest runner on the team.

      Have you heard the ______ news? (late)
      Have you heard the latest news?

      They are the _______ people I know. (lazy)
      They are the laziest people I know.

      This is the _______ part of the day. (hot)
      This is the hottest part of the day.

      The black horse was the _______ horse in the race. (slow)
      The black horse was the slowest horse in the race.

      She is the _______ student in the class. (poor)
      She is the poorest student in the class.

1. This is the _____________ highway in the country. (wide)
2. That was the _____________ sunset I have ever seen. (red)
3. Yesterday was the _____________ day of the year. (cold)
4. This is the _____________ way to do it. (easy)
5. The kitchen is the _____________ room in the house. (clean)
6. This is the _____________ model currently available. (new)
7. This is the _____________ cake I have ever eaten. (sweet)
8. The third act is the _____________ part of the play. (sad)
9. The ____________ temperature on record was minus forty degrees. (low)
10. That is probably the _____________ thing to do. (wise)
11. This is the ____________ route into town. (short)
12. She is the _____________ girl I know. (lucky)
Answers

12. Complete the following sentences by filling in the blanks with the superlative forms of the irregular adjectives shown in brackets. For example:
      Pam is the ____ student in the class. (good)
      Pam is the best student in the class.

      That is the _____ essay I have ever read. (bad)
      That is the worst essay I have ever read.

1. This is the ____________ we have ever traveled in one day. (far)
2. Their farm has produced the _____________ tomatoes. (many)
3. Our strawberries have the _____________ flavor. (good)
4. He ate the _____________ jam. (little)
5. That is the _____________ news I have heard yet. (bad)
6. She has the ______________ cheese. (much)
7. They have eaten the _____________ pancakes. (many)
8. That is the ____________ thing that could happen. (bad)
9. We have used the _____________ honey. (much)
10. That is the _____________ suggestion we have heard yet. (good)
11. This is the _____________ stretch of road. (bad)
12. They produced the _____________ butter this year. (little)
Answers

13. The following table gives the age, height, and weight of each child in a group of eight children, together with the amount of money possessed by each child. The highest and lowest numbers in each column have been underlined.


Child's NameAge (years) Height (cm)Weight (kg)Money (dollars)
 Denise 12 140 40  90
 Ted 11 154 43  70
 Ray 10 135 45  25
 Bev  9 130 42 100
 Carl  8 125 35  10
 Amber  7 115 28  30
 Victor  6 110 32  20
 Sally  5 112 29  15

Following the model of the examples, complete the rest of the sentences, indicating which is the youngest, shortest, heaviest, lightest, richest, and poorest child in the group. For example:
      Denise is
      Denise is the oldest child in the group.

      Ted is
      Ted is the tallest child in the group.

1. Ray is
2. Bev is
3. Sally is
4. Victor is
5. Amber is
6. Carl is
Answers

14. Rewrite each of the following sentences, changing the positive form of the adjective to the superlative form, and using the definite article the. Use the words given in brackets as the second part of the comparison. For example:
      This is a cold room. (in the house)
      This is the coldest room in the house.

      That is a good example. (he could find)
      That is the best example he could find.

1. This is an old house. (on the street)
2. That is a large store. (in the city)
3. This is a cool evening. (we have had this week)
4. He is a kind man. (I know)
5. This is a fine view. (in the area)
6. That is a new building. (in town)
7. This is a dusty road. (I have ever walked along)
8. That was a bad storm. (we have had for ten years)
9. This is a long river. (in the country)
10. That is a funny story. (you have ever told)
Answers
 
ANSWERS TO THE EXERCISES for Chapter 22

Answers to Exercise 1:
Examples:
1. He is as strong as an ox. 2. She is as beautiful as a butterfly. 3. He is as slow as a tortoise. 4. She is as frightened as a rabbit. 5. I am as busy as a bee. 6. He is as happy as a lark.

Answers to Exercise 2:
1. Angela is four times as old as May. 2. Tom is twice as old as May. 3. Tom is half as old as Angela. 4. Ruth is six times as old as May. 5. Tom is one-third as old as Ruth. 6. Tom is six times as old as Joe. 7. May is half as old as Tom. 8. Angela is twelve times as old as Joe. 9. Joe is one-third as old as May. 10. May is three times as old as Joe.

Answers to Exercise 3:
1. She is as skilled a carpenter as her father. 2. Terry is as efficient a manager as Kay. 3. They are as wonderful performers as their predecessors. 4. He won as prestigious a prize as his competitor. 5. The white hens are as good layers as the brown ones. 6. Rupert is as able an administrator as his boss. 7. She is carrying as heavy a parcel as you. 8. He is as brilliant an engineer as we had been told. 9. She found as important a clue as anyone. 10. They are as experienced directors as one could wish.

Answers to Exercise 4:
1. they are 2. you are 3. she is 4. I am 5. he is 6. they are 7. we are 8. she is 9. he is 10. I am

Answers to Exercise 5:
1. prettier 2. bigger 3. slower 4. sweeter 5. closer 6. higher 7. fatter 8. sooner 9. sunnier 10. younger 11. hotter 12. weaker 13. lower 14. thinner 15. heavier

Answers to Exercise 6:
1. more 2. better 3. farther 4. less 5. more 6. worse 7. better 8. less 9. more 10. worse

Answers to Exercise 7:
1. Nancy is older than Dick. 2. Dick is taller than Nancy. 3. Nancy is older than Lorne. 4. Lorne is shorter than Nancy. 5. Sara is younger than Lorne. 6. Lorne is taller than Sara. 7. Sara is older than Barbara. 8. Sara is shorter than Barbara. 9. Barbara is younger than Sara. 10. Barbara is taller than Sara.

Answers to Exercise 8:
1. She is a finer musician than her cousin is. 2. He has a stronger voice than he used to have. 3. This chair has shorter legs than that one does. 4. We are having a hotter summer than you are. 5. She is a better doctor than her friend is. 6. He has a bigger book than you do. 7. They have newer boots than we do. 8. He took an earlier train than I did. 9. She is a worse typist than her colleague is.. 10. We ordered a sweeter dessert than Susan did.

Answers to Exercise 9:
1. we are 2. he is 3. I am 4. they are 5. she is 6. he is 7. I am 8. they are 9. we are 10. she is

Answers to Exercise 10:
1. The sky is growing darker and darker. 2. The grass is becoming greener and greener. 3. Our hands became dirtier and dirtier. 4. The situation is growing worse and worse. 5. Their opponents are growing weaker and weaker. 6. The mist became thicker and thicker. 7. His singing is becoming better and better. 8. The trees are growing taller and taller. 9. The soil is becoming drier and drier. 10. The time remaining grew shorter and shorter.

Answers to Exercise 11:
1. widest 2. reddest 3. coldest 4. easiest 5. cleanest 6. newest 7. sweetest 8. saddest 9. lowest 10. wisest 11. shortest 12. luckiest

Answers to Exercise 12:
1. farthest 2. most 3. best 4. least 5. worst 6. most 7. most 8. worst 9. most 10. best 11. worst 12. least

Answers to Exercise 13:
1. Ray is the heaviest child in the group. 2. Bev is the richest child in the group. 3. Sally is the youngest child in the group. 4. Victor is the shortest child in the group. 5. Amber is the lightest child in the group. 6. Carl is the poorest child in the group.

Answers to Exercise 14:
1. This is the oldest house on the street. 2. That is the largest store in the city. 3. This is the coolest evening we have had this week. 4. He is the kindest man I know. 5. This is the finest view in the area. 6. That is the newest building in town. 7. This is the dustiest road I have ever walked along. 8. That was the worst storm we have had for ten years. 9. This is the longest river in the country. 10. That is the funniest story you have ever told.