Section IV
Trying Your Hand

Sentence Writing
Comparison of Adjectives and Adverbs
(Refer to the Workbook for the rules)
I. Write Through Applying Grammar Rules
Complete the following sentences using the comparative form.

1. He is much _____ (fit) and ________ (strong) than his brother.
2. The people there are ____________ (friendly) and _______________ (humorous) than we expected.
3. The boy plans his time ______ (well) and _____________ (carefully) than ever before.
4. He earns _____ (much) money, but _____ (little) respect than he used to.
5. The weather is getting ______ (hot) and ___________ (humid).
6. This apartment is ______ (nice) and ______ (cozy) than the other one.
7. Jane sings ______ (well) but dances ________ (not well) than Mary does.
8. ___________ (early) you start, the _______ (soon) you’ll finish the work.
9. Lizzy is ________ (nice) as, if not _____ (nice) than, Mary.
10. Pronunciation is no _______________ (important) than grammar to an English learner.

Key:
1. fitter, stronger              2. more friendly, (more) humorous
3. better, more carefully        4. more, less
5. hotter, more humid          6. nicer, cozier
7. better, less well             8. The earlier, the sooner
9. as nice, nicer               10. less important

II. Write Through Correcting Mistakes
Correct the errors in the following sentences, using the correct comparative or superlative degree forms.
1. The shopkeeper offered him the better hat in the shop with the lower price.
2. This city is one of the most mild and quiet places in China.
3. Tim thinks far, and his father thinks farther, and his grand father thinks more farther of all.
4. The Yellow River is the second long river in China.
5. This is a very poor excuse I have ever heard.
6. Christmas is the more important celebration than Thanksgiving Day.
7. This material is the most light in weight.
8. This flower is more beautiful and smells nicely of all the flowers in the garden.
9. Longfellow doesn’t run faster than Jim.
10. The more your vocabulary is, the more easier it is for you to understand English.
11. The new playground is three time large than the old one.
12. The task turns out to be more harder than we expected.
13. It is the most perfect day for a picnic.
14. Bob is the most bright in the three boys.
15. I don’t like anything better than a nice cup of tea.
16. Lizzy is the prettiest than all her sisters.
17. John’s wife is very rude, and John is not any more polite than her.

Key:

1. The shopkeeper offered him the best hat in the shop with the lowest price.
2. The city is one of the mildest and quietest places in China.
3. Tim thinks far, and his father thinks farther, and his grand father thinks the farthest of all.
4. The Yellow River is the second longest river in China.
5. This is the poorest excuse I have ever heard.
6. Christmas is a more important celebration than Thanksgiving Day.
7. This material is the lightest in weight.
8. This flower is the most beautiful and smells nicest of all the flowers in the garden.
9. Longfellow doesn’t run as far as Jim
10. The larger your vocabulary is, the easier it is for you to understand English.
11. The new playground is three times larger than the old one.
12. The task turns out to be much harder than we expected.
13. It is a perfect day for a picnic.
14. Bob is the brightest of the three boys.
15. I like nothing better than a nice cup of tea.
16. Lizzy is prettier than / more pretty than / the prettiest of all her sisters.
17. John’s wife is very rude, and John is no more polite than her.

III. Write Through Translating
Translate the following sentences into English by expressing comparison in as many ways as you can:

1. 旅途比我想象得要顺利。
2. 我打字的速度比他快。
3. 足球队今天的表现不如昨天。
4. 这个女孩的穿着是班里最时髦的。
5. 玛丽显得比实际年龄要年轻。
6. 四川菜远比上海菜辣。

Key:

1. The journey is smoother than I have expected.

The journey is less rough than I have expected.
The journey is not as rough as I have expected.

2.I type faster than he does.

He doesn’t type as fast as I do.

3The football team doesn’t perform as well as they did yesterday.

The football team performed better yesterday than they do today.
The football team’s performance was better yesterday.

4This girl dresses in the most fashionable way in her class.

This girl dresses most fashionably in her class.
This girl dresses more fashionably than anyone else in her class

5Mary looks much younger than she really is.

Mary is much older than she looks
Mary is not as young as she looks.

6Sichuan dishes are much hotter than Shanghai dishes.

Sichuan dishes are much lighter than Sichuan dishes.
Sichuan dishes are not as hot as Sichuan dishes.

IV. Write Through Describing a Picture
Write a short passage of about 100 words to tell a story or about an event related to the picture given. Some useful words and phrases are provided here to help you. Start the passage with "The Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional Chinese festival."

fall on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month;     
weather turns warm;
observe the festival to commemorate;
Qu Yuan, the ancient patriotic poet;
traditional customs;
wrap and eat Zongzi, special food for this festival;
pyramid-shaped dumpling;
glutinous rice;
bamboo leaves;
sweet and salty fillings;
Dragon Boat Racing;
special activity;
row Dragon Boat;
remind Chinese people of Qu Yuan;
inspire people to love the motherland;

Key: