Lesson 210--Comparatives using the

 

One of my favourite things to teach is comparison phrases.  My students have come up with some great sentences since I have been teaching.  Of all the ways to make comparisons, my favourite uses the and the.

Examples.

The harder you study, the more you will learn.

The more I eat, the fatter I become.

These comparison sentences show a good relationship between two activities.  The adjectives follow the same rules as a comparison using than (words that take er, still take er, words that take more, still take more).

Some common phrases include;

The bigger the better.

A challenge for you.  Please complete these sentences and put them in the reply column of this blog (you can post it anonymously).

 Challenge Quiz

1. The more I sleep, __________________
2. The more hansome the guy/the more beautiful the girl ____________
3. The later I go to bed, _____________________
4. The more money I save, __________________
5. The less money I have, ___________________
6. The smaller the book, ____________________
7. The more expensive the restaurant, _______________

Lesson 202--Hands Down the Greatest

Most of my students understand the phrase "put your hands up" even though I really don't use it very much.  I wonder, though, could they guess the meaning of "hands down"?

Hands down is used to intensify the meaning of how much better, or how much more special something is.  When it is hands down the best, that means there is no competition whatsoever.

examples

Paul is hands down the best looking boy in the school.  He makes other boys look hideous.

Martha is hands down the best swimmer on the team.  She must be part fish

This is hands down the best cake I have ever tasted.

The 1967 Mustang is hands down the most beautiful car ever made.

A Quiz for you.  Please send me your answers (on the blog, not on Facebook)

1. ________ is hands down the best rock band in the history of music.
2. ________ is hands down the best movie ever made.
3. ________ is hands down the best bar in Toronto.
4. ________ is hands down the best flavour of ice cream.
5. ________ is hands down the most talented actor/actress ever.
6. ________ is hands down the biggest drinker in the history of LSC/EC.