Double Comparatives

Although many learners and teachers call the pattern

LESS LESSTHE MORE A , THE MORE B

-ER -ER

double comparatives, it is actually used to describe how one thing increases or decreases in relations to another. The pattern, used to express proportion, consists of two clauses beginning with the + a comparative adjective or adverb.

The bigger your income is, the more you spend.

This pattern is used with adverbs as much as with adjectives.

The faster we drive, the earlier we will arrive home.

Kids! The older they get, the more trouble they become.

[Notice the changing word order.]

More examples:

The more, the merrier. (proverb)

The sooner, the better.

The more experienced you are, the easier it is to find a job.

The more books you have, the more difficult it becomes to find place for them.

The more he talked, the more annoyed I became.

The smaller the classroom is, the harder it is to keep a distance among the students.

The larger the house (is), the more expensive it becomes to maintain.

The less you eat, the more quickly you’ll lose weight.

[Sometimes the verb be can be omitted.]

The more tickets you can sell, the better. (i.e. the better it will be)

Works consulted:Cassell’s Students’ English Grammar. Jake Allsop. (ELBS Edition, 1986) Longman Advanced Learners’ Grammar. Mark Foley & Diana Hall (Pearson Education Ltd., 2003)A Communicative Grammar of English. Geoffrey Leech & Jan Svartvik (3rd Ed. Pearson Education Ltd., 2002)

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Exercises Rewrite the sentences without changing the meaning.

1. Students become more nervous as they get closer to their exams.

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2. Dogs become less aggressive as they get older.

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3. We discussed this matter more. However, it became more complicated.

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4. As I carried the shopping bags longer, they became heavier.

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5. If I stay longer at home, I feel like moving less.

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6. I buy more and more books. Then it becomes more difficult to choose what to

read.

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7. As I look after more cats every day, it becomes more expensive to supply cat

food.

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8. You’ll become more fluent if you write more.

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9. When computers get smaller, they are harder to afford.

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10. Days get longer. So, we’ll get more sunlight.

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11. People become more tolerant as they grow old.

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12. If I spend less, I’ll save more money.

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13. When you have more time, you move slower.

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14. I have more and more exams these days; so, I get more tired and sleepless.

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15. If you travel more, you will know the world better.

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Suggested answers to the exercises.

1. The closer the students get to their exams, the more nervous they become.

2. The older dogs get, the less aggressive they become.

3. The more we discussed this matter, the more complicated it became.

4. The longer I carried the shopping bags, the heavier they became.

5. The longer I stay at home, the less I feel like moving.

6. The more books I buy, the more difficult it becomes to choose what to read.

7. The more cats I look after every day, the more expensive it becomes to supply cat

food.

8. The more you write, the more fluent you’ll become.

9. The smaller computers get, the harder they become to afford.

10. The longer days are, the more sunlight we’ll get.

11. The older people grow, the more tolerant they become.

12. The less I spend, the more money I’ll save.

13. The more time you have, the slower you move.

14. The more exams I have these days, the more tired and sleepless I get.

15. The more you travel, the better you know the world.

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