Complete the sentences with the words below.

a              as              even               just              like              lot               near               quite

LOOK OUT!

1 We can qualify comparatives using a little, slightly, a lot, much, far, no, even.

Flying is much safer than driving.

2 We can qualify comparatives with as ... as, using just for similar things, almost / nearly / not quite for small differences or nowhere near/nothing like for big differences.

Flying's nowhere near as dangerous as driving.

Tạm dịch

LOOK OUT!

1 Chúng ta có thể định tính các so sánh bằng cách sử dụng a little, little, a lot, many, far, no, even.

Đi máy bay an toàn hơn nhiều so với lái xe.

2 Chúng ta có thể định tính so sánh bằng as ... as, chỉ sử dụng cho những thứ tương tự, gần như / gần / không hoàn toàn cho những khác biệt nhỏ hoặc không gần/không có gì giống như cho những khác biệt lớn.

Đi máy bay không nguy hiểm bằng lái xe.

6 Read the Look out! box and find examples of points 1 and 2 in the text in exercise 3. Then underline the correct words to complete facts (1-5).

(Hãy đọc phần Look out! và tìm ví dụ về điểm 1 và 2 trong đoạn văn ở bài tập 3. Sau đó gạch dưới những từ đúng để hoàn thành dữ kiện (1-5).)

1 £100 million is almost / nowhere near as much as €300 million.

2 Gold is a little / a lot more expensive than steel.

3 The Pacific Ocean is slightly / far bigger than the Arctic Ocean.

4 Spain's population is just / nothing like as big as China's.

5 Venus is much / a little smaller than Earth.

7 USE OF ENGLISH Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first. Use the words in brackets.

(Hoàn thành câu thứ hai sao cho có nghĩa tương tự câu thứ nhất. Sử dụng các từ trong ngoặc.)

1 Maths is far more difficult than history. (nowhere near)

History ____________________ maths.

2 Cars are nowhere near as safe as planes. (much)

Planes ____________________ cars.

3 Health is a lot more important than money. (nothing like)

Money is ____________________ health.

4 Facebook didn't use to be so popular. (than)

Facebook is ____________________ used to be.

5 You don't need as much money when you're young.  (older)

The ____________________ money you need.

2.2  Qualifying comparatives

(So sánh chỉ mức độ)

• We can use (so) much or far to make the meaning of a comparative form more extreme.

It’s far hotter than I expected.

He eats so much more healthily than he used to.

• We use even to express surprise.

I’m tall, but you’re even taller!

• We can use a little, slightly, a bit, a lot, or no to modify a comparison.

It’s a bit colder than I expected.

They played no worse than last time.

• We can modify a comparison with as … as by using just, almost, nearly, nowhere near, or nothing like.

He’s just as competitive as his sister.

Silver is nowhere near as expensive as gold.

• We can talk about a gradual change by repeating a comparative form.

It’s getting harder and harder to save money.

• We can use this comparative structure to show that two things change because they are connected.

The more I exercise, the fitter I get.

• Comparison often have a clause after than.

Flying to Australia is quicker than it used to be.

Tạm dịch

• Chúng ta có thể dùng (so) much hoặc far để làm cho ý nghĩa của dạng so sánh trở nên nhiều hơn.

Nó nóng hơn nhiều so với tôi mong đợi.

Anh ấy ăn uống lành mạnh hơn trước rất nhiều.

• Chúng ta dùng even để diễn tả sự ngạc nhiên.

Tôi cao, nhưng bạn thậm chí còn cao hơn!

• Chúng ta có thể sử dụng a little, little, a bit, a lot hoặc no để bổ nghĩa cho sự so sánh.

Trời hơi lạnh hơn tôi mong đợi.

Họ chơi không tệ hơn lần trước.

• Chúng ta có thể sửa đổi sự so sánh với as ... as bằng cách sử dụng just,gần như,gần như,không gần,hoặc không gì giống.

Anh ấy cũng có tính cạnh tranh như em gái mình.

Bạc không đắt bằng vàng.

• Chúng ta có thể nói về sự thay đổi dần dần bằng cách lặp lại dạng so sánh hơn.

Việc tiết kiệm tiền ngày càng khó khăn hơn.

• Chúng ta có thể sử dụng cấu trúc so sánh này để chỉ ra rằng hai sự vật thay đổi vì chúng có mối liên hệ với nhau.

Càng tập thể dục, tôi càng khỏe hơn.

• So sánh thường có mệnh đề sau than.

Bay đến Úc nhanh hơn trước đây.

1  Choose the correct answer to complete the sentences.

(Chọn đáp án đúng để hoàn thành các câu.)

1  The older / oldest he gets, the richer he becomes.

2  I’m more energetic than / as I used to be.

3  We’re going to be late – could you walk a bit more fast / faster?

4  The film was less / least interesting than I thought it would be.

5  The more /  less we talk, the longer the homework will take.

6  His bag is heavy but hers is even heavier / heaviest!

7  My new tablet isn’t as big than / as yours.

2  Choose the correct word or phrase to complete the sentences. Use each word or phrase once.

(Chọn từ hoặc cụm từ đúng để hoàn thành câu. Sử dụng mỗi từ hoặc cụm từ một lần.)

1  Riding a horse is _________________ difficult than riding a bicycle.

2  Italy is _________________ as big as China.

3  I’m _________________ younger than my twin sister – by a few minutes!

4  Let’s buy this magazine – it’s _________________ as expensive as that one so we’ll save a little money.

5  I’m quite short but my mum’s _________________ shorter!

6  It’s _________________ as hot as it was yesterday – it’s just a few degrees cooler.

4 Choose the correct answers (a-c) to complete the sentences.

(Chọn câu trả lời đúng (a-c) để hoàn thành câu.)

1 A quarter is ______ much as 25%.

a nowhere near as

b almost as

c just as

2 A second is ______ long as a minute.

a not quite as

b nothing like as

c nearly as

3 Eleven forty-five p.m. is ______ late as midnight.

a nearly as

b nowhere near as

c just as

4 Ninety-eight cents is ______ much as a euro.

a just as

b not quite as

c nothing like as

5 Spain is ______ cold as Iceland.

a nearly as

b almost as

c nowhere near as

6 The UK is ______ big as Russia.

a almost as

b nothing like as

c not quite as

6 Complete the text with the words below.

(Hoàn thành văn bản với các từ dưới đây.)

Thanks to some films and TV shows, and certain types of music, many people still regard big cities in the USA as violent and crime-filled. However, recent reports show that they're ¹ _____ near as dangerous as some people believe. Statistics for violent crime are nothing ² _____ as bad as they were in the 1990s; the chance of being robbed or murdered

is much lower ³ _____ in the 1990s when those crimes were far ⁴ _____ common than they are today. There are also slightly ⁵ _____ property crimes than forty years ago, with a drop of 2.8% being reported by some sources. Many inner-city areas once considered 'no-go' zones are ⁶ _____ more pleasant than they used to be, and cities generally are just as safe ⁷ _____ anywhere else in the world. The problem, of course, is that the more the media focuses on the few serious crimes, ⁸ _____ more afraid people become.