<p> Grammar Practice </p><p>Comparatives and superlatives</p><p>Grammar Reference p180–182</p><p>20 For 1–6 decide which of a, b or c means about the same as the first sentence. 1 I’m nothing like as patient as I used to be. a I’m more patient now than I was. b I used to have a little more patience. c I used to have a lot more patience. </p><p>2 Helen earns nearly as much money as her boss. a Helen’s boss earns quite a bit more than she does. b Helen’s boss earns a little more than she does. c Helen earns more money than her boss. </p><p>3 There are just as many cafés in London as in Paris. a There are more cafés in London. b There aren’t as many cafés in Paris. c There are about the same number of cafés in Paris and London. </p><p>4 Russian is nowhere near as difficult as German. a German is a lot more difficult than Russian. b German is a bit easier than Russian c There isn’t much difference between Russian and German. </p><p>5 A tennis ball isn’t nearly as heavy as a cannonball. a A cannonball is a bit heavier than a tennis ball. b A tennis ball is a lot lighter than a cannonball. c A tennis ball is heavier than a cannonball. </p><p>6 She can speak French, but not quite as well as she can speak Italian. a Her Italian is a little better than her French. b Her French is a little better than her Italian. c Her Italian is much better than her French.</p><p>21 Rewrite sentences a–h using the words in brackets. a Kate is nearly as tall as her dad. (only slightly/short) ……………………………….……………………………. b Pete and Ben are both fast runners. Perhaps Pete is not quite as fast as Ben. (a little/slow) ……………………………….……………………………. c It’s not quite as warm as it was yesterday. (a bit/cool) ……………………………….……………………………. d The Ritz Hotel is nowhere near as comfortable as The Metro. (much less) ……………………………….……………………………. e Writing English is just as easy as speaking it. (no more/difficult) ……………………………….……………………………. f A tennis court is nothing like as big as a football pitch. (far/big) ……………………………….……………………………. g Sumo wrestlers are a great deal heavier than ballet dancers. (nowhere near/heavy) ……………………………….……………………………. h Playing rugby is no more dangerous than playing football. (just as/safe) ……………………………….……………………………. </p><p>22 For each of a–h complete the sentence with the correct word from those in brackets. a He is ……. an idiot that he hasn’t got a friend in the world. (so/such) b It is ……….. an unfriendly dog that no-one will go near it. (so/such) c You have to be ………. tall to be a policeman, and I’m afraid we have to reject your application. (quite/so) d I’m sorry, but you haven’t passed your driving test. You went a bit …….. fast round the roundabout. (too/very) e I really wasn’t brave ………….. to go on any of the fairground rides. (such/enough) f The coffee in The Dome is better ………… in Café Uno. (as/than) g We rigged the boat up but then decided that the sea was ………… rough to go sailing. (too/enough) h It’s the best I can do. This is as good …………… it gets. (as/like)</p>