Double comparatives
Task 1. Choose the correct option to complete the sentences.
1. The old/ older the children are, the tall/ taller they become.
2. The active/ more active you are, the flexible/ more flexible you get.
3. The dark/ darker it got, the nervous/ more nervous James was.
4. The higher/ high the buildings are, the uglier/ ugly they become.
5. The narrow/ narrower the streets are, heavier/ the heavier the traffic jam gets.
6. Louder/ The louder the music was, angrier/ the angrier Peter became.2
Task 2: Complete the text with the correct form of adjectives.
I stayed with my aunt in the city last summer. She took me to a rooftop restaurant for dinner. When I entered the lift, I was extremely excited. However, (1. high) ________ the lift got, (2. scared) ________ I became. Anyway, the food was (3. delicious) ________ any other food I had ever tried. When we nearly finished our meal, the music band in the restaurant started to play. (4. loud) ________ the music was, (5. comfortable) ________ I felt, so I asked my aunt to leave. On the way home, the traffic seemed a bit (6. heavy) ________ usual, so my aunt decided to take a shortcut. Unfortunately, the more we drove in the small road, (7. narrow) ________ it got. When we got home, it was nearly 11p.m. It was (8. long) ________ time we ever spent on the same route.
Task 3. Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first. Use the double comparative structure.
1. James got old. He became wise.
🡪 The _____________________________________________________________.
2. The city was modern. The living standard got high.
🡪 The _____________________________________________________________.
3. The children are young. It is easy for them to remember the lesson.
🡪 The _____________________________________________________________.
4. The hotel is expensive. Its services are good.
🡪 The _____________________________________________________________.
5. The road is dusty. My eyes get itchy.
🡪 The _____________________________________________________________.
ANSWER KEY
Task 1.
1. older, taller
2. more active, more flexible
3. darker, more nervous
4. higher, uglier
5. narrower, the heavier
6. The louder, the angrier 2
Task 2.
I stayed with my aunt in the city last summer. She took me to a rooftop restaurant for dinner. When I entered the lift, I was extremely excited. However, (1) the higher the lift got, (2) the more scared I became. Anyway, the food was (3) more delicious than any other food I had ever tried. When we nearly finished our meal, the music band in the restaurant started to play. (4) The louder the music was, (5) the less comfortable I felt, so I asked my aunt to leave. On the way home, the traffic seemed a bit (6) heavier than usual, so my aunt decided to take a shortcut. Unfortunately, the more we drove in the small road, (7) the narrower it got. When we got home, it was nearly 11p.m. It was (8) the longest time we ever spent on the same route.
Task 3.
1. The older James got, the wiser he became.
2. The more modern the city was, the higher the living standard got.
3. The younger the children are, the easier it is for them to remember the lesson.
4. The more expensive the hotel is, the better its services are.
5. The dustier the road is, the itchier my eyes get.