STRUCTURE AND WRITTEN EXPRESSION SKILL 29: USE THE IRREGULAR –ER, -ER STRUCTURE CORRECTLY

STRUCTURE AND WRITTEN EXPRESSION

SKILL 29: USE THE IRREGULAR –ER, -ER STRUCTURE CORRECTLY

An irregular comparative structure that has been appearing frequently on the TOEFL test consists of two parallel comparatives introduced by the.

examples

·      The harder he tried, the further he fell behind. ·      The older the children are, the more their parents expect from them.

In the first example contains the two parallel comparatives, the harder and the further. The second example contains the two parallel comparatives, the older and the more. In this type of sentence, the and the comparison can be followed by a number of different structures.

examples

·      The more children you have, the bigger the house you need. ·      The harder you work, the more you accomplish. ·      The greater the experience, the higher the salary.

The following chart outlines this irregular er, -er structure.

EXERCISE 28: Each of the following sentences contains the irregular –er, -er structure. Circle the two comparisons with the. Underline the parts that should be parallel.  Then indicate if the sentences are correct (C) or incorrect (I).

_______	3	The more you say, the worst the situation will be.
_______	4	The more time they have to play, the happier the children are.
_______	5	The thicker the walls, the noise that comes through is less.
_______	6	If you run faster, the earlier you’ll arrive.
_______	7	The more you use the phone, the higher the bill will be.
_______	8	The harder you serve, the easier it is to win the point.
_______	9	The earliest you send in your tax forms, the sooner you will receive your refund.
_______	10	The more people there are at the party, you’ll have a good time.

 

ANSWER KEY

1	I	(should be the harder)
2	C
3	I	(the worst  should be the worse)
4	C
5	I	(should be the less the noise comes through)
6	I	(should be the faster you run)
7	C
8	C
9	I	(the earliest  should be the earlier)
10	I	( should be the better time you’ll have)