The ... The Comparatives
The … the comparatives are also called double comparatives, they tell us about cause and effect.
In this lesson, you’ll learn some meanings of common double comparatives as well as the structure.
How to use double comparatives?
This comparative structure tells us about cause and effect.
There are different structures to know.
- The + comparative + subject + verb
E.g. The faster I walk, the healthier I feel.
- The more/less + noun + subject + verb
E.g. The more exercise I do, the better I feel
- The more/less + subject + verb
E.g. The more you learn, the wiser you get.
- The + comparative adjective, the better
E.g. The sooner, the better = the sooner you do something, the better it’ll be.
Examples
The worse I eat, the worse I feel.
The more I work, the more tired I am.
I love gardens. The bigger, the better.
Practise
Fill the gap with the correct comparative in brackets.
Common mistakes learners make
- Only using one comparative clause
- Forgetting ‘the’ before both clauses
- Using base adjective instead of comparative
Common mistakes learners make
- Only using one comparative clause
- Forgetting ‘the’ before both clauses
- Using base adjective instead of comparative