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    Comparison/help

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    Comparison/help
    Message from san99 posted on 20-06-2012 at 20:23:02 (D | E | F)
    Hello,

    I am making a few comparisons, I would like you to check these sentences please.
    Thank you for helping me learn English better.

    Sarah is quite young. She is taller than George.
    Now, If I need to compare her age with two guys/persons how to write it?
    Sarah is quite young. She taller than that of George and John.

    This mango tastes better than that one.
    The mangoes of Swat taste better than those of India. (Is this correct).
    She is the most beautiful student in class.
    Gerondif is the most amazing teacher I have ever met.
    Lucile83 is the greatest moderator in the entire forum.
    Katty Patty is taller than I. Can I put "I am?"

    If I want to compare different books with a collection of books, how the sentence can be written?
    Is it, These four books are better than that of those books which are lying on the left shelves.

    Use of rather:
    I also noticed that people use rather whey making comparison or when there is a exception to something, such as
    This book is rather more interesting than that one.
    I would rather go with John than talk with Saleem.
    I would rather sit here and wait for my friend.
    I would rather buy a white cake than a black one.
    This lesson is rather easier than the one we read/red before.

    Please guide me.
    Thanks

    -------------------
    Edited by lucile83 on 20-06-2012 20:51


    Re: Comparison/help from gerondif, posted on 20-06-2012 at 22:10:09 (D | E)
    Hello,

    Sarah is quite young. She is taller than George.
    Now, If I need to compare her age with two guys/persons how to write it?
    Sarah is quite young. She taller than that of George and John.

    This mango tastes better than that one.
    The mangoes of Swat taste better than those of India. (Is this correct).YES
    She is the most beautiful student in class.
    G****** is the most amazing teacher I have ever met.
    Lucile83 is the greatest moderator in the entire forum.
    Katty Patty is taller than me/ than I /than I am.

    If I want to compare different books with a collection of books, how can the sentence be written?
    Is it, These four books are better than that of those (books) which are lying on the left shelves.

    Use of rather:
    I also noticed that people use rather when making comparison or when there is an exception to something, such as
    This book is rather more interesting than that one.
    I would rather go with John than talk with Saleem.
    I would rather sit here and wait for my friend.
    I would rather buy a white cake than a black one.
    This lesson is rather easier than the one we read/red before.


    Nowadays, people use would rather.

    In the 70's I used to learn: I had (I'd) better work than play but I had rather play than work.
    'd works for both anyway.




    Re: Comparison/help from san99, posted on 20-06-2012 at 22:26:45 (D | E)
    Thanks.
    Yes, I know that rather is also used with had.
    I had rather stay at home..
    I had rather say that one word.
    I had rather study more in the past.
    I had rather learn my lessons better.



    Re: Comparison/help from san99, posted on 20-06-2012 at 22:28:23 (D | E)
    A request: Please also do explain how to use 'than that of' and " than that of those" in the comparison. I remembered reading it somewhere in the comparison in the classroom, but I can't recall how both were used.
    Thank you.

    -------------------
    Edited by lucile83 on 20-06-2012 22:56



    Re: Comparison/help from gerondif, posted on 20-06-2012 at 23:33:36 (D | E)
    Hello,

    how to use 'than that of' and " than that of those"?

    It sounds very awkward and wrong and heavy.

    It would only work if I used "of" instead of a genitive('s)

    John's car is bigger than Jenny's (car). is correct.

    "The car of John is bigger than that of Jenny" sounds terribly wrong !!

    The boys'cakes are bigger than the girls'. is right.

    The cakes of the boys are bigger than those of the girls. can be heard but is awkward.

    The cakes of these are bigger than those of those. is horrible to hear !

    The report of the boys is better than that of the girls. can be heard but is awkward.

    The report of these is better than that of those. is horrible to hear !




    Re: Comparison/help from san99, posted on 20-06-2012 at 23:35:47 (D | E)
    ok. The simpler the better. Thank you.



    Re: Comparison/help from sherry48, posted on 21-06-2012 at 01:52:17 (D | E)
    Hello. You could also do these few sentences this way...

    Sarah is quite young. She is taller than George.
    (Although) Sarah is quite young, she is taller than George (and John).

    This mango tastes better than that one.
    The mangoes of Swat taste better than those of India. I would use from instead.

    Katty Patty is taller than I.
    The am is implied in your sentence. Since it is so often omitted, sometimes Americans use me instead of I.

    If I want to compare different books with a collection of books, how can the sentence can be written?
    These four books are better than that of those books which are lying on the left shelves. Or...These four books are better than the books (which are) lying on the shelves to the left.
    Sherry



    Re: Comparison/help from san99, posted on 21-06-2012 at 16:38:43 (D | E)
    Hello Sherry,
    Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
    The mangoes of Swat tastes better than that of India. ( I guess, of is also better here. The mangoes from Swat tastes better than that from Indian, it looks fine, but it is also awkward).
    I would use from in a different sentence like, but it may not look appropriate such as:
    The shirts from SK's are more stylish that those I bought from NK's.
    You are right, Americans are using me instead of I. But in either case the sentence reads well.
    She is more beautiful than I.
    She is more talented than me.
    But I read that "I" should be used after than, and I guess there is nothing wrong in following the grammar rules
    These four books are better than those books I have already read.
    These four books are better than those books I bought month.
    These four books are better than those books lying on the shelves.
    Your sentence is correct.. These four are better that the books lying on the shelves. ( Since we are doing a comparison of plural object the use of " The" looks a little weird.. Sorry you might be right but I felt the same way.
    Thanks once again for helping me.


    -------------------
    Edited by san99 on 21-06-2012 22:59





    Re: Comparison/help from gerondif, posted on 21-06-2012 at 17:03:10 (D | E)
    Hello, San99
    You know, sherry 48 being a native speaker is not likely to be wrong on such simple sentences.

    from is indeed better than of in:
    The mangoes from Swat are better than those from India.

    The being a weak form of this, that, these, those, you use it when you can show or take the things you are talking about and so:

    the four books on the right shelf are better than those// than the books// on the left shelf.
    Or as she proposed: These four books are better than the books (which are) lying on the shelves to the left.




    Re: Comparison/help from san99, posted on 21-06-2012 at 22:58:22 (D | E)
    Hello Gerondif,
    I didn't disagree with Sarah sherry. I am writing what I have learned from the book;if any native is writing different from what I have learned or studied I don't mind it. For me facts matter a lot.

    -------------------
    Edited by lucile83 on 22-06-2012 07:53



    Re: Comparison/help from gerondif, posted on 22-06-2012 at 00:09:08 (D | E)
    Hello, San 99

    it is Sherry, not Sarah, but thanks to that mistake, I went and listened to an old favourite tune of mine, Sara by Bob Dylan on You tube, good lyrics and a good song ! If you feel like discovering that song.....



    Re: Comparison/help from san99, posted on 22-06-2012 at 01:12:18 (D | E)
    Hello Gerondif,
    Sorry for writing a wrong name, actually I was writing dialogue between two friends that time when I read your post Yeah, sure, I will listen to your favoruite favourite song, I regularly listen to Starships, it's a famous track sung by Rihanna You seem(s) to have a good taste in music by the way.

    -------------------
    Edited by lucile83 on 22-06-2012 07:54



    Re: Comparison/help from san99, posted on 22-06-2012 at 16:21:06 (D | E)
    People also use way more and way less instead of compare two things such as
    This shirt is way more stylish than that one.
    Your article is way less interesting that that one.

    How can way more and way less be used in the conversation/sentences, Please suggest me.



    Re: Comparison/help from gerondif, posted on 22-06-2012 at 18:58:01 (D | E)
    Hello,
    "way" sounds colloquial to me:

    How to express a big difference classically:

    He is far taller than me
    He is really taller than me
    He is much taller than me.
    He is a lot taller than me

    He has many more friends than me
    He has much more money than me.

    He has a lot less money than me.
    he has much less money than me.

    Problem with fewer:
    he has much fewer friends than me ? or many fewer friends than me ? as it is countable ? I would skirt the difficulty and say: "He really has fewer friends than me".

    the word "way" reminds me of a hilarious scene in "Smokey and the Bandit" where the sheriff shouts at his stupid son and says:

    " There is NO WAY you could have sprung from my loins !!! When I come home, I'm gonna have a serious conversation with your mother!!" (film from the late 70's)




    Re: Comparison/help from san99, posted on 24-06-2012 at 20:54:51 (D | E)
    Thanks.
    But I asked you about the use of "way more and way less." I have seen some people writing sentences like these:
    She is way more pretty than I am. ( I never wrote such sentences myself, but I have observed many people especially natives writing this way.)
    Your price is way too high for me.
    Instead of making comparison they just use too and way... how is that? Is there something about the chapter of comparison that I don't know?
    This issue is way too critical to be solved.
    This algebraic quotation is way too complex to be solved. etc




    Re: Comparison/help from tom32c, posted on 24-06-2012 at 21:06:50 (D | E)
    Hello,

    "Way too" is, as you suggested, merely an (usually) American colloquial expression which is often used instead of "too" as in, "too expensive".
    E.g "That shirt is way too expensive" is the same as "That shirt is too expensive" or "That shirt is much too expensive".
    "Way too" is not correct grammar, but is very common.

    -------------------
    Edited by lucile83 on 24-06-2012 21:20
    to the site!



    Re: Comparison/help from gerondif, posted on 24-06-2012 at 22:16:45 (D | E)
    Hello,
    I would say then that way replaces many or much:

    He has way/many/ more friends than me.
    He has way/ much/ less money than me.





    Re: Comparison/help from san99, posted on 24-06-2012 at 22:26:50 (D | E)
    Thanks to tom32c and gerondif for replying to my question.
    Just one more question. Although, way is used instead of too, much, and many, can we write it in this way:
    Her shirt is way more bigger than mine.
    Her shoes are way more stylish than hers.



    Re: Comparison/help from sherry48, posted on 24-06-2012 at 22:34:30 (D | E)
    Hello.
    The first sentence is incorrect, since the comparative is bigger; you would have to eliminate 'more'. The second one is OK.
    Although I occasionally use sentences like this (in conversation), I wouldn't normally do so in writing. Teenagers use sentences like this 'way more often' than anyone else.
    Sherry




    Re: Comparison/help from san99, posted on 24-06-2012 at 22:41:20 (D | E)
    Thanks Sherry for explaining it.
    You are right. I should not use more with bigger as it's a comparative. So the correct sentence is:
    Her shirt is way bigger than mine.




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