4. Airplanes are safer than cars

As we now know, adjectives are used not only to describe things, people and places, but also to compare them. Remember that we make comparisons by adding suffix -er to short adjectives and using the adverb more in front of longer ones. We will study it in depth later in the unit. Now, just have a look at the following chart to be able to recognize the comparative sentences that appear in the text in Section 1.

By Vicente Alfonso. C. Commons
   By Vicente Alfonso. C. Commons

 

Comparative Conjunction

older

newer

longer

shorter

than

more interesting

more expensive

than

 

Have a look at the photos above. We could say, for example: The photo on the left is older than the photo on the right or The picture on the right is more recent than the picture on the left.

Icono IDevice Important

Remember that comparison is a property not only of adjectives but also of adverbs. It describes the degree to which the modifier (adjective or adverb) modifies its complement (nouns in the case of adjectives and nouns, other adjectives and even other adverbs in the case of adverbs).

We will study two degrees of adjectives and adverbs:

Comparative Superlative
safer / more interesting
 safest / most interesting
more friendly most friendly

Icono de iDevice Solved exercise

By Elsie esq. C. Commons
By VOD Cars. C. Commons

 

Remember that there are several degrees of comparison. So, apart form comparisons of superiority, we can also find comparisons of equality and inferiority. In them, we use the positive adjective or adverb to make or draw the comparison (e.g. Coaches are as fast as cars, Paco speaks English less fluently than Sonia).

 

Find out all the comparisons you can find in the text in Section one. Pay attention to all kinds of comparisons.

Icono de iDevice

Read the paragraph below and fill in the missing words. Choose from the words in the box.

richer - bigger - more expensive - faster - greater - safer
By Jake Bouma. C. Commons
By Estherase. C. Commons

There are lots of means or modes of transport. The car is probably the one that most people use. However it is not the safest way of travelling. In fact, road traffic accidents are one of the most common sources of personal injury. And everybody knows that the the car's engine, the the chance of car accidents. That being so, excessive speed is one of the most common contributory factors in fatal accidents. Undoutedly, the plane is and , but it is also than any other mode of transport. When people travel long distances, they frequently take airplanes, and this is what Paco has done to travel from the United States to South Africa. He isn't worried about how expensive flying is. He has won the lottery! So, he is now than he had ever expected!

  

Icono IDevice Further knowledge
There are far more means or modes of transport than the ones mentioned up to now. Click here to get a good list of them. And here you'll be able to get another list and print exercises to improve your vocabulary on the subject. Finally more vocabulary and naturally speaking useful phrases may be learnt by clicking here.

Icono IDevice Curiosity
Driving on the wrong side?
By Thomas Hawk. C. Commons
Surely you've ever wondered why in the United Kingdom and other countries such as Japan, Australia or New Zealand people drive on the left. Along the centuries, several explanations have been provided, the most frequent being that the British driving pattern derives from days of horses and horsemen. Taking into account that most people are right-handed, it seemed reasonable that a horseman who would meet another horseman would be in the most advantageous position if he would need to draw his sword quickly to defend himself against the on-coming horseman. It seems that Pope Benefice issued a Papal Edict in the year 1300 A.D. requiring all people to keep to the left on roadways.

 

Under King George III, the Government also issued a Highway Act (1773) which recommended people to keep to the left on public roadways and streets.

Countries that became part of the British Empire adopted this keep-left rule.


That's all about Topic 1 in this Unit, now go on to topic 2 where we will study all the points seen in this first topic in depth. Come on! Let's go on to topic 2!
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