Making Comparisons
Comparaciones de Igualdad
as ... as - tan ... comonot so ... as - no tan ... como
not as ... as - no tan ... como
(not) as much ... as - (no) tanto ... como
(not) as many ... as - (no) tantos ... como
the same ... as - la misma ... que
- Bill is as tall as Peter.
Bill es tan alto como Peter. - Jane is not so beautiful as Mary.
Jane no es tan hermosa como Mary. - This is not as easy as you think.
Esto no es tan fácil como piensas. - They do not drink as much beer as him.
Ellos no toman tanta cerveza como él. - I have not read as many books as you think.
No he leído tantos libros como piensas. - Mary has the same age as Jane.
Mary tiene la misma edad que Jane.
Comparaciones de Desigualdad
adjetivo+er than / advebio+er than (que) ==> faster than - más rápido quemore adjetivo/adverbio than ==> more elegant than - más elegante que
less adjetivo/adverbio than ==> less beautiful than - menos hermosa que
- Today is hotter than yesterday.
Hoy está más caluroso que ayer. - My car is faster than yours.
Mi coche es más veloz que el el tuyo. - They laugh less fequently than we do.
Ellos ríen menos frecuentemente que nosotros. - Paris is older than New York.
Paris es más vieja que Nueva York. - Jack is a better student than John.
Jack es mejor estudiante que John. - Chinese is much more difficult than English.
El idioma chino es mucho más difícil que el inglés. - I am a bit taller than she is.
Yo soy un poco más alto que ella. - Those trees are much stronger than these.
Esos árboles son mucho más fuertes que éstos. - It was much less interesting than I thought.
Fue mucho menos interesante que lo que pensé.
Uso de los Superlativos
the adjetivo+est / the adverbio+est ==> the fastest - el más rápidothe most + adjetivo/adverbio ==> the most elegant - el más elegante
the least + adjetivo/adverbio ==> the least beautiful - la menos hermosa
- The Nile is the longest river in the world.
El Nilo es el río más largo del mundo. - What is the highest mountain in Europe?
¿Cuál es la montaña más alta de Europa? - He says that money is the most important thing.
El dice que el dinero es la cosa más importante. - Bill is the least intelligent student in the class.
Bill es el estudiante menos inteligente de la clase. - It was the most boring film that I have ever seen.
Fue la película más aburrida que he visto. - They came to see me at the worst moment.
Ellos vinieron a verme en el peor momento. - Is that the best answer you can give?
¿Es esa la mejor respuesta que puedes dar?
Con Cantidades
En inglés es incorrecto decir:twice more than
La fórmula correcta es:
| half / twice / three times/ four times ... |
as | much many |
noun | as | pronoun noun |
- This car costs twice as much as the other one.
Este coche cuesta dos veces más que el otro. - Today there are three times as many birds as yesterday.
Hoy hay tres veces más pájaros que ayer. - I have half as much money as my brother.
Tengo la mitad del dinero que mi hermano.
Direct and Indirect Questions
What are Indirect Questions?
Direct questions are the “normal” questions that we can ask friends, family members, and people who we know well.
Example of a direct question:
“Where’s the bathroom?”
Indirect questions are a little more formal and polite. We use them when talking to a person we don’t know very well, or in professional situations, and their form is a little different.
Example of an indirect question:
“Could you tell me where the bathroom is?”
Phrases for Indirect Questions
- Could you tell me…
- Do you know…
- I was wondering…
- Do you have any idea…
- I’d like to know…
- Would it be possible…
- Is there any chance…
Direct and Indirect Questions in English: Examples
Direct: Where is Market Street?Indirect: Could you tell me where Market Street is?
In indirect questions with is/are, the verb (is) comes after the subject (Market Street).
Direct What time does the bank open?
Indirect: Do you know what time the bank opens?
In indirect questions, we don’t use the auxiliary verbs do/does/did. Also, you can see that the verb is “open” in the direct question, and “opens” in the indirect question.
Direct: Why did you move to Europe?
Indirect: I was wondering why you moved to Europe.
Again, there is no auxiliary verb did in the indirect question. In fact, this indirect question isn’t even a question – it’s more of a statement that invites the other person to give more information.
Direct: How has he managed to get in shape so quickly?
Indirect: Do you have any idea how he’s managed to get in shape so quickly?
The auxiliary verbs have and has can be used in both the direct and indirect questions – but in the direct question, “has” comes before the subject (he), and in the indirect question, “has” comes after the subject.
Direct: How much does this motorcycle cost?
Indirect: I’d like to know how much this motorcycle costs.
To form the indirect question, remove does and change “cost” to “costs.”
Direct: Can you finish the project by tomorrow?
Indirect: Would it be possible for you to finish the project by tomorrow?
For direct questions with can, we can use the phrase “would it be possible…” to make it indirect.
Direct: Can we change the meeting to Thursday?
Indirect: Is there any chance we could change the meeting to Thursday?
“Is there any chance…” is another option for forming indirect questions with can.
Yes/No Direct Questions –> “If” in Indirect Questions
If the direct question is a “yes or no” question (it has no question word such as what, who, when, where, why, or how), then the indirect question will have if.Direct: Does Tom like Italian food?
Indirect: Do you know if Tom likes Italian food?
Direct: Are your parents joining us for dinner?
Indirect: Could you tell me if your parents are joining us for dinner?
Direct: Do they speak English?
Indirect: I was wondering if they speak English.
Direct: Has Barbara ever studied abroad?
Indirect: Do you have any idea if Barbara’s ever studied abroad?
Direct: Do you plan on traveling this summer?
Indirect: I’d like to know if you plan on traveling this summer.
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