Comparatifs, construction du complément en anglais : grammaire anglaise / définition

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Comparatifs, construction du complément

Le complément de comparaison est introduit par :
• than dans une comparaison de supériorité ou d'infériorité,
• et par as dans une comparaison d'égalité.

Important : Le complément de comparaison est suivi d'une construction 'Pronom Personnel + Auxiliaire' :
He is taller than me est toléré dans la langue courante.
Mais He is taller than I am est la construction la plus correcte.
Tu fais plus de fautes que moi.
Toléré mais pas très beau -> You make more mistakes than me.
Parfaitement correct -> You make more mistakes than I do.
Ton schwartz est plus gros que le mien. (film de Mel Brooks)
Toléré et même préféré -> Your schwartz is bigger than mine ou Your schwartz is bigger than mine is.
Grammaticalement correct mais peu courant -> Your schwartz is bigger than my schwartz is.
Je suis meilleur surfeur que toi.
Toléré et assez courant -> I'm a better surfer than you.
Parfaitement correct -> I'm a better surfer than you are.
Dans certaines phrases le bon choix du pronom est déterminant :
He loves her more than me. Il l'aime plus que moi.
He loves her more than I do. Il l'aime plus que je ne l'aime.
Le complément d'un comparatif peut être un adjectif, voire une proposition complète :
She's more nervous than (she is) scared. Elle est plus nerveuse qu'effrayée.
This exercise is easier than I thought. Cet exercice est plus facile que je ne le pensais.
Exercice 1
Susie: Hey, Polly. Bob says that he's Bruno. What do you think?
Polly: No way! Maybe he's as Bruno, but definitely not taller.
Susie: Yeah, that's what I said. Men are so presumptuous.
Polly: They stink. Women are so much .
Susie: Hey, Polly. Bob says that he's taller than 1 Bruno. What do you think?
Polly: No way! Maybe he's as tall 2 as Bruno, but definitely not taller.
Susie: Yeah, that's what I said. Men are so presumptuous.
Polly: They stink. Women are so much more intelligent than men 3.
1 taller than: This is the best choice here. Because Susie is comparing Bob to Bruno we use the construction: adjective + 'than' + subject (taller than Bruno).
1 tall than: Because this is a relationship of comparison, we must use the comparative form of the adjective 'tall', which is 'taller'.
1 as tall: If Bob was trying to express a relationship of equality, we would say that he is 'as tall as' Bruno.
1 as taller: When using the construction: as + adjective + as, we do not use the comparative form of the adjective (taller).
2 as tall: This is the best choice here. Because Polly is saying that Bob is the same height 'as' Bruno, we must use the construction: as + adjective + as (as tall as) to express a relationship of equality.
2 as taller: When using the construction: as + adjective + as (as tall as), we do not use the comparative form of the adjective (taller).
2 taller than: Because Polly is expressing a relationship of equality with 'as', we cannot use the comparative construction 'taller than'.
2 tall than: Because Polly is expressing a relationship of equality with 'as', we cannot use the comparative construction 'taller than'. Also, when speaking about comparatives of difference, we must use the comparative form of the adjective (taller).
3 more intelligent than men: This is the best choice here. Because Polly says 'so much' we must use a comparative of difference: adjective + 'than' + object (more intelligent than men). 'Intelligent' takes 'more' in its comparative form because it is several syllables in length.
3 as intelligent as men: Because Polly is not expressing a relationship of equality, we cannot use the form: as + adjective + as (as intelligent as). We know that this is a comparative relationship because of the word 'much'.
3 than intelligent as men: This is a combination of two different comparative constructions (of difference and of equality). It is grammatically incorrect.
3 as intelligent than men: This is a combination of two different comparative constructions (of difference and of equality). It is grammatically incorrect.
Exercice 2
Complete the sentence below. Remember that Susie's English is grammatically perfect, so you should choose the options which are correct in formal contexts!

Susie: Philip thinks he's the man at Delavigne. He thinks that no one is as talented with the girls as . But if you ask me, he is no than .
Complete the sentence below. Remember that Susie's English is grammatically perfect, so you should choose the options which are correct in formal contexts!

Susie: Philip thinks he's the most attractive 1 man at Delavigne. He thinks that no one is as talented with the girls as he is 2. But if you ask me, he is no more successful 3 than I am 4.
1 most attractive: 'Attractive' is a long (polysyllabic) adjective, so it requires 'most' or 'least' in the superlative form. We can recognize the need for the superlative form by the presence of 'the'.
1 more attractive: Generally, the article 'the' introduces the superlative form of an adjective. The comparative form (more attractive) is acceptable in some constructions (John is the more talented student of the two boys), however here the sentence becomes grammatically incorrect by using it.
1 attractivist: This word does not exist. The superlative form of 'attractive' is 'most attractive'.
2 he is: To complete a comparison introduced by 'as', we use the same subject + auxiliary combination introduced in the first clause. This is a negative comparison which indicates that Philip believes he is more talented than anyone else. When making this sort of comparison (as...as), we introduce and finish the comparison with 'as', and repeat the same subject + auxiliary combination in both clauses (he is).
2 him: Although in spoken English, comparisons of equality are often completed with personal pronouns, this is grammatically incorrect. The proper way to complete the comparison is to include the pronoun + auxiliary combination introduced in the first clause.
2 himself: Although in spoken English, comparisons of equality are often completed with personal pronouns (and sometimes reflexive pronouns), this is grammatically incorrect. The proper way to complete the comparison is to include the pronoun + auxiliary combination introduced in the first clause.
3 more successful: To create a comparison of superiority with a long adjective (like successful) we can use the 'more...than' construction to indicate that one subject is superior to another. Negative comparisons can also be made with this formula: He isn't more successful than I am.
3 most successful: Using the superlative form of the adjective 'successful' is grammatically incorrect. The term 'than' indicates a comparative construction, not a superlative one.
3 success: 'Success' is not a comparative adjective, but a noun. We cannot use it here, and it is grammatically incorrect.
3 successfuller: 'Successfuller' isn't a real word. The comparative form of long (polysyllabic) adjectives are formed with the prefix 'more'.
4 I am: To complete a comparison of superiority we must choose a subject + auxiliary combination using one of the subjects being compared and the auxiliary used in the first clause. The pronoun 'I' is used here to compare Philip's success with the speaker's (Susie), and 'am' is a form of the verb auxiliary 'be', introduced in the first clause.
4 my: 'My' is a possessive pronoun which cannot replace the subject of a sentence.
4 myself: Although in spoken English, comparisons of equality, superiority and inferiority are often completed with personal pronouns (and sometimes reflexive pronouns), this is grammatically incorrect. The proper way to complete the comparison is to include an subject + auxiliary combination.
4 me: Although in spoken English, comparisons of equality, superiority and inferiority are often completed with personal pronouns (and sometimes reflexive pronouns), this is grammatically incorrect. The proper way to complete the comparison is to include a subject + auxiliary combination.
Exercice 3
Listen to the audio, then fill in the blanks with the missing terms.
The English in Denmark is phenomenal. It's our . We speak it most Americans, probably. I don't want to , but it's really, really excellent.
Listen to the audio, then fill in the blanks with the missing terms.
The English in Denmark is simply phenomenal. It's our second language . We speak it better than most Americans, probably. I don't want to boast , but it's really, really excellent.
Exercice 4
Select all of the sentences which are acceptable in spoken English. You should select both answers which are used in everyday English and answers which are considered more strictly correct in formal English.
Select all of the sentences which are acceptable in spoken English. You should select both answers which are used in everyday English and answers which are considered more strictly correct in formal English.
This sentence is incorrect because of its word order. It is not possible to invert the subject pronoun and verb at the end of the sentence: we must say "than I am".
It is not possible to use the third-person singular verb "is" here, which is associated with the pronouns he, she and it. When we use an object pronoun such as me in a comparison like this, we do not add a verb after "than". For example: "He speaks more languages than me". Alternatively, we can use a subject pronoun with the auxiliary verb: "He speaks more languages than I do".
This sentence is acceptable and very common in everyday spoken English, even though it is considered incorrect in formal English. In spoken English, we can use an object pronoun (me, you, him, her, us, them) instead of a subject pronoun (I, you, he, she, we, they) and auxiliary verb. Another example: "Yes, I think you are taller than her" (instead of "taller than she is").
This is the most correct sentence in standard, formal English. Because this sentence uses the auxiliary verb "to be", we use the same verb after "than": she's (she is) → I am. However, for most verbs, we use the auxiliary verb "to do" instead. For example: "Icarus drinks more water than you do".
Exercice 5
Select all of the sentences which are acceptable in spoken English. You should select both answers which are used in everyday English and answers which are considered more strictly correct in formal English.
Select all of the sentences which are acceptable in spoken English. You should select both answers which are used in everyday English and answers which are considered more strictly correct in formal English.
We cannot use an object pronoun like "them" with an auxiliary verb (like "are") in a comparative sentence like this. We use either a subject pronoun with a verb ("they are"), or an object pronoun without a verb ("them"). Another example: "I am older than she is" or "I am older than her".
This sentence is acceptable and very common in everyday spoken English, even though it is considered incorrect in formal English. In spoken English, we can use an object pronoun (me, you, him, her, us, them) instead of a subject pronoun (I, you, he, she, we, they) and auxiliary verb. Another example: "They will arrive earlier than us" (instead of "They will arrive earlier than we will").
This sentence is incorrect because of its word order. It is not possible to invert the subject pronoun and verb at the end of the sentence: we must say "than they are".
This is the most correct sentence in standard, formal English. Because this sentence uses the auxiliary verb "to be", we use the same verb after "than": we are → they are. However, for most verbs, we use the auxiliary verb "to do" instead. For example: "We work longer hours than they do".

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