Use in sentences

There are many reasons for using comparisons in discourse. They may be used to show: a. equivalence; b. non-equivalence; c. one item compared with others; and d. parallel increase.

Equivalence

The following words or constructions are used to show equivalence (i.e. the same).

4. Some common two-syllable adjectives can have either type of formation.

Example

ABSOLUTE	COMPARATIVE	SUPERLATIVE
common	commoner more common	commonest most common
handsome	handsomer more handsome	handsomest most handsome

as... as		are similar	each
as many...	as	equal to	either
as much...	as	is like	all
the same...	as	similar/ly	both
similar to		equal/ly	alike
the same		compare to/with

Examples

1. Third-generation computers can do a thousand times as many calculations as first-generation computers.

2. Microcomputers are as efficient as minicomputers.

3. The term processor is the same as central processing unit.

4. The digital computer is like a huge cash register.

5. An analog computer and a car speedometer are similar in that they continuously work out calculations.

6. A microcomputer can sometimes cost as much as a minicomputer.

7. Both minicomputers and microcomputers can have a memory of 32K bytes.

8. A digital computer can be compared to a large cash register.

9. All computers have the same basic characteristics.

10. The time it takes a computer to solve a problem can equal months of work for man.

Examples

1. Computer technology is the fastest growing technology in the world today.

2. Digital computer programming is the one most commonly used in data processing for business.

3. BASIC is probably the least difficult computer language to learn.

Parallel increase

The following words and/or constructions are used to show parallel increase (i.e. two comparatives).

the (word+er) the... the more... the (word+er) the... the less...

Дата добавления: 2015-11-14