IB Docs (2) Team
Compare & contrast
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[A thought from a chinese student]
The thing is more difficult to get people more like to obtain, so if you got you will more treasure.
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I came across this gem in an exam script once ... and experienced that 'blank-out' feeling : you understand every single word, but sadly only as single words - taken together, the words seem to make no sense. But the sentence does make sense. Try this translation ...
The more difficult a thing is to obtain, the more people want it - and so the more you will treasure it if you get it.
Which is very true, when you think about it! And I recall that the rest of the student's script was actually of very high quality, being thoughtful, well argued, and generally very skillfully expressed. So what went wrong here?
One explanation is that, I have been told, this is a fairly literal direct translation from a saying in Chinese - so it is the result of classic L1 interference.
The other explanation - and this is complementary, not contradictory - is that the student simply lacked a clear understanding of the comparative structure 'the more... the more...'. You can see that he is aiming for this, through the repetition three times of 'more', but he obviously doesn't have the technique and the structure clearly worked out.
Presenting the structure
With that in mind, here are simple diagrammatic representations of the way this comparative structure works. You should project these, using Presentation mode. Each version of the pattern is accompanied by an example - click on the little show/hide icon to see the examples. You might then reinforce the structure by asking the class to think up parallel examples ... and then notice the suggestion at the end, that you can use the qBank to generate exercises for further practice.
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For example...
The harder they come, the harder they fall
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For example...
The more I learn, the less I understand
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For example...
The less stress I have, the less tired I am.
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For example...
The less homework I have, the more time I have to PARTY!
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Exercise for practice
And now try using these simple structures to express complex ideas clearly and efficiently. This is a dynamic quiz - it refreshes itself with new questions every time you open the page (well, up to a certain limit, of course!)
The more dangerous ....... , the more he likes it.
Notice the correct word order here.
The more Biology he learns, ...... to learn about Biology.
Notice the change of word-order - this is because 'the + comparative'is always followed by whatever is 'more' : in this case, the first section is about 'more Biology' and the second is about 'more wanting'.
Under pressure at work... into the gaps, write in the correct form of 'more' or 'less' structures, using the words suggested as required.
The more interesting my job is, (busy) I am, and so (hard) it is to be able to do eveything and (time) I have to sleep.
Notice how the adjectives here, 'busy' and 'hard', are converted by adding '-er' ... and how the noun 'time' is converted by adding 'less' (with another noun, it be 'fewer' or more)
Losing your temper... into the gaps, write in the correct form of 'more' or 'less' structures, using the words suggested as required.
(angry) he got, the more he started to shout, but ... (loud) his voice became, (squeaky) it became at the same time, and so (ridiculous) he sounded !
Notice how words ending in '-y' are converted ... and that 'the more angry' and 'the more squeaky' would also be correct.
Taxation logic... Drag the various phrases into the gaps in the passage, so as to complete the logic.
.... the poorer .... the less activity .... the lower .... the more .... the less money ....
The more taxes are raised, it is argued, people have to spend, and so there is less activity in the economy. there is, the amount of income from taxes. Therefore, the theory goes, you raise taxes, the less money the government actually receives, and so the government is.
Notice how the comparative structure expresses a direct chain of connections - 'the more... the less...the more...' and so on.
qBank resources
Compare & contrast structures ... ways of linking ideas together to show comparison, contrast, and often causal connection - as in "the more...the more...".