Degrees of Comparison of Adverbs

Ex 45 Study the following chart.

Positive degree	Comparative degree	Superlative degree
late early	later earlier	latest earliest
exactly beautifully	more exactly more beautifully	most exactly most beautifully
often quickly slowly	oftener more often quicker more quickly slower more slowly	oftenest most often quickest most quickly slowest most slowly
well badly much* little	better worse more less	best worst most least

Ex 46 Make up sentences, using the adverbs given in the chart according to the following model.

Model: Nick speaks French well, Ann speaks French better than Nick, and Peter speaks French best (of all).

Ex 47 Translate the following sentences, using 'much', 'far', 'a great deal', 'still' with the adverbs in comparative degree.

1. Мой брат говорит по-французски намного лучше, чем по-ан­глийски. 2. Некоторым людям гораздо больше нравится путешество­вать зимой, чем летом. 3. По воскресеньям я встаю намного позднее обычного. 4. Перед экзаменами студенты, как правило, значительно больше и усерднее занимаются. 5. Моя сестра гораздо чаще меня хо­дит в театр. 6. Вчера наши спортсмены играли еще быстрее. 7. Со словарем Вы переведете статью намного точнее. 8. Сегодня солнце светит гораздо ярче, чем вчера.

The Article

(a) With names of natural phenomena

Ex 48 Study the chart.

It was rain, rain all the week-end. A heavy rain started when we arrived at the station. The rain lasted for two days. We had a lot of snow* last night. In the morning the snow was thick on the road. Yesterday we had 10 degrees of frost. There was a heavy frost in the night. The frost killed all the plants.

Ex 49 Explain the use of the article. Retell the passage.

The weather is the most important topic in Britain. On the Con­tinent, if you want to describe someone as a very dull person, you re­mark: "He will only discuss the weather with you." In Britain this is a topic which is always interesting for the English.

Here are two conversations:

For Bad Weather	For Good Weather
— It's an awful day, isn't it? — Yes, isn't the day awful? — The rain ... I hate rain. — Such a day in July. Rain in the morning, then some sunshine and then rain all day long.	— It's a lovely day, isn't it? — Yes, isn't the day lovely? — The sun... — Isn't it wonderful! — It's so nice and warm. — I think it's so nice when it's warm, isn't it?

Learn both the conversations by heart. And even if you do not say anything else for the rest of your life, just repeat the conversations, Eng­lishmen will think that you are an awfully clever man with nice man­ners.

(After "How to Be an Alien" by G. Mikes)

Ex 50 Translate the following.

1. Густой туман окутал весь город. 2. Давай подождем, дождь скоро прекратится. 3. Ветер с запада обычно приносит дождь. 4. Как используется сила ветра? 5. Ветер был сильным, и идти было трудно. 6. Сильный мороз погубил фруктовые деревья. 7. Вчера вечером шел сильный снег, выпало много снега. 8. Посмотри, снег около фабрики совсем черный. 9. Он выглянул в окно — везде лежал снег: на де­ревьях, дорожках сада, клумбах (flower beds).

(b)With parts of the day and seasons

Ex 51 Study the chart.

It is early/late morning (evening, etc.). It was a bright Sunday morning of early/late autumn (spring, etc). They came in the morning (afternoon, etc); in (the) autumn (win­ter, etc). It was a rainy morning (night, etc); a rainy autumn (spring, etc). I met him on the morning of the exam; in the autumn of 1980. He is here since Friday morning (autumn, etc).

Ex 52 Fill in the blanks with articles where necessary.

1.— autumn has come and early in — morning sheets of — ice cover the puddles on the road. 2. — rain never stopped in — night, and — morning started with — dull rain typical of — late autumn. 3. We had — cold winter last year with a lot of — snow. — frost didn't let go even during — day. 4. The champion said he would always re­member — winter of 1980 when he went mountain-skiing for the first time. 5. All through — winter the old hunter is alone in the taiga, the first tourists come only in — summer. 6. You can get to Yakutsk only by plane but in — bad weather there may be no flights and the passen­gers have to wait in the airport all through — night hoping that — weath­er may change for the better in — morning and they will be able to catch a plane some time during — day. I have been waiting here since — Monday noon. 7. It was — late afternoon on — foggy September day when we left the town in our car. 8. We are expecting them in — eve­ning, some time after seven.

READING

Ex 53 Read the text, and do the assignments coming after it.

In England everything is the other way round.

On Sundays on the Continent even the poorest person puts on his best suit, tries to look respectable, and at the same time the life of the country becomes gay and cheerful; in England even the richest lord or motor-manufacturer dresses in rags, does not shave, and the country becomes dull and sad. On the Continent there is one subject you must never discuss — the weather; in England, if you do not repeat the phrase "Lovely day, isn't it?" about two hundred times a day, people will say you are a bit dull.

On the Continent some street cats are loved, others are only re­spected; in England they are universally worshipped as in ancient Egypt. On the Continent people have good food; in England people have good table manners.

On the Continent learned persons love to quote Aristotle, Horace, Montaigne^* and show off their knowledge; in England only uneducated people show off their knowledge, nobody quotes Latin and Greek authors in the course of a conversation, unless he has never read them.

On the Continent almost every nation whether little or great has openly declared at one time or another that it is superior to all other nations; the English fight heroic wars to combat these dangerous ideas without ever mentioning which is really the most superior race in the world. On the Continent the population consists of a small percentage of criminals and the rest are honest people. On the other hand, people on the Continent either tell you the truth or lie; in England they hardly ever lie, but they never tell the truth.

Many Continentals think life is a game; the English think cricket is a game.

(After "How to Be an Alien" by G. Mikes)