Adverb clauses of degree or comparison

Adverb clauses of degree or comparison

Adverb clauses of degree or comparison answer the question how much, how little or how many. The chief conjunctions used to introduce adverb clauses of degree are as, as…as, so…as and than.

• She is older than her husband.
• She is as intelligent as she is beautiful.
• You are later than I expected.
• She is as pretty as a doll.
• She is not so intelligent as her sister.

The correlative the…the may also be considered as a conjunction introducing adverb clauses of degree.

• The older you grow the wiser you become.
• The more he earns the more he spends.

Notes

In adverb clauses of degree or comparison, the verb is often understood and not expressed.

• I earn as much as you (do).
• I can sing as well as he (does).
• She is as tall as he (is).
• Nobody knows her better than I (do).

Note that when the verb is not expressed it is more common to use object pronouns after as and than.

Compare:

• I can sing as well as him. OR I can sing as well as he does. (More natural than ‘I can sing as well as he’.)
• Nobody knows her better than me. OR Nobody knows her better than I do. (More natural than ‘Nobody knows her better than I.)

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