GRAMMAR SMART (4)（在线收听）

Making Comparisons

Female:  Now we know that the English language is ¹⁾set up for maximum ²⁾clarity. We also know that it’s important to make sure that all the units you’re talking about agree.

Male: When you compare two things, be the items, people, ideas or even actions, they have to be the same kinds of things: ideas, people, items or actions.

Female:For example, while it may sound alright, it’s really wrong to say something like “My mother cooks better kuskus than your mother”.

Male: Why exactly is that wrong?

Female: Well, think about what it is that we’re trying to compare here. Do we mean to compare mothers?

Male: Well, sort of.

Female: Do we mean to compare “kuskus” ?

Male: Mm, I think I’m beginning to see where you’re headed here.

Female: OK. Then what is it we’re trying to compare here?

Male: I think it’s the way in which “my mother cooks” as opposed to the way in which “your mother cooks”.

Female: Exactly. So “My mother cooks better kuskus” than what?

Male: Than “your mother cooks”.

Female: Yes! See we need to be certain that we’re comparing things that are like. In this case the comparison is really between the two ways in which “our mothers cook kuskus”. We’re comparing verbs to verbs, “to cook” would be the verb in its particular case.

Male: But why is the original sentence wrong?

Female: Because it’s stated in the sentence “My mother cooks better kuskus than your mother”. Only one of our two “mothers” has a verb attached to her.  When you say “My mother cooks better kuskus than your mother”, what you’re actually saying is that - My mother is better at cooking kuskus than she is at cooking your mother!

Male: Yikes! That’s horrible.

Female: Yes it is and that’s why it’s important to remember to compare verbs to verbs and nouns to nouns. That way we avoid cooking our relatives and many other grammatical ³⁾atrocities.

Male: So, correctly phrased the sentence should sound like this “My mother cooks better kuskus than your mother cooks”.

Female: Well, yes and no. That sentence is absolutely correct, but it sounds a little bit ⁴⁾repetitive.  Another great aspect of our language is how it allows us to ⁵⁾substitute new  words in a sentence for ones that we’ve used already but need to refer to again.

Male: As in pronouns.

Female: Precisely.

Male: Only in this case we’re replacing a verb because who wants to use the verb “to cook” that many times in one sentence.

Female: Not I certainly. So let’s tune it up by replacing it with another.  Where the corrected sentence first read “My mother cooks better kuskus than your mother cooks”, it now goes like this.

Male: “My mother cooks better kuskus than your mother does”.

Female: A good way to remember how this works is to continue the sentence in your head past the point at which you planned to stop saying it with your mouth.

Male: That may sound a little odd but in fact it’s a pretty reliable way to check whether or not you’ll need that extra verb. It goes like this.  As you’re pulling the sentence together ask yourself “Can I add a verb to the end?”

Female: If the answer to that question is “yes”, then do so.

Male: How about this “I like little ⁶⁾scruffy dogs better than you”.

Female: You’re such a ⁷⁾doll.

Male: Is that a faulty comparison or not?

Female: Well, unless you intend to compare me to a little scruffy dog, yes it’s faulty. Now why don’t you tell me what it is you mean to say.

Male: That you like scruffy little dogs more than I do. What I mean to compare is what you like to what I like. Time for a review.

Female: Agreed. The rule: When comparing the differences between what it is different subjects do, make sure they all have verbs to compare.

Male: Example: “Michael Jordan can jump higher than Magic Johnson can.” “You are more guilty of deceit than I am.” “Satornia can type faster than Lucretia can.”

Female: This doesn’t mean that every comparison you ever make should be verb oriented. There are just as many occasions when you’ll mean to compare nouns to nouns.

Male: For example: “Michael Jordan’s sky hook is not as high as Magic Johnson’s sky hook”. In that case, which is grammatically correct. we are comparing “sky hooks” which are nouns not verbs. More on that later.

Female: Indeed. CE