I. Prediction will

4. Ways of comparison.
a) Underline the best word.

1. 
   I wasn’t so much surprised as/ than shocked by the result.
   
2. 
   This was probably/ not nearly the best football match I’ve ever seen.
   
3. 
   Politics is too / so important an activity to be left to politicians.
   
4. 
   It was as/ too good an opportunity to miss, so I accepted the job.
   
5. 
   It’s quicker to travel by bus than/ like by car in the city center.
   
6. 
   You are every bit/ miles as responsible for what happened as I am.
   
7. 
   Cats are not nearly/ a lot harder to understand than dogs.
   
8. 
   This looks like/ as the place. It fits the description, anyway.
   
9. 
   I think the Harry Potter films are about as/ a lot more interesting than the books.
   
10. 
    This is definitely the best/ the better beach we’ve been to so far.
    
11. 
    As the medicine took effect, Tina became far and away/ more and more sleepy.
    

b) Complete the sentence with one word in each gap.

1. 
   You haven’t really worked hard ________ to get a higher mark.
   
2. 
   The more exercise you take, the ________ you will feel.
   
3. 
   Quite honestly, I don’t think this is as hard an examination ______ it used to be.
   
4. 
   This is ___________ the most beautiful beach in the Mediterranean. Don’t you think so?
   
5. 
   I’ve done just ________ as much shopping as anyone can do in one day!
   
6. 
   The film was every _______ as entertaining as I expected it to be.
   
7. 
   Most of Winterson’s books are good, but I think this one is the best of _____ all.
   
8. 
   The hotel was a ______ more expensive than I expected, so I looked for a cheaper one.
   
9. 
   This crossword puzzle isn’t quite as easy _____ I thought it was.
   
10. 
    This is not _______ as complicated as it sounds.
    

c) Choose the best option A, B or C to complete the sentence.

It’s quite common to hear someone complain that their memory is (1) as it used to be, or that the more things they try to remember, (2) quickly they seem to forget. However, memory is (3) complicated than we usually think. For example, remembering facts is not at all (4) remembering how to perform an action, and it seems that we don’t “forget” how to ride a bicycle or drive a car. For some people it may be (5) to remember what they have just read (6) recall where they left their car keys. Of course, (7) interesting a topic is, the more we remember about it, and we are almost certainly (8) to recall something we have read or seen recently, because it remains active in our memory. Where studying is concerned, there are certainly ways of making the memory (9). It’s (10) to remember disorganized information, so note-making and summarizing are important, and the learner, not the teacher, has to do this. Regular reviewing of what has been learned is (11) ways of strengthening memory. Some learners have (12) visual than a verbal memory, and may remember more by associating ideas with visual images. There’re plenty of books on the market which illustrate these techniques, always assuming that you can remember to buy one!

1. A less good	B worse	C not as good
2. A not nearly as	B the more	C it’s just as
3. A by far	B easily	C a lot more
4. A the same as	B like	C as if
5. A probably	B much easier	C nowhere near as
6. A as	B than to	C the more
7. A just about as much	B more and more	C the more
8. A faster and faster	B Far and away	C more likely
9. A more efficient	B as good as	C every bit as
10 A just as easy	B not so easy	C easier and easier
11. A as important	B more and more important	C one of the best
12. A just as good	B easily the best	C a better

d) Make statements about these topics using as many different ways of comparing as possible.

• 
  a film, book etc
  
• 
  something you dislike
  
• 
  a sport
  
• 
  an activity