The use of articles with geographical names
Illustrative Situations
/. Study these example situations:
Adjectives
1. Iraq is hotter than Italy.
2. Room 10 is much smaller than room 11.
3. Betty is a little shorter than her brother.
4. Lake Baikal is the deepest in the world.
5. John is the tallest of his friends.
6. Mary is beautiful. Susan is even more beautiful than Mary. Lucy is the most beautiful of the three girls.
7. This armchair is much more comfortable than that.
8. The red coat costs $ 500. It is very expensive. The blue coat costs $ 300. It is less expensive than the red one. The black coat costs $ 200. It is the least expensive of the three.
9. I'm as tall as my brother. (We are the same height)
10. Is Athens as noisy as Cairo? (Are they equally noisy?)
11. Italy is not as (so) hot as Iraq.
12. The exam was not as (so) difficult as 1 thought.
Irregular
1. John's English is good but Maria's better (than John's).
2. Mike's spelling is bad. Roger's spelling is even worse than Mike's. Jack's spelling is the worst.
3. I have few books. I have only 10. Peter has fewer books. He has 7. Jack has the fewest books. He's got only 3 books.
4. I have little free time. Mary has less time than 1. Jane has the least free time.
5. Robert has 6 notebooks. Jack has more notebooks. He has 11. John has the most books. He has 15.
6. My elder brother is 5 years older than 1. My grandmother is the oldest in our family. Her eldest son is my father.
7. The University is farther from here than the Medical Institute.
8. I saw Dick in the farthest corner of the park.
9. Please, send the books back without further delay.
Adverbs
1. Jane runs faster than Helen. Mary runs fastest.
2. Tony earns more money than Jim because he works harder than Jim.
3. Alice types more quickly than Tina does. Susan types most quickly.
4. I swim well. My mother swims better than 1 do. My father swims best of all.
5. Olaf speaks English fluently. Hans speaks English less fluently than Olaf. Victor speaks English least fluently.
6. Michael works much harder than his brother.
7. Robert drives much more carefully than he used to.
8. James plays as well as Victor does.
9. You shouldn't drive as (so) quickly as that. Ш. Mary doesn't study as hard as Betty does.
11. — I'm working harder than 1 did last year for my exams.
— Well, 1 hope you'll pass them more successfully than you did last year.
— I ought to. I take my work much more seriously than 1 used to, so 1 hope I'll be all right.
12. Passenger: Could you tell me how 1 could travel most
cheaply from London to Derby, please? Booking clerk: You could catch the 5.20 train. It gets there
the quickest. It also costs the least. Passenger: It must be my lucky day.
13. — I met Jane Green last month. She is a very pretty girl.
— She can't be as pretty as Kate Smith.
— Yes, she is. She is prettier.
— I can't believe it.
14. — I think Bill is the smartest man in the town.
— I don't agree with you.
— Don't you?
— No, 1 don't. I think Jim is much smarter.
15. — Alice is the prettiest girl in our office.
— Yes, but she is the least sensible one.
— Oh, but surely, she is not less sensible than any of herfriends.
— Perhaps not.
16. — Is Italy as hot as England?
— Oh, Italy's hotter than England.
— Is Austria as cheap as France?
— Oh, Austria's cheaper than France.
17. — I think London's romantic.
— But it's not as romantic as Paris.
— I think London's exciting.
— But it's not as exciting as Paris.
— Do you really think Paris is romantic?
— Oh yes. Paris is much more romantic than London.
— And exciting?
— Oh yes, much more exciting than London.
18. Daisy thinks she's getting fat and she's talking to Maggie who is very slim.
Maggie: How many chocolates do you eat? Daisy: I'm sure 1 eat fewer chocolates than you do. Maggie: How much beer do you drink? Daisy: I'm sure 1 drink less than you do.
19. Waiter: So you want a cheap meal, is that it' Jake: Yes, please, the cheaper the better. Waiter: Yes, sir. Would you like a hot curry? Jake: Yes, please, the hotter the better.
Practice
/. Compare the size or quality of the objects:
e.g. your garden and your friend's garden (large). My garden is larger than yours.
1. Your kitchen and your neighbour's kitchen, (small) 2. Gemma and Helen, (pretty) 3. Your typewriter and your friend's typewriter, (good) 4. your spelling and your friend's spelling (bad) 5. the grey suit and the black suit (cheap) 6. Moscow and St. Petersburg, (old) 7. January and March, (cold) 8. Spring and summer, (warm) 9. Regent Street and Queen Street (long) 10. Mike and David, (tall) 11. Your holiday and your friend's holiday, (short)
//. Disagree with the following statements:
e.g. — Mike is the oldest in the group, (young)
— No, he is the youngest in the group.
1. Mary's drawing is the best, (bad) 2. Jack is the shortest of his friends, (tall) 3. This room is the largest at the office, (small) 4. Victor has the most mistakes in his dictation, (few)
5. The 22nd of June is the shortest day in the year. (long).
6. January is the hottest month, (cold) 7. The Indian Ocean is the coldest, (warm) 8. The Baxters' house is the worst in the district, (good) 9. Donald does the most work, (little)
///. Compare:
e.g. the film, the book and the play (interesting)
The film is interesting, the play is more (less) interesting than the film, the book is the most (the least) interesting.
1. Chinese, English, German (difficult); 2. Ann's dress, Helen's dress. Lucy's dress (fashionable); 3. The hotel in Regent Street, the hotel in King Street, the hotel in River Street (comfortable); 4. The typewriter, the TVset, the radio-set (expensive); 5. Spring, winter, summer (pleasant); 6. Mary, Jane, Alice (beautiful)
IV. Say that the things below are of equal quality:
e.g. — Chinese is difficult. And Japanese?
— Japanese is as difficult as Chinese.
1. Our house is old. And yours? 2. Our sitting-room is large. And yours? 3. This raincoat is expensive. And what about that one? 4. My car is comfortable. And yours? 5. June is lovely here. And what about July? 6. The book is interesting. And what about the film? 7. I am very busy and you?
V. Say that two things or people are different:
e.g. — India is large. And Poland?
— Poland is not as (so) large as India.
1. The Mississippi is long. And the Volga? 2. The Pacific Ocean is deep. And what about the Indian Ocean? 3. The Black Sea is warm. And what about the Baltic Sea? 4. Asia is large. And Australia? 5. Minsk is old. And Soligorsk? 6. Mrs Smith is beautiful. And her daughter?
VI. Make comparisons:
e.g. Jill gets up at 7.45. Steve gets up at 8 o'clock, (early)
Jill gets up earlier than Steve. Steve doesn't get up as early as Jill.
1. The Netting Hill Gate flat costs £75 a week. The Baxters' flat costs £60 a week, (expensive) 2. Steve's salary is £700 a month. Jill's salary is £450 a month, (high) 3. Steve's office is 30 minutes away by bus. Jill's school is only 20 minutes away, (far away) 4. Jeff weighs 85 kilos. Steve weighs only 75 kilos, (fat)
5. Pam and Jeff have two holidays a year. Jill and Steve have only one holiday, (many) 6. The rent for Steve's flat is £60 a week. The rent for Jeff's flat is £90 a week, (reasonable)
VII. Say that you don't agree with the following statements:
e.g. — Mike's translation is as good as Peter's.
— No, Mike's translation is much better than Peter's.
1. Exercise 20 is as easy as exercises 26 and 27. 2. Jack makes as many mistakes as Peter. 3. This coat is as cheap as that one. 4. January is as cold as March. 5. Our room is as dark as yours.
6. Mr Brown is as old as Mr Robinson. 7. Roger is as tall as his father. 8. This record player is as good as that one. 9. Finland is as large as India. 10. The airport is as far as the railway station, e.g. — Mary is as beautiful as her sister.
— No, her sister is much more beautiful.
1. Today's programme is as exciting as yesterday's. 2. Mr. Jackson's report is as interesting as Mr Baxter's 3. Betty is as sociable as Susan. 4. Text 5 is as difficult as Text 6. 5. The suit is as expensive as the raincoat. 6. Your office is as comfortable as mine.
VIII. Compare the degree of quality of an action. Use the prompts:
e.g. Jack, Lucy, Helen/work hard. Lucy works hard. Jack works harder than Lucy and Helen works hardest (of all). 1. Betty, Susan, Mary/type well. 2. John, his father, his mother/get up early. 3. Mr Brown, Mrs Brown, their son/earn much.
4. Jane, her sister, her brother/come home late. 5. Jack, Mike, Peter/run fast. 6. Helen, Lucy, Jane/swim little, e.g. Margaret, Linda, Kate/type quickly.
Margaret types quickly, Linda types more quickly than Margaret, and Kate types most quickly.
1. David, John, Alec/drive carefully. 2. Olaf, AH, Hans/speak English fluently. 3. Lucy, her sister, her mother/sing beautifully. 4. Jane, Mary, Gemma/dance gracefully. 5. Mrs White, Mrs Baxter, Mrs Short/type carelessly.
IX. Respond to the following utterances:
e.g. — Dick drives quickly. And Jack? — Jack drives as quickly as Dick.
1. Helen works hard. And her brother? 2. Mr Smith earns much. And his wife? 3. Kate speaks Spanish well. And her sister? 4. Susan types slowly. And Betty? 5. Mr Wilson lives far. And Mr Short? 6. Mike ran fast. And Peter? 7. Liverpool played badly today. And Arsenal?
X. Make up sentences with the following prompts:
e.g. drive/carefully
Peter drives much more carefully than he used to. sing/well
Mary sings much better than she used to. Prompts:
1. play tennis/well 6. dance/badly
2. work/hard 7. type/fast
3. go to bed/late 8. earn/much
4. speak English/fluently 9. drive/carelessly
5. eat/slowly 10. drink/little
XI. Complete the utterances:
e.g. This car is too slow. I'd like a faster car.
1. This ruler is too short, (long) 2. I don't like this dress, (fashionable) 3. This house is too small, (large) 4. I don't like this armchair, (comfortable) 5. This coat is too expensive, (cheap) 6. These seats are not good, (good) 7. This book is boring, (interesting)
FluencyComparisons
Now let's compare our sitting-room with the Bakers'. The Bakers are friends of ours. They live next door to us. Our room is
a little larger than theirs and it has more furniture in it. There is no wireless set in the Bakers'room. There isn't a bookcase either. Mine is in my sitting-room, but his is in his study. There's a piano in our sitting-room and there's a piano in the Bakers' sitting-room. Both my wife and Mrs Baker are very fond of music and both play the piano very well. But my wife doesn't play as well as Mrs Baker. Mrs Baker not only plays much better than my wife does, but she's the best pianist in the district.
/. Listen to the text and answer the questions:
What is the difference between the writer's and the Bakers'
sitting-rooms? Does the writer's wife play the piano as well as
Mrs Baker?
//. Compare your flat and your neighbour's flat (comfortable,
large, small, cosy, light, dark, etc.)
The Flat
Estate Agent: And here's the kitchen, madam. It's bigger than
the average kitchen and modern. Jill: And it's very light and sunny.
Estate Agent: And here's the bathroom, with a bath, a shower and
a large wash-basin.
Steve: Is it as big as our bathroom, Jill?
Jill: No, it isn't as big as our bathroom, but it's nicer.
It's a bit smaller, but cosier. Estate Agent: And this is the living-room. Very spacious, big
windows, balcony, and a pleasant view. Jill: Oh, yes, 1 like this room. The windows are bigger
than our windows, but the view isn't as pleasant. Estate Agent: And very reasonable at £75 a week, madam. Jill: That's bigger than our rent. It's much more
expensive. Steve: But it's more reasonable than other flats in
this area.
Estate Agent: Oh, yes, sir, and the flat's very quiet. Steve: Well, it can't possibly be noisier than our flat
and this is a better area. Well, thank you very
much. We'll phone next week and tell you our
decision. Good-bye! Estate Agent: Goodbye, sir. Goodbye, madam.
/. Listen to the text and answer the questions: What are Steve and Jill doing at the moment? What is the kitchen like? Is it bigger or smaller than their kitchen? And what
about the bathroom? What does Jill like and what doesn't she like about the living-room? What does Jill say about the rent?
//. Act out the conversation.
III. Jill and Steve are talking about the flat:
— The bathroom wasn't very big.
— No, it wasn't as big as our bathroom.
— The kitchen was sunny.
— Yes, it was sunnier than our kitchen.
1. The living-room was big. (Yes) 2. The study wasn't very cozy. (No) 3. The bedroom was a bit dark. (Yes) 4. The garage wasn't very convenient. (No) 5. The area is attractive. (Yes) 6. The bath-room was small. (Yes) 7. The street below wasn't very noisy. (No) 8. The windows were all big. (Yes) 9. The lift was small. (Yes) 10. The area is good. (Yes)
IV Compare your old flat and your new flat. A Boring Lesson
Dad: What did you learn at school today?
Son: The highest mountain in the world is the Himalayas; the
largest ocean is the Pacific; the largest island is Greenland;
the largest planet is Jupitor, the nearest planet to the
Earth is...
Dad: Stop! Stop! Is that everything? Son: No. The teacher talked for over an hour. It was the most
boring lesson this year.
/. Listen to the text and answer the questions:
Which is the highest mountain in the world? Which is the largest ocean? Which is the largest island? Which is the largest planet?
//. Compare: a) The Pacific Ocean, the Arctic Ocean, the Indian Ocean (warm, deep, cold) b) the Don, the Neva, the Volga (long) c) Poland, the USA, Russia (small, large)
A Letter
Dear Jane!
I'm very happy in my new job and my new town. In fact I'm much happier than I was before. I like my new job very much. It's much better than my old one. My boss is more polite than my old boss. My office is larger than the previous one. My со — workers are more friendly than the ones I worked with before-.
My hours are shorter than the hours at my old job. And my salary is higher than my previous salary.
I also like my new town. In general it's much nicer and more interesting than where I used to live. The streets are much cleaner, the buildings are nicer, and the weather is warmer and the people are more hospitable
You should visit here. I think you'll like it a lot. Please write soon.
Sincerely,
Lucy
/. Listen to the text and answer the questions:
What does Lucy think of her new job, her boss and co-workers? What else does she like about her new job? What does she think of her new town?
//. Imagine you are Jane. You've just received a letter from your friend Lucy. You are telling your friend about Lucy's letter.
III. Compare your previous job and your present job. The Nicest Person
Mr and Mrs Jackson are very proud of their daughter Linda. She's a very nice person. She's friendly, she's polite, she's smart and she's talented. She's also very pretty.
Mr and Mrs Jackson's friends and neighbours always compliment them about Linda. They say she's the nicest person they know. According to them, she's the friendliest, the most polite, the smartest and the most talented girl in the neighbourhood. They also think she's the prettiest.
Mr and Mrs Jackson agree. They think Linda is a wonderful girl and they are proud to say she's their daughter.
/. Listen to the text and answer the questions:
Why are Mr and Mrs Jackson proud of their daughter? What do the neighbours say about Linda?
//. Tell about Linda.
It Isn't Easy to Be a Teenager
I try to be a good son, but no matter how hard I try my parents never seem to be satisfied. They think I should eat healthier food, I should wear nicer clothes and I should get better marks.
And according to them my hair should be shorter, my room
should be neater and my friends should be more polite when they come to visit.
You know ... it isn't easy to be a teenager.
What Do His Parents Think?
It isn't easy to be parents. We try to be good parents but no matter how hard we may try our children never seem to be satisfied. They think we should wear more modern clothes, we should listen to lovelier music.
And according to them we should be more sympathetic when they talk about their problems, we should be more friendly when their friends come to visit and we should be more understanding when they come home late from a Saturday night date.
You know ... it isn't easy to be parents.
/. Listen to the texts and answer the questions:
Why does the boy think it isn't easy to be a teenager? What do his parents think? Have you got any children' Do you think it's easy to be a father (a mother) ? Are you pleased with your children? Why/Why not?
//. Compare the members of your family (young, old, strong, tall).
Students' Chat
Maurice: Is Arabic a difficult language, Halim?
Halim: Well, not for me. I think Chinese is one of the most difficult languages for Europeans.
Maurice: Yes, I think Spanish and Italian are two of the easiest and nicest, but of course I speak French!
Halim: At the moment English is the most important language for us. And it's certainly the most useful.
Juan: It was my worst subject at school.
Halim: It was never my best subject, that's why I studied engineering.
/. Listen to the conversation and answer the questions:
What does Halim think of Chinese? What does Maurice think of Spanish and Italian? What is the most important and useful language according to Halim?
//. Act out the conversation.
III. What was your best subject at school? What was your worst subject? Did you like English?