Adjectives and Adverbs Advanced Level Test – Quiz (Online Exercise With Answers) 1

no + comparative + than means 'not at all better'. Here it shows that he is equally bad at both sports: He is no better at golf than at swimming. A comparison with better always needs than, so pairs such as any / so or more / to are wrong. Much better than is grammatical, but it contradicts the clue that he cannot even hit the ball.

Equal comparisons use as … as. Calories is a countable plural noun, so we need as many: as many calories as three glasses of milk. Not as much, which goes with uncountable nouns such as as much sugar.

A comparative of inferiority is made with less + adjective + than: less receptive than the British. more / as mixes two patterns; it would have to be more … than or as … as. such / that and so / that express result, not comparison.

After a negative or limiting word such as few, we can compare with so + adverb + as: Few inventions have so powerfully influenced … as the internet (= the internet influenced it more than almost anything else). much / than is wrong because than needs a comparative form such as more powerfully.

Easier is already a comparative, and it can be strengthened with much, far or a lot: much easier than. Not far more easier, which is a double comparative. as easy would need as, not than, and the easiest is a superlative.

The comparative pattern is more + adjective + than: more profitable than they used to be. so … as is only used in negative sentences (not so profitable as), and as … than mixes two patterns.

In negative sentences, not so … as is an alternative to not as … as: He hasn't done so well in life as his sister. Not more / than, because the comparative of well is better, never more well. so / that would introduce a result, not a comparison.

Rather than means 'instead of'. It contrasts the preferred action with the one being rejected: concentrating on your project rather than listening to music. so that introduces a purpose and even if a concession, so neither fits.

The pattern too + adjective + a + noun + for somebody to do shows that something is beyond a limit: too heavy a box for me to lift. Such heavy is wrong because it would have to be such a heavy box, and very heavy cannot be followed by a box … to lift.

We use so + much/many/little/few + noun + that to show a result: so little free time that I probably won't be able to attend. such a is only used with a singular countable noun (such a short break), not with little free time.

be such that means 'be of such a kind or degree that'. It introduces a result: His attitude was such that everyone supposed he was guilty (his attitude made everyone think he was guilty). as cannot introduce this result clause, and so much would need that after it.

Comparatives can be modified by words of degree such as slightly (a little) and much (a lot): slightly thicker, of much worse quality. very and quite cannot normally go before a comparative (very thicker is wrong). more worse is a double comparative.

Become is a linking verb, so it is followed by an adjective, not an adverb: become more active. No second item is mentioned, so no than or as is needed. The comparison is with the colder period. more actively than is wrong because actively is an adverb.

The comparative more + adjective + than compares Birmingham after the events with Birmingham earlier: a more conservative city than it had been. much / as mixes patterns, and so / that or such / that would express a result.

Readily means 'easily and quickly, without resistance'. An indecisive person is readily persuaded to change her mind. hardly would mean almost not persuaded, which contradicts so indecisive.

Far intensifies a comparative, and more … than compares two amounts of the uncountable noun hardship: far more hardship than a response after the fact. as / as cannot follow far in this way, and so / that expresses result.

Exactly the same means 'identical in every detail'. The sentence says that no two courses are fully identical, although they are very similar. roughly and approximately would make the sentence illogical: courses organized 'roughly the same way' would not contrast with nearly all … use the same system.

so many + plural noun + that introduces a result: so many different businessmen that he now knows all kinds of them. Not too much, because businessmen is countable and too suggests a negative excess. more / than compares rather than shows a result.

Incessantly means 'without stopping', which fits a student who keeps talking during the lesson: He talked incessantly. incoherently (unclearly, without logic) is tempting, but the teacher's complaint is about how much he talks, not how clearly.

Multiples and fractions go before as … as: half as much as, twice as much as. I didn't like Egypt half as much as Turkey means 'I liked Turkey much more'. half the much is wrong; half the is used with nouns, as in half the price.

such a + adjective + singular noun + that shows a result: such a boring book that I didn't want to read it again. Not so / that, because so goes directly before an adjective without a noun: The book was so boring that …

Recently means 'not long ago' and works with the past simple: I recently moved here. It explains why the speaker didn't grow up in this place. nearly and almost would mean the move did not actually happen.

Hardly anyone means 'almost nobody', which explains why the party was not a success. Not almost, because we say almost nobody or almost everyone, not almost anyone in this meaning.

so intensifies an adjective (so successful). very much intensifies a comparative (very much worse). such needs a noun after it (such a success). very a lot and very far are not possible.

Farther is the comparative of far and refers to physical distance: glaciers deposit material farther along their paths, at a later point than where they picked it up. No comparison follows, so farther than is wrong, and as far as would need a point of reference.