Making comparisons

1.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
18.1 Comparing two people/things
18.2 Comparing three or more people/things
18.3 Other structures
18.4 Comparative and superlative forms
Grammar Practice
Part A
Part B
Part C
Part D
Part E
Language Practice
Part F
Part G
Part H
1

2.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
18.1 Comparing two people/things
When we compare two people or things, we use:
• as ... as
We use as … as to compare two people or things that
are equal.
John is as tall as his father.
Paul works as hard as his sister, Sandy.
P.176
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3.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
1 We can modify a comparison using as…as with
expressions such as almost, nearly, not quite, etc.
It’s nearly as difficult as last week’s test.
It’s not quite as difficult as last week’s
test.
2 For negative structures, we use not and as…as or
so…as.
Peter does not draw as well as James.
Peter does not draw so well as James.
P.176
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4.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
3 When we want to point out similarities, we say
the same as.
John’s habits are the same as his
father’s.
Jane is the same height as her sister.
4 We can also use twice as . . . as, three times
as . . . as, etc.
Jill’s sister earns twice as much as she
does.
P.176
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5.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
• comparative adjective/adverb + than
We can use a comparative adjective/adverb + than to
make comparisons.
John is taller than his mother.
John runs faster than Sandy.
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6.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
1 Before a comparative adjective or adverb, we
can use a bit, a little, (very) much, a lot, far
(= very much), etc.
It’s a bit colder today than yesterday.
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7.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
2 Sometimes the verb after as/than is left out.
I was faster than you (were).
Lucy arrived earlier than you (did).
However, there are cases when the verb
cannot be left out because doing so may
change the meaning.
Compare:
She performed better than I
(did).
She performed better than I
expected.
P.176
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8.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
18.2 Comparing three or more people/things
When we compare three or more people or things,
we use:
• the + superlative adjective/adverb + in/of
This is the oldest temple in the territory.
Yesterday was the hottest day of the year.
Of all the books I’ve read, this is the best.
• the + superlative + relative clause
It is the best film that I’ve ever seen.
P.177
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9.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
1 We can use by far before a superlative.
It is by far the longest river in the country.
2 We use most (without the) + adjective to mean
very.
Yesterday’s meeting was most important.
(= Yesterday’s meeting was very
important.)
3 We usually use most with adjectives of two or
more syllables.
The match was most exciting.
P.177
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10.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
18.3 Other structures
We use
• comparative + and + comparative to describe
increases and decreases.
The weather is getting colder and colder.
She felt more and more frightened.
Flats on Hong Kong Island have become less
and less affordable.
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11.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
• the + comparative + the + comparative to explain
the relationship between two actions.
The harder you work, the more you can earn.
• more/most, less/fewer/least to compare quantities.
My brother has more friends than me.
Which team has won the most games?
P.177
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12.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
18.4 Comparative and superlative forms
• one-syllable adjectives
We use -er for the comparative and -est for the
superlative of most one-syllable adjectives.
small
comparative
superlative
smaller
smallest
P.177
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13.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
Note how -er and -est combine with these
adjectives.
nice
nicer
nicest
hot
hotter
hottest
clean
cleaner
cleanest
low
lower
lowest
P.177
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14.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
• two-syllable adjectives
We usually put more/most before two-syllable
adjectives.
serious
more serious
most serious
But we add -er/-est if the adjective ends in -er or -y.
easy
easier
easiest
clever
cleverer
cleverest
P.178
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15.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
We can use either -er/-est or more/most with some
two-syllable adjectives.
clever
quiet
cleverer
cleverest
more clever
most clever
quieter
quietest
more quiet
most quiet
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16.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
• adjectives of three or more syllables
We use more/most with adjectives of three or more syllables.
interesting
more interesting most interesting
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17.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
• adverbs
Some adverbs take the same form as some adjectives.*
fast
faster
fastest
However, most adverbs are formed by adding -ly to
their corresponding adjectives. These adverbs take
more and most to form the comparative and superlative.
quickly
more quickly
most quickly
* The comparative and superlative forms of these
adverbs are created by using -er/-est.
P.178
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18.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
• irregular forms
Some adjectives and adverbs have irregular comparative
forms.
e.g.
good
well
}
better
best
many
much
}
more
most
bad
worse
worst
little
less
least
P.178
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19.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
Some adjectives and adverbs have both regular and
irregular forms.
e.g.
far
farther
further
farthest
furthest
old
older
elder
oldest
eldest
P.178
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20.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
1 We also use further to mean more/additional.
If you need further information, please
let me know.
We also say: He studied hard to further his
career.
2 We usually use elder/eldest when discussing
family members.
Sue’s my eldest sister.
P.178
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21.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
Grammar Practice
Read the first sentence, then complete the second sentence
using the given words. The first one has been done for you
as an example.
P.179
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22.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
1
fast/ever before
The new express train goes up to 160 kilometres an hour.
From today, rail passengers will be able to reach
faster than ever before.
Guangzhou ______________________________________
________________________________________________
2
important/money
more
Don’t work too hard, Steve. Good health is _____________
important than money.
________________________________________________
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23.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
3
easy/previous one
easier than
I think I’ve passed the test. It was much ________________
the previous one.
________________________________________________
4
safe to cross the road/it was before
safer to
The government has built a footbridge. It’s now _________
cross the road than it was before.
________________________________________________
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24.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
5
comfortable/bus
If you aren’t in a hurry, I suggest you take the ferry. It’s ___
more comfortable than the bus.
________________________________________________
6
noisy/ours
Sue’s flat is larger than the one we’re living in, but I prefer
noisier
ours. Hers is on the ground floor, so it’s ________________
than ours.
________________________________________________
P.179
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25.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
7
long/I
If you want to know more about Tony, ask Mary. She’s
longer than I have/me.
known him ______________________________________
8
good/tennis player/Carmen
Ben’s been playing for years; that’s why he is a _________
better tennis player than Carmen (is).
________________________________________________
P.179
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26.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
Rewrite the sentences using (not) as . . . as, while
keeping the meaning of the original sentences. The first one
has been done for you as an example.
P.179
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27.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
1
She is younger than she looks.
isn’t/is not as old as she looks.
She ____________________________________________
________________________________________________
2
Your watch is more expensive than mine.
isn’t/is not as expensive as yours.
My watch _______________________________________
________________________________________________
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28.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
3
The station was nearer than I thought.
wasn’t/was not as far away as I thought.
The station ______________________________________
________________________________________________
4
She speaks English better than I do.
don’t/do not speak English as well as she
I _______________________________________________
does.
________________________________________________
P.180
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29.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
5
I used to play football more often.
football as often as I used to.
I don’t play ______________________________________
________________________________________________
6
The dress she was wearing cost more than mine.
did not cost as much as the one she
My dress ________________________________________
was wearing/was not as expensive as hers.
________________________________________________
P.180
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30.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
7
The offices on the lower floors of this building are
smaller than those on the upper floors.
this building
The offices on the upper floors of ____________________
aren’t/are
not as small as those on the lower floors.
________________________________________________
8
There were fewer people at the beach than we expected.
not as many people at the beach as
There were ______________________________________
we expected.
_______________________________________
(Note: accept all reasonable answers)
P.180
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31.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
Complete the sentences using the given words and the
structure comparative + and + comparative. The first one
has been done for you as an example.
P.180
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32.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
1
hard
harder and harder
Now that it’s winter, it’s _________________________
to
get out of bed in the morning.
2
high
higher and higher
The cost of living is getting ________________________
.
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33.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
3
large
larger
The population of the world is growing ________________
and larger
_____________________
.
4
nervous
more
As Ms Lee waited for her interview, she became _________
and more nervous
________________________
.
P.180
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34.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
5
hot
hotter and hotter
The weather is getting _________________________
.
6
serious
more and more serious .
Noise pollution is becoming _________________________
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35.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
7
bad
worse and worse
Her behaviour is getting ____________________________
___________________ .
8
excited
more and more excited .
As Jason spoke, he became _________________________
P.181
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36.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
Use the structure the + comparative + the + comparative to
join the beginnings of the sentences in Column A with the
endings in Column B. Each ending can be used ONCE only.
The first one has been done for you as an example.
P.181
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37.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
Column A
1
The longer he waited
2
The more excuses he gave
3
The older she gets
4
The less you exercise
5
The more you practise
6
The better the quality
7
The more I get to know her
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38.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
Column B
the worse it is for your health
the more desirable the product
the better I like her
the more she distrusted him
the more sensible she becomes
the better you can speak a new language
the more impatient he became
P.181
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39.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
1
The longer he waited, the more impatient he
________________________________________________
became.
________________________________________________
2
The more excuses he gave, the more she
________________________________________________
distrusted him.
________________________________________________
3
The older she gets, the more sensible she
________________________________________________
becomes.
________________________________________________
4
The less you exercise, the worse it is for your
________________________________________________
health.
________________________________________________
COLUMN A
COLUMN B
P.181
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40.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
5
The more you practise, the better you can speak
________________________________________________
a new language.
________________________________________________
6
The better the quality, the more desirable the
________________________________________________
product.
________________________________________________
7
The more I get to know her, the better I like her.
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
COLUMN A
COLUMN B
P.181
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41.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
Respond to your friend using the given words. The first one has
been done for you as an example.
P.182
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42.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
1
good/hotel
Your friend Is this hotel comfortable?
You
the best hotel
Oh, yes! This is ____________________
____________ I’ve ever stayed in.
P.182
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43.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
2
delicious/meal
Your friend I enjoyed our dinner. What about you?
You
the most
I did, too. In fact, it was ______________
delicious meal
_____________________
I’ve had for a long
time.
P.182
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44.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
3
difficult/decision
Your friend Is it true you’re leaving the company?
You
the most
Yes, and frankly, it’s ________________
difficult decision
______________________________
I’ve
ever had to make.
P.182
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45.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
4
supportive/teacher
Your friend Everybody in your class seems to like
Ms Tsui.
You
the most
I’m not surprised. She’s ______________
supportive teacher
__________________________________
I’ve ever known.
P.182
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46.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
5
popular/singer/territory
Your friend Does Jacky Cheung still have a lot of fans?
You
the most
I think so. He used to be ______________
popular singer in the territory
_________________________________
.
P.182
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47.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
6
difficult/question/all
Your friend I couldn’t answer the last question in the
test.
You
the most
Neither could I. It was _______________
difficult question of (them) all
_________________________________
.
P.182
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48.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
7
famous/buildings/the world
Your friend Did you visit the Sydney Opera House
when you were in Australia?
You
How could I have missed it? It’s one of
most famous buildings
the _______________________________
in the world
_________________________________
!
P.182
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49.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
Language Practice
Complete the conversation by choosing appropriate
adjectives/adverbs from the box. Use the comparative/
superlative forms when necessary. Each of the given words
can be used ONCE only. The first two have been done for
you as an example.
P.183
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50.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
Shop assistant Good morning. Can I help
you?
Customer
Yes, I like this dress, but I’m
worried it may be too (1) for
small
(1) ____________
me.
Shop assistant Yes, I think you need a (2)
larger
(2) ____________
size, but I’m afraid we only
have this smaller size in
stock.
OPTIONS
P.183
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51.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
Shop assistant Why don’t you try on this
Customer
dress instead? It’s just as (3) .
pretty
(3) ____________
Okay, but I’d prefer a (4)
darker
(4) ____________
colour.
Shop assistant This dress comes in three
colours: red, yellow and
black. Here they are. I think
the black suits you the (5) .
OPTIONS
best
(5) ____________
P.183
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52.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
Customer
Yes, it’s (6) for me. How
perfect
(6) ____________
much does it cost?
Shop assistant HK$3 400.
Customer
HK$3 400? That’s (7) than I
more
(7) ____________
can afford, I’m afraid. Do you
have a (8) one, say, for about
(8) ____________
cheaper
HK$1 500?
OPTIONS
P.183
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53.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
Shop assistant Certainly. Please follow me.
These dresses cost less than
the one I just showed you.
The (9) one only costs
most
expensive
(9) ____________
HK$1 250.
Customer
Hmm ... the price is all right,
but I think they’d look better
on someone a little younger.
OPTIONS
P.183-184
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54.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
Customer
Do you have any for women
with (10) tastes?
mature
(10) more
____________
Shop assistant The red one maybe, but I
think the black one would
look better on you. In fact,
it’s such a classic style that I
think it’s (11) for women of
suitable
(11) ____________
all ages. Besides, you don’t
look (12) to me at all.
OPTIONS
old
(12) ____________
P.184
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55.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
Customer
I think you’re just flattering
me but I’ll try it on anyway!
Where’s the fitting room?
Shop assistant At the (13) end of the shop.
far
(13) ____________
I’ll show you.
(A few minutes later.)
Customer
OPTIONS
What do you think?
P.184
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56.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
Shop assistant You look (14) !
Customer
OPTIONS
great
(14) ____________
I’ll take it!
P.184
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57.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
Each line in the passage contains one mistake. Underline the
mistake and write the correct answer in the space provided
on the right-hand side. The first one has been done for you
as an example.
P.184
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58.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
(1)
Like much other cities in the world, Hong Kong is facing the
(1)
many
____________
(2)
challenge of an ageing population. The late projections by the
(2)
latest
____________
(3)
Census and Statistics Department shows that the number of
(3)
show
____________
(4)
people aged 65 or oldest will rise to 2.6 million by 2041, more
(4)
older
____________
(5)
than two as many as the current number. The median age will
(5)
twice
____________
(6)
also rise to 52, more higher than the current median. This is
(6)
much
____________
(7)
believed to be cause by an increase in life expectancy in combination
(7)
caused
____________
(8)
with a fertility rate that has continued to become low each year.
(8)
lower
____________
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59.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
main
____________
(9)
The mainly concern about the ageing population is that it will
(9)
(10)
result in a shrink labour force that will lead to lower
shrinking
(10) ____________
(11)
economic growth, which will inevitable threaten the city’s
inevitably
(11) ____________
(12)
fiscal sustainability. Equal worrying is the question of how to
Equally
(12) ____________
(13)
finance the medicine needs of the ageing population. The
medical
(13) ____________
(14)
more elderly people there are, the highest our costs of health care.
higher
(14) ____________
(15)
It is in these reasons that the government proposed the Voluntary
for
(15) ____________
(16)
Health Insurance Scheme. The Scheme, aiming at offsetting medical
aimed
(16) ____________
P.184-185
70

60.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
(17)
cost in the public sector, has been putting forth for public consultation.
put
(17) ____________
(18)
According to government officials, the by-product in the Scheme
of
(18) ____________
(19)
will be shortest queues in the public health care sector. However,
shorter
(19) ____________
(20)
critics have questioned that the Scheme can truly achieve its goals,
whether
(20) ____________
(21)
or even attracting enough people to participate in it.
attract
(21) ____________
P.185
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61.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
Read the fact files about four restaurants and complete the
report that follows using the words given in brackets. The
first one has been done for you as an example.
FACT FILES
P.185-186
72

62.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
Survey Report on Potential Restaurant Partner
The purpose of this report is to present the results of a
survey of four different restaurants, in order to find
(1) _______________________________________
the most suitable restaurant partner
(suitable/restaurant partner) for our company’s
forthcoming promotional campaign.
FACT FILES
P.186
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63.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
All four restaurants surveyed are award-winning restaurants.
received the
Among them, Peggy’s Kitchen has (2) _________________
___________________________
highest number of awards (receive/high/number of
awards). Red Pepper and Golden House have also received
not quite as many as
prestigious awards, but (3) ___________________________
__________________
Peggy’s Kitchen (not/quite/Peggy’s Kitchen). It is
worth noting that Peggy’s Kitchen received its awards
the most recently of the four restaurants
(4) ______________________________________________
(recent/the four restaurants).
FACT FILES
P.186
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64.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
In terms of customers’ ratings, Red Pepper fares (5)
a bit better than Peggy’s Kitchen
___________________________________
(a bit/good/
Peggy’s Kitchen), scoring four out of five ‘Likes’ overall.
Pho House and Golden House’s ratings are not so
even lower than
satisfactory with the latter scoring (6) __________________
___________
the former (even/low/the former). However, since
‘traditions’ is a major theme of our campaign, Golden
House has its advantages.
FACT FILES
P.186-187
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65.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
the longest history among/of
Not only does it have (7) ____________________________
______________________
(long/history/the four
the four restaurants
the earliest to
restaurants), it is also, naturally, (8) ___________________
____________________________________
have received the Golden Fork Award (early/receive/
the Golden Fork Award).
The restaurants’ price range is also a major consideration, as
our campaign targets diners willing to pay more than $200
for a quality meal.
FACT FILES
P.187
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66.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
In this aspect, only Golden House meets our target as its
standard meals are (9) ___________________________
more expensive than that
(expensive/that). Among the three other restaurants,
standard meals at Red Pepper and Pho House both
(10) ________________________
(cost/little/$100).
cost less than $100
FACT FILES
P.187
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67.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
However, Golden House has also received (11)
________________________________________________
(many) more complaints than the other three
(many/complaints/the other three) in the past 12 months,
(12) _____________________________________________
five times as many as Pho House
(five times/many/Pho House), which received the second
highest number of complaints among the restaurants. On the
other hand, of the restaurants receiving complaints, Red
the fewest complaints
Pepper has got (13) _______________________________
(few/complaints) while Peggy’s Kitchen’s record is flawless.
FACT FILES
P.187
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68.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
This survey also covered the opening hours of the four
Golden House opens earlier
restaurants. (14) __________________________________
_____________
than the rest (Golden House/open/early/the rest) while
(15) ____________________________________________
Peggy’s Kitchen closes latest among them
(Peggy’s Kitchen/close/late/them). Since our campaign’s
events are mostly held at night and run late, (16)
Peggy’s Kitchen is/would be a better choice
_______________________________________________
(Peggy’s Kitchen/be/good/choice) than Golden House.
FACT FILES
P.187
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69.

Unit 18 Making comparisons
After considering all of the different features and ratings,
Peggy’s Kitchen is the best choice among the
(17) _____________________________________________
__________________
four restaurants (Peggy’s Kitchen/be/good/choice/the
four restaurants) to be our restaurant partner for the
campaign.
You may have to use information given
in the Data File to make comparisons
while doing Paper 3 tasks.
FACT FILES
P.187
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