Double comparatives are a must in the English language. You can’t go anywhere without seeing them! Well, unless you go to the back woods of China where no one speaks English… In fact, they’re so common, that the more you look for them, the more you find them! (See what I just did there?)
If you aren’t sure what a double comparative is, then we have to answer that question first.
What are Double Comparatives?
They are at least two phrases starting with “the” and containing a comparative word separated by a comma. Here are some common examples:
- The bigger, the better.
- The more, the merrier.
- The happier they are, the better.
- The richer I get, the more I buy.
- The closer it gets to opening, the more excited I get.
- The better you play, the more likely we are to win.
They don’t have to be standalone sentences. They can be used within a sentence as a noun:
- Her opinion is that the more work we have, the busier we are, the less our happiness is.
- The bigger, the better is not true for injuries.
- Believing that the richer you are, the happier you are is immature.
Next, let’s have a look at how they are used in context to get a clearer understanding of their use. Find the double comparative in each paragraph and note down the meaning. There will be a practice activity to check your answers!
Example 1
As I started on the challenging journey of learning a new language, I found myself increasingly attracted to its complexity. The more I learned, the more I was amazed by the grammatical difficulties that came before me. Each sentence I made felt clearer and more polite, like a bridge that connected me to a world that both grows in size and amazes its visitors.
Example 2
My puppy, Max, is only 5 weeks old, but he’s tons of fun! He runs everywhere he goes and never sits still unless he’s sleeping. Every day, when I come home from school, he is super excited to see me! The longer I’m gone at school, the faster he wags his tail because he missed me so much. Max is becoming the best furry friend anyone could ever have!
Example 3
At the playground today, I did something new. I usually only play on the jungle gym swing on the swings ride the seesaw and spin on the merry-go-round, but I felt a little adventurous. Jesse told me she tried the big slide and it wasn’t scary at all, even though it was so tall. She said I had to try it. Then she said it again. And again. And again. The harder she tried to convince me, the more annoyed I became, the more I wander her to stop trying to convince me. So, after saying “no” 15 times and listening to 30 of her attempts to convince me, I gave in. I followed her up the ladder. The higher I climbed, the scarier it was, but she was there in front of me so it wasn’t as bad as I thought. After she got to the top and slid down, I gave it a try, and it was so awesome I forgot how scary it was to climb. She didn’t have to ask me to try again. I was at the top of the ladder before you could say “pepperoni pizza.” I didn’t do anything else that day except slide. I always love going to the playground!
Example 4
My boss has been treating me worse these days. Every time I come in to the office and say “hi” he just gives me an angry nod. When I leave work, he crosses his arms and looks sternly at me. When I check Facebook and stuff he comes over and asks if I really have to do that at work. I feel like the longer I work here, the less he likes me. I’ve tried to ask him why but he only says things like “work hours” and “wasting time”, only work related things. So I don’t know why he treats me bad personally if he only has work related complaints against me. I think I’m going to give a complaint to human resources about him because I feel like he is bullying me. He doesn’t do this to anyone else. Actually, I’m going to go find HR right now.
Example 5
One of my employees has been slacking off more and more recently. He always comes in late, leaves early, and spends hours each day doing things he should be doing at home, like social media and even playing video games. I’ve tried to communicate to him both verbally and nonverbally, but he doesn’t listen. He always says things like, “Chill out!” and “Don’t be such a hard man, what’s life if you can’t live it?” The longer this goes on, the more I want to fire him. In fact, as soon as he comes back to his desk, I’ll finally do it. I’ll find someone who actually works at work.
So you probably want to know what they mean…
What do double comparatives mean?
Double comparatives tell us when something increases or decreases, another increases or decreases, and they happen ongoingly or repeatedly. The one thing usually triggers the other thing. Take a look at these few examples with the meaning next to them:
- The more I eat, the more I like it. As I eat more, I like it more.
- The longer you exercise, the stronger you become. If you exercise more, you will become stronger.
- The more you talk, the less I like you. As you talk more, I like you less.
- The more I grow to like her, the more she seems to avoid me. I like her more and more, but I feel like she avoids me more and more.
Now let’s talk about how to form these.
How do I form double comparatives?
Making double comparatives can get very complicated. But it’s also very simple. There are a few that are so common that they have become idioms by themselves, like “the bigger, the better”, and using them is as easy as copy and paste. But to use original ones that communicate deeper ideas, you need to practice.
There are a few parts to practicing. As we recommend for all types of grammar, start by observing. Note all of the times you hear or see the structure. That includes all of the examples in this post. That’s why we give so many! The more you listen to it, the better you will get at using it yourself.
The second step is to practice slowly and carefully. Here is where the formula comes in:
Write as many different types as you can think of on as many different topics you can think of. If you have a good English teacher or friend, you can have them check it for you. This slow and thoughtful step helps you make sure you get the ideas solidified right in your head.
Then, you are ready to start trying it out in real life. Look for opportunities to use it and see what the result is. If people give you a strange look, maybe you did it wrong. If no one noticed you tried, then you probably did it right!
Now we have showed you what double comparatives are, how they are formed, and what you need to do to get good at using them. It’s time for you to put in the hard work and turn this knowledge into growth!