A comparative clause is a type of subordinate clause that is used in order to express the difference, similarity, or a higher/lower degree of one thing over another. It follows a comparative adjective or adverb and introduced by a specific subordinating conjunction.
Types
1. Equivalence (Equality)
To express similarity, use the “as…as”.
Examples:
They are as driven as the other team is.
You have practice as consistently as you can to improve your speaking skills.
2. Non-equivalence (Inequality)
To express difference, use “more…than“, “less…than“, or the suffix “-er”.
Examples:
The new policy is more lenient than the previous one was.
She is less scared than she was the first time.
The new products are larger than the other ones.
3. Sufficiency & Excess
To indicate degree, use “enough…to” or “too…to“.
Examples:
The paint should be enough to cover the whole wall.
The article was too long to read.
Key Features
1. Ellipsis (Reduction)
To avoid being redundant, the part of the clause that repeats the main verb is omitted.
Full: She is prettier than I am.
Elliptical (formal): She is prettier than I.
Elliptical (informal): She is prettier than me.
2. Substitute Verbs
To maintain a clause structure, the verb that will be repeated is replaced by “do”.
Examples:
They win more than we do. [Not: They win more than we win.]
She talks faster than I do. [Not: She talks faster than I talk.]
3. Ambiguity
A heavy ellipsis makes a sentence ambiguous.
Unclear: She likes ice cream more than him.
Meaning 1 [ellipsis of “does”]: She likes ice cream more than he likes ice cream.
Meaning 2 [ellipsis of “she likes”]: She likes ice cream more than she likes him.
Clear statement: She likes ice cream more than he does. (Meaning 1)