1. as…as 结构。该结构的意思是“与…一样”,其间应接形容词原级,不能用比较级或最高级。如:
He is as tall as his father. 他与他父亲一样高。
He is as busy as before. 他还是像以前那样忙。
在否定句中第一个as也可换成 so,其意为“不如”:
He is not as [so] tall as his father. 他不如他父亲高。
He is not as [so] busy as before. 他不像以前那样忙。
2. more and more与 the more…, the more…:前者表示“越来越……”,后者表示“越……,越……”。如:
Our country is getting more and more powerful. 我们国家越来越强大。
The more we get together, the happier we will be. 人聚得越多,我们越快活。
3. more than 与less than:前者“(指数量)多于”、“不只是”、“非常”等,后者表示“少于”、“比……少”。如:
I’ve known him for more than 10 years. 我已认识他10多年了。
He is more than a father to her. 他待她胜过父亲。
She was more than kind to us. 她对我们很友好。
It cost me less than 10 pounds. 我买它没要上10英镑。
She eats less than she should. 她吃得比她应该吃的少。
4. more …than 与 less…than:前者表示“比……多,比……更”,后者表示“比……少,不如……”。如:
He has more books than me. 他的书比我多。
He is more careful than the others. 他比其他人更仔细。
I got less money than the others did. 我比别人得到的钱少。
注:两者均可表示“与其……不如”,但词序不同。如:
He is less a teacher than an expert. / He is more an expert than a teacher. / He is not so much a teacher as an expert. 与其说他是老师,不如说他是专家。
5. “no+比较级+than”结构:这类结构的实际意思是对待比较的两个对象进行否定,相当于该原级形容词或副词使用as…as结构的意思。如no better than = as bad as,意为“与……一样不好”,no faster than = as slow as,意为“与……一样不快”,no taller than = as short as,意为“与……一样不高”等。
6. no more than与not more than:两者均可表示数量,前者表示“仅仅”、“只有”(= only),强调少;而后者表示“不多于”、“至多”(= at most)。如:
It is no more than five miles to the station. 去车站只有5英里。
It is not more than five miles to the station. 去车站最多5英里。