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ESL forum >
Grammar and Linguistics > Grammar questions
Grammar questions

Lovely Lana
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Grammar questions
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Dear colleagues, could you help me here?
1. If you don �t say anything, you �re all _____ likely to lose your job. a) the more b) most
The correct answer is a). Why? What kind of grammar pattern is it? What �s wrong with b)?
Thanks in advance.
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4 Mar 2012
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Mariethe House
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asked in the wordreference forum and this si what I got:
Because this is a very special use of the that only occurs with adjectives in the comparative. Here �s the relevant part of the Oxford English Dictionary entry for the (via the Wordreference dictionary:
- 6 used adverbially with comparatives to indicate how one amount or degree of something varies in relation to another. ■ (usu. all the ��) used to emphasize the amount or degree to which something is affected.
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5 Mar 2012
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Jayho
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Hi Lana
Answer A uses the grammar pattern all +the + comparative to suggest the idea of �even more�. You can read more about it in Swan�s Practical English Usage 141.2.
For option B to be correct, using the superlative form, it would be expressed as �If you don�t say anything, you will most likely lose your job�.
Cheers
Jayho |
5 Mar 2012
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thaohanuvn
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all
the All the is used
before comparative adjectives and adverbs to mean �even � or
�much �: She
felt all the better for the drink. I �ve
lost ten kilos in weight and I feel all the fitter for it.
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5 Mar 2012
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