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Ask for help > Activity about Olympic Games
Activity about Olympic Games
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carinita
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Activity about Olympic Games
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Dear Colleagues, Could someone edit the �expected � comparative sentences below the chart? If everything is Ok I promise I �ll upload this as a proper activity. Just want to know if the sentences are well written Thanks! Rio
2016
Look at The Guardian�s table of medals and results. Use the comparative form of
these adjectives to complete the blanks in the report below. Add THAN after the
comparative if necessary.
BIG � SMALL � GOOD � BAD � SUCCESSFUL � POWERFUL 18/8/2016 The USA is more successful than Great Britain, China or any other competitor country. Great Britain (50 medals) is more powerful than China. However, China has a bigger number of olympic medals (52) With less than 50 medals won, Russia is better than Germany (28) In the 6th place is Japan, with a smaller amount of victories. The United Arab Emirates is doing worse than any other country. It won only one bronze medal for judo. |
22 Aug 2016
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redcamarocruiser
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Grammatically they are all correct. I am not sure that "powerful" is the best word choice, however. But I am not sure if others would feel the same. Maybe capable, or victorious? I hope others weigh in.
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22 Aug 2016
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cunliffe
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It looks like a great activity! Yes, they are all grammatically correct. I agree with Mary about �powerful �... It �s OK, but not that natural. �Stronger � would be good. In British English, we would say, �in sixth place � (no article.) Edit: The news is on, Team GB have just landed. This was said, �Team GB, even mightier than the mighty Chinese�. �Victorious� bandied about very liberally!
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23 Aug 2016
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carinita
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 & thanks for your help (both) May I use "more outstanding than China"? |
23 Aug 2016
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joannajs
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"With FEWER than 50 medals won" (medals being countable)  |
23 Aug 2016
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Gi2gi
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Hi, Although, as grammarians insist, less should only be used with uncountable nouns, you tend to hear this �mistake � quite often, so oftn that it has almost become a norm, at least to me. Here �s what th OED says about this �You often hear people using less with countable nouns (e.g. ‘there are less cars outside the school gates’). Although it �s a common mistake, it is still a mistake and you should try to avoid making it in formal writing or speaking � And it should be noted, that with some countable words, like those denoting distance and time, less is preferred, I mean in phrases like �less than two days �, �less than ten miles �... I bet even the most �learned � English speaker would hesitate to use �fewer � instead. This is my observation though, would love if someone corrected me if I �m mistaken... Giorgi |
24 Aug 2016
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cunliffe
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I agree with Giorgi. If we were to go down this route, we might quibble with �amount of victories � and insist on �number of victories �. But most British people, as with �fewer � would go, �Eh? Wha � you on about? � They really wouldn �t get it. Niceties like this are going out of the language. |
24 Aug 2016
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yanogator
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As usual, Giorgi, your observation is correct. We think of those time and distance expressions as being a "solid" measurement, so the number is just a part of it, allowing it to behave as if it were uncountable (uncounted). Yes, "less than" is replacing "fewer than", and will soon be accepted, except by the most curmudgeonly teachers. I just read over the original, and 6th place should say "smaller number of victories". "Amount" is used for measurements, and "number" for things that are counted. And Lynne is right that it shouldn �t be "the sixth place". Bruce |
24 Aug 2016
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