Today’s speech is a talk from ラジオ英会話.
Topic is comparison the comparative degree, the superlative degree.
First story Professor and Jessica are talking about Windsor Castle.
a Professor Peacock, I'm going to Windsor this weekend to see the castle.
b Oh, is it your first time?
a Yes, I'm looking forward to it. It's supposed to be older than Buckingham Palace.
b Windsor Castle is much older than Buckingham Palace. It was built in the 11 century.
a That's amazing. I heard It's still used as a weekend home.
b I would like to have a weekend home too.
a A second home is my dream!
b Oh, is it?
key sentence Windsor Castle is much older than Buckingham Palace.
The comparative degree has specified expression.
Your office is much tinier than mine.
Who is the brighter of the two?
The new engine runs three times more efficiently than the old one.
Second story Artist Bob and his student Sally are talking about her daughter's painting.
a Bob, look at this watercolor painting.
b Wow, that's really good. Did you paint it?
a No, my daughter, Kaylie did. She used a computer.
b It looks like a real watercolor.
How long did it take her to creat it?
a Only an hour. It's faster to draw it on a computer than to use real watercolor paints.
b Well, I'm a traditional painter. I'll stick to real paints and brushes.
a Me too. I'm terrible with computers.
key sentence It's faster to draw it on a computer than to use real watercolor paints
It's important for the comparative degree to have balance.
It's much more fun to play table tennis than to watch it.
Preparing meals is more time-consuming than eating it.
Working at home is morecomfortable than working at office.pp
Two colleagues are talking about their colleague, Nolan.
a Where's Nolan today?
b He is taking the morning off. He'll be in after lunch.
a Oh, that's unusual. Did something happen to him?
b Maybe, he drank too much last night.
a I see. Maybe I shouldn't have scolded him about the mistakes in his report yesterday.
b Nolan is a lot smarter than he seems, Azusa. He's actually one of the key players here.
a I know that, Takuma. I was just annoyed by his carefree attitude towards work.
key sentence Nolan is actually smarter than he seems.
We can use the comparative phrase (for comparison)..The target for comparison is a phrase.
Golf is more difficult than it seems.
Studying English is much more fun than I thought.
His portrayal of Hamlet was more moving than I expected.
Last story Bob and Sally are talking about Bob's family.
a Bob, are all these paintings yours?
b No, actually, most of them were painted by my sister, Isabel.
a Wow, she is a great artist, just like you.
b I'd say Isabel is the most talented artist in our family. She also speaks the best Spanish, apart from my mom, of course.
a Oh, yes. I remember your mom is Mexican.
b That's right.
a So, you must be fluent in Spanish.
b Yes, but not as fluent as Isabel.
keh sentence I'd say Isabel is the most talented artist in our family.
Kaori is the tougher negotiator in our company.
Simon is the most handsome in my family.
Out of my siblings, my youngest sister takes her studies most seriously.
