Comparison clause
Definition
A comparison clause contains a subject and verb and completes a comparison introduced by words such as than or as. It compares an action, quality, quantity or degree with another situation.
Examples
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The task was easier than I expected.
The than clause compares the actual difficulty with the speaker's expectation.
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Ravi works more carefully than his brother does.
Does replaces the repeated verb works.
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The room was not as large as we had imagined.
The final as clause provides the standard of comparison.
Comparison clause vs. comparison phrase
The bag is heavier than mine.
The comparison contains no expressed clause verb.
The bag is heavier than I expected.
The comparison contains the subject I and the verb expected.
A clause has its own subject–verb structure. A phrase can complete a comparison without an expressed clause verb.
Repeated material is often omitted
Comparison clauses commonly use ellipsis or an auxiliary substitute because repeated words are recoverable from the first part of the sentence.
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Mina arrived earlier than Leo did.
Did stands for arrived.
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The result was better than predicted.
This reduced comparison leaves out words such as it had been.
Common mistakes
The result was better than did we expect.
The result was better than we expected.
A comparison clause normally uses statement word order.
She works more carefully than her brother do.
She works more carefully than her brother does.
The substitute auxiliary agrees with its own subject: her brother does.
Quick check
Question 1 of 3
Which sentence contains a comparison clause?
Than we expected contains a subject and verb, so it is a comparison clause.Which comparison clause has natural word order?
The comparison clause uses statement order: I remembered.Which sentence correctly uses an auxiliary substitute?
Did replaces the repeated past verb reacted.Nice work — you've completed the quick check.
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