Comparative Degree

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hi, friends!!! Please read this following sentence:
[color=blue] “She’s a zillion times brainier than I am.”
How to use “times+adj(-er) than …” in the comparative degree form? Can I say [color=blue]“She 's zillion times brainier than me?”

Thanks!
F.F

2

Yes, you can if you add the a before zillion.

3

Hi FangFang :smiley:

Or you’d say “She’s zillion[color=blue]s [color=blue]of times brainier than me.”

[i]- hundreds of times more than

  • two hundred times more than
  • a (one) hundred times more than[/i]

Amy

4

Hi, Amy :slight_smile: ,hi, canadian45. Thank you!
But I wonder why “me” could be used here, in fact, I am confused about it.

5

Actually, ‘than me’ is informal English. According to some, ‘than I (am)’, is the correct phrase.

6

Yes, the most grammatically correct way to say it is “…than I (am)”.

However, it is very common for native speakers to say “…than me”, so “than me” has become accepted as also being correct.

7

Hi Fang Fang

Yes, that’s right. Using “than me” is a very normal, typical and widely used conversational style. Your sentence seems to be just right for it ;). If you want to be more formal, use your first sentence: “than I am.”

Saying “than I” (in other words, without “am”) would be extremely formal.

Amy