Original BandLadder material
Along the way you get worked examples with the key words marked, before-and-after fixes that show why the first version loses marks, a one-page visual summary, a quick check to test yourself and a recap of the rules to remember. Each card holds one idea, so you can read it on a phone between practice sessions.
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The first 3 of 9 cards
one form, one small word
A comparison needs one comparing form and the right small word after it. Slip on either and the figures blur.
Rents in Larkmoor are more higheralready -er thenthan, not then Quillby's, and Corvane has lowest rentsneeds 'the' of the three towns.
Fixed: higher · than · the lowest
the form depends on the word
| Word | Compare | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| short: high | higher | the highest |
| -y: busy | busier | the busiest |
| longer: recent | more recent | the most recent |
| good | better | the best |
| bad | worse | the worst |
| little | less | the least |
Ending or 'more', never both. Two-syllable words vary. Before a noun: 'the' (or its, my) + superlative.
each one has a single job
| Word | Its job | Example |
|---|---|---|
| from … to | start and end | from £12 to £30 |
| by | size of change | rose by £18 |
| at | level reached | peaked at £30 |
| in | what changed | a rise in fares |
| of | how big | a rise of £18 |
| over | the period | over ten years |
| since | still true now | risen since 2019 |
Together: a rise in fares of £18, from £12 to £30.
Card 4 of 9 onwards
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