英文法5分ドリル【比較②】

本記事は独学・国内学習による
英検1級保持者が書きました。

-er とmore/-est とmost は併用不可なので①は失格。
very (主観，気持ちを強める語)
が比較級表現 (客観世界・数字の世界を土台とした表現法)
を強めることはない。
much は比較級強調。
sympathize with A「Aに共感する」
比較級を強める副詞は次のとおり。
much, very much, far, still, even, a lot
ex.) He is much better at skiing than at swimming.
　　彼は水泳よりもはるかにスキーのほうがうまい
正解：②　
「喜びに共感するよりも悲しみに共感するほうがはるかに簡単である」
It is much easier to sympathize with sorrow than to sympathize with joy.
It is easier to empathize with sorrow than with joy.
It is more challenging to connect with joy than with sorrow.

be better off (=wealthy, rich)
be well off の比較級表現で「より裕福な状態にある」
反意はbe badly off

正解：③　
「我々はむかしより暮らし向きがよい」　　　　　
We are better off than we used to be.
We are in a better state than we were before.
Our current situation is an improvement from the past.

less は more の反対語。
いったん more に置き換えてからその反対の意味にする。
be likely to do 「たぶん～しそう」
because を基点としてその前後の対応関係を掴む。
　　　　( 　　X 　　)　　　 　　　［　　　夏　　　］
　　　　　 　 ‖　　　＜because＞　　　　‖　　　　　　　
　　　　［　食欲低下　］　　　 ［　 　暑い時 　　］
正解：①　
「冬よりも夏のほうが体重は増える可能性は少ない。なぜなら暑い時期には食欲を無くす傾向があるからだ」　
You are less likely to gain weight in summer than in winter because you tend to lose your appetite when it is hot.
In summer, you are less likely to gain weight due to a reduced appetite in hot weather compared to winter.
Weight gain is more probable in winter than in summer because of increased appetite in colder temperatures.

less than A「Aよりも少ない」
one tenth of A 「Aの10分の1」
分数表現は分母＝序数詞，分詞＝基数詞。
ただし，分子が2以上の場合，分母は複数形。
ex.) 10分の3 ▸ three (-) tenths　　
＜less than＋数＞は厳密には = ＜under＋数＞ なので「～未満」
＜more than＋数＞も = ＜over＋数＞
正解：②　
「サンフランシスコの人口は東京の10分の1より少ない」　　
The population of San Francisco is less than one tenth of that of Tokyo.　　　
San Francisco's population is less than one-tenth of Tokyo's.
Tokyo's population is more than ten times that of San Francisco.

the の位置が焦点。
③は the very best なら正解。
much は最上級の強調。
次の表現を正確に覚えること。
　☆ by far the best player
　☆ much the best player
　☆ far and away the best player
　☆ the very best player
最上級で後に名詞が続く場合
「1番であるもの」は1つに定まり、
特定できる。
結果 the が最上級の前に必要になる。
正解：②　
「ジェインはクラブでダントツのテニスの選手だ」　　　　
Jane is much the best tennis player in her club.　　
Jane is the top tennis player in her club by a significant margin.
Jane excels far beyond others as a tennis player in her club.

　『時間は最も貴重なものだ』
　　(a) Time is the most precious thing of all.
　　(b) Time is more precious than anything else.
　　(c) Nothing is so precious as time.
(c)は「時と同じくらい貴重なものはない」と発想し
＜Nothing….so[as]＋原級＋as＋＞パターン。
後半部は＜Nothing….比較級＋than＋＞とも表せるので 　　
　　(d) Nothing is more precious than time.
本問はこのうち(d)を用いる。
正解：①　
「旅ほど楽しいものはない」
Nothing is more pleasant than traveling.
Traveling is the most pleasant experience.
There is nothing more enjoyable than traveling.

＜all the 比較級＋for名詞 [because S V] ＞
「～が理由でそれだけなおさら…」
矛盾した因果関係を表すことができる点で because とは異なる。
all は強調の副詞で省略可。
the は指示副詞で「その分だけ」
ex.) I love Ann all the more because she is shy.
　　シャイなのでますますアンのことが好きだ
　　I like him all the better for his faults.
　　彼は欠点があるのでますます彼のことが好きだ
　　He is none the wiser for all his experiences.
　　彼は経験があるにもかかわらずちっとも賢くない
正解：①　
「欠点があるのでなおさら彼のことが好きだ」
I love him all the more for his faults.
I love him even more despite his faults.
His faults make me love him even more.

＜The＋比較級＋S V, the＋比較級＋S V＞
「 ～ すればするほど…」
比較級にはtheは付けない。
主な例外は3つ。
　✰ the比較級＋of the two 「2つ(2人)のうちで～な方」
　✰ (all) the比較級＋［理由]「～だからそれだけいっそう…」
　✰ The比較級, the比較級「～すればするほどますます…」
正解：③　
「話せば話すほど，君の状況は悪くなるだろう」
The more you talk about it, the worse your situation will be.
The more you discuss it, the worse your situation will become.
Talking about it extensively will only worsen your situation.

no は「差がゼロ」の意で＜no more…than＞は
「より勝る度合いがゼロ」であることを表す。
文尾の is は省略可。
＜no = not…any＞ から次の書き換えが可。
　A dolphin is not a fish any more than a dog (is).
問題文は
［犬＝魚］という絶対に否定される事実を引き合いに出し，
同レベルまで［イルカ＝魚］の正当性を引きずりおろし，
否定を強調するレトリック(修辞法)。
no＋比較級
☆ She is no more talented than her sister.
　＜She = her sister＞
　彼女は姉と同様に才能がない
☆ She is no less talented than her sister.
　＜She = her sister＞
　彼女は姉と同様に才能がある
☆ He paid no more than eight dollars for it.
　＜= eight dollars＞
　彼はそれに対して8ドルしか払わなかった
☆ He paid no less than eight dollars for it.
　＜= eight dollars＞
　彼はそれに対して8ドルも払った
not＋比較級
☆ She is not more talented than her sister.
　＜She ≦ her sister＞
　彼女は姉より才能があるということはない
☆ She is not less talented than her sister.
　＜She ≧ her sister＞
　彼女は姉より才能が劣るとういことはない
☆ He paid not more than eight dollars for it.
　＜≦ eight dollars＞
　彼はそれに対してせいぜい8ドルしか払わなかった
☆ He paid not less than eight dollars for it.
　(≧ eight dollars)
　彼はそれに対して少なくとも8ドルも払った
正解：①　
「イルカが魚でないのは犬がそうでないのと同じだ」
A dolphin is no more a fish than a dog is.
A dolphin is as much a mammal as a dog is.
Just like a dog, a dolphin is not a fish.

最上級の意味を表す表現。
✰ 比較級＋than any other＋単数名詞
　Tokyo is larger than any other city in Japan.
　東京は日本で一番大きな都市だ
✰ S(否定語) ... 原級／比較級
　No other city in Japan is so large as Tokyo.
　東京は日本で一番大きな都市だ
　No other city in Japan is larger than Tokyo.
　東京は日本で一番大きな都市だ
問題文を言い換えると，
　Mt. Fuji is higher than any other mountain in Japan.
　No other mountain in Japan is higher than Mt. Fuji.
　No other mountain in Japan is so [as] high as Mt. Fuji.
　Mt. Fuji is as high as any other mountain in Japan.
　Mt. Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan.
正解：②　
「日本で富士山より高い山はない」
No other mountain in Japan is so high as Mt. Fuji.
Mt. Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan, surpassing all others.
No mountain in Japan is as tall as Mt. Fuji.

＜no less than＞「少なくとも」
(no) マイナス×(less) マイナスで肯定的ニュアンス。
この場合の no は
He is no ordinary student.
「彼は普通の学生でなんかでは決してない → 非凡な学生だ」
の no と同様に強い否定を表す。
例えば＜no more than＞ は
「決して多くない → 少ない」
と否定的ニュアンスを含む意味。
altogether「全部で」
正解：③　
「たくさんの生徒が私のクラスにいる。全部で70か80名にもなる」
There are many students in my class, no less than seventy or eighty altogether.
In my class, there are at least seventy or eighty students.
The total number of students in my class is no less than seventy or eighty.

superior to「より優れて」
inferior to「より劣って」
比較の強調は much, a lot, by far, even, still, yet を用いる。
veryは不可。
空所の後ろに to があるのでそれにつながる④を選択。
以下 to を使った比較表現。
ex.) She is two years senior to me.
　　彼女は私の2歳年上だ
　　I am two years junior to her.
　　私は彼女の2歳年下だ
　　She is superior to me in mathematics.
　　彼女の学力は数学では私に勝る
　　She is inferior to me in chemistry.
　　私は海で泳ぐより山に登りたい
　　I prefer climbing mountains to swimming in the sea.
　　私は彼にそんなことを言うほど馬鹿ではない
正解：④　
「良書は教育において，大抵のテレビ番組よりもはるか優れていると信じている」
I believe that good books are by far superior to most TV programs in educating young people.
Good books are far superior to most TV programs in educating young people.
Most TV programs are not as effective as good books in educating young people.

be at a loss「途方にくれる」
constitution「憲法」
be familiar with A「Aに精通している」
He was at a loss for an answer.
とあるので空所を含む文は
「彼は憲法の知識がない」
という内容になるはず。
①以外は全て彼が憲法の知識を持っている
という内容になるので失格。
憲法に関する知識が絶対的に乏しい私を前提として，
それと比べて
familiar with it の点で優る (more) 度合いがゼロ (no) である」
ということから
「ジョージも私と同じく憲法に関する知識が乏しい」
の文意となる。
また，
know better than to do…
( = be wise enough not to do )
「…するほど愚かではない」と
should have done
「…すべきだったのに」
が組み合わされて
＜should have known better than to do＞
「…のような愚かなことをするべきではなかった」
となり、このまま成句として押さえる。
正解：①　
「私はジョージに憲法について尋ねるなんて馬鹿なまねをするべきでなかった。彼は答えに困っていた。彼は私と同じ程度にそれを知らない」
I should have known better than to ask George about the Constitution.
I should have been more cautious than to ask George about the Constitution.
Asking George about the Constitution was a mistake on my part.
He was at a loss for an answer. He is .no more familiar with it than I am
He was at a loss for an answer, just as unfamiliar with it as I am.
Like me, he is not familiar with it and couldn't provide an answer.　　



【音読基本英文】

It is much easier to sympathize with sorrow than to sympathize with joy.
It is easier to empathize with sorrow than with joy.
It is more challenging to connect with joy than with sorrow.



We are better off than we used to be.
We are in a better state than we were before.
Our current situation is an improvement from the past.



You are less likely to gain weight in summer than in winter because you tend to lose your appetite when it is hot.
In summer, you are less likely to gain weight due to a reduced appetite in hot weather compared to winter.
Weight gain is more probable in winter than in summer because of increased appetite in colder temperatures.




The population of San Francisco is less than one tenth of that of Tokyo.　　　
San Francisco's population is less than one-tenth of Tokyo's.
Tokyo's population is more than ten times that of San Francisco.




Jane is much the best tennis player in her club.　　
Jane is the top tennis player in her club by a significant margin.
Jane excels far beyond others as a tennis player in her club.




Nothing is more pleasant than traveling.
Traveling is the most pleasant experience.
There is nothing more enjoyable than traveling.




I love him all the more for his faults.
I love him even more despite his faults.
His faults make me love him even more.




The more you talk about it, the worse your situation will be.
The more you discuss it, the worse your situation will become.
Talking about it extensively will only worsen your situation.




A dolphin is no more a fish than a dog is.
A dolphin is as much a mammal as a dog is.
Just like a dog, a dolphin is not a fish.



No other mountain in Japan is so high as Mt. Fuji.
Mt. Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan, surpassing all others.
No mountain in Japan is as tall as Mt. Fuji.




There are many students in my class, no less than seventy or eighty altogether.
In my class, there are at least seventy or eighty students.
The total number of students in my class is no less than seventy or eighty.




I believe that good books are by far superior to most TV programs in educating young people.
Good books are far superior to most TV programs in educating young people.
Most TV programs are not as effective as good books in educating young people.




I should have known better than to ask George about the Constitution.
I should have been more cautious than to ask George about the Constitution.
Asking George about the Constitution was a mistake on my part.
He was at a loss for an answer. He is .no more familiar with it than I am
He was at a loss for an answer, just as unfamiliar with it as I am.
Like me, he is not familiar with it and couldn't provide an answer.　　



今後も英語に関する情報を発信していきます。