4A Comparatives and modifiers
1 Look at the table and complete the text. % of millennials in … who own …
North America Western Europe
Central and Eastern Europe Latin America
Middle East and Africa Asia
a laptop 83% 72% 64% 62% 66% 77%
a tablet 37% 22% 23% 22% 20% 31%
The table clearly shows that, in all regions of the world, smartphones are considerably more popular with millennials than tablets. For example, millennials in Asia own a smartphone while only
83 c %) than tablets ( a % of b % have a tablet.
The biggest difference is in Western Europe, where a far higher number of millennials own smartphones (
d %).
However, the picture is different when comparing laptop to smartphone ownership among millennials. Smartphones are slightlymore popular with millennials than laptops in
about 6%. The situation changes in
e out of six regions, with the difference in ownership averaging f and Central and Eastern
Europe. In the former, a much bigger percentage of millennials own laptops than smartphones. In the latter, the difference is rather smaller, with 64% owning laptops, and
g owning smartphones. 2 3 4
What part of speech are the highlighted words in the text above? What is the function of the words in bold that come immediately before the highlighted words?
Use the information in the table in 1 to write sentences comparing your region’s ownership of electronic devices with other areas of the world. Use qualifiers where appropriate.
FOCUS Grammar Comparatives and modifiers
When we make comparisons between data, we use modifiers to adjust the meaning. We use them:
To show a big difference Millennials are considerably/much/far more concerned about social justice than previous generations.
To show a moderate difference Millennials are rather/somewhat more tolerant of religious differences than their parents are.
To show a small difference Millennials are likely to get married slightly/a little later than previous generations did.
Find examples of the three types in the text in 1.
See Section A of the digital workbook
In pairs. Discuss your generation in comparison with your parents’. Think about the points below. Then present your ideas to the class.
a use of and familiarity with electronic devices b use of social media c level of and interest in education d familiarity with other cultures
60 English for the 21st Century • Unit 4
e interest in social justice f
religious tolerance
g belief in the ability of governments to solve social problems
a smartphone 71% 79% 60% 68% 72% 83%
C21
CRITICAL THINKING: Assessing the credibility of statistics See page 66➝
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