Use The Irregular -er, -er Structure Correctly

An irregular comparative structure that has been appearing frequently on the TOEFL test consists of two parallel comparatives introduced by the.

The harder he tried, the further he fell behind.

The older the children are, the more their parents expect from them.

The first example contains the two parallel comparatives, the harder and the further. The second example contains the two parallel comparatives, the older and the more.

In this type of sentence, the and the comparison can be followed by a number of different structures.

The more children you have, the bigger the house you need.

The harder you work, the more you accomplish.

The greater the experience, the higher the salary.

In the first example, the more is followed by the noun children and the subject and verb you have, while the bigger is followed by the noun the house and the subject and verb you need. In the second example, the harder is followed by the subject and verb you work, while the more is followed by the subject and verb you accomplish. In the third example, the greater is followed only by the noun the experience, while the higher is followed only by the noun the salary. You should note that this last example does not even contain a verb, yet it is a correct structure in English.

The following chart outlines this irregular -er, -er structure:

THE -er/more (same structure), THE -er/more (same structure)

This type of sentence may or may not include a verb.