The terminology for the three clauses can be confusing, so before we start here it is:
- Comparison clause is same as adverb clause of comparison.
- Proportion clause is same as adverb clause of proportion.
- But comparative clause is just comparative clause. We don’t say adverb clause of comparative.
All three sentences below compare two situations, don’t they?
The hotel staff in the kitchen responded faster than the staff in the room service.
During the emergency drill, the hotel staff responded as though it were a real crisis.
The faster the hotel staff in the kitchen responded, the slower was the need for the staff in the room service to respond.
Despite all three comparing, they’re classified differently: comparative clause, comparison clause, and proportion clause, respectively. We’ll learn what makes one different from the other.
Since there isn’t much confusion between comparison clause and proportion clause, we’ll cover the other two pairs in this post.
1. Comparison clause vs. Comparative clause
Comparison clause is often confused with comparative clause for similarity in names as well as function. On the surface, they look the same, comparing one situation with another:
The hotel staff in the kitchen responded faster than the staff in the room service. [Comparative clause]
During the emergency drill, the hotel staff responded as though it were a real crisis. [Comparison clause]
He behaved better than the last time. [Comparative clause]
He behaved as if he had won the lottery. [Comparison clause]
Both compare, but they’re different on few counts:
1.1. They’re introduced by different set of words
Comparison clauses are introduced by subordinating conjunctions as if, as though, and like (in informal use). Comparative clauses are introduced by as and than, which form part of correlatives as…as, more…than, less…than, and –er…than
1.2. They compare situations differently
Comparison clauses compare two situations, one of which is usually hypothetical (as if he had won the lottery). Comparative clauses compare two situations matter-of-factly, stating one is better or worse than second or is at the same level as second.
1.3. Comparison clause often contains meaning of manner as well
Comparison clauses, besides comparing, often express meaning of manner. The earlier two sentences containing comparison clause, for example, can be paraphrased as:
During the emergency drill, the hotel staff responded in the manner of people responding to a real crisis.
He behaved in the manner of a winner of the lottery.
Comparative clauses too can express meaning of manner but when introduced by as.
1.4. They occupy different levels in the hierarchy
Well, this isn’t a difference that will help you tell one from the other, but it’s worthwhile to know where the two belong in the overall hierarchy of dependent clauses.
You would know that there are three types of dependent clauses – noun, relative (or adjective), and adverb. But there is another – comparative clause – which is a modifier like relative and adverb clause. Comparative clause, in other words, is at the same hierarchical level as other three dependent clauses, but it’s different from them, including adverb clause.
Comparison clause, or adverb clause of comparison, though is a type of adverb clause, which makes it a level below in the hierarchy. To give an analogy, if comparative clause is one of the four siblings in a family, comparison clause is his/her nephew or niece.
The central point of what we just covered is that comparison clause and comparative clause are fundamentally different: the former is an adverb clause; the latter is not.
We can confirm that a comparative clause is not an adverb clause through an independent test (substitution test) as well.
Substitution test
If we can substitute comparative clause with a meaningful adverbial (usually prepositional phrase or adverb phrase), the comparative clause is an adverb clause. Otherwise, not. Let’s try this. Can you replace the following comparative clause by an adverbial?
The hotel staff in the kitchen responded faster than the staff in the room service did.
[Give a try. It’s nearly impossible to get a meaningful adverbial substitute; hence, comparative clause is indeed not an adverb clause. Note that following is not a substitute because it’s just an elliptical version of the comparative clause: The hotel staff in the kitchen responded faster than the staff in the room service.]
Now, if you try the substitution test with comparison clause, you would be able to find a meaningful adverbial substitute.
During the emergency drill, the hotel staff responded as though it were a real crisis.
[This substitution with a prepositional phrase sounds fine: During the emergency drill, the hotel staff responded hurriedly/ with alacrity/ by alerting everyone/ by going through the standard operating procedure one by one. Hence, it’s an adverb clause.]
2. Proportion clause vs. Comparative clause
Proportion clauses are sometimes confused with comparative clauses, though the confusion isn’t as stark as what we saw in the last section.
Both compare. Both use correlatives to compare: the…the in case of proportion clause and more…than, less…than, and as…as in case of comparative clause.
But the two are different: They convey different meanings. Whereas proportion clauses show proportionality between two situations, comparative clauses show pure comparison.
The faster the hotel staff in the kitchen responded, the slower was the need for the staff in the room service to respond.
[Proportion clause. The response of staff in the room service varies with the response of staff in the kitchen. That’s proportionality, in this case inverse proportionality.]
The hotel staff in the kitchen responded faster than the staff in the room service.
[Comparative clause. The comparison doesn’t involve any proportionality. Response of staff in the room service doesn’t vary with the response of staff in the kitchen.]
The harder you work, the luckier you get.
[Proportion clause. Your luck varies with hard work. That’s proportionality, in this case direct proportionality.]
She writes as eloquently as a renowned author.
[Comparative clause. The comparison doesn’t involve any proportionality: Writing eloquently doesn’t go up or down with the writing of a renowned author.]
