"All The Less" as a Negative Comparative Correlative
5 exercises — practise the negative comparative correlative "all the less".
0 / 5 completed
1 / 5
Which sentence correctly uses "all the less" to say a fact makes an outcome less likely?
"...success... is all the less likely" correctly keeps the fixed word order "all the less" before the adjective "likely". The other options scramble the internal order of the three fixed words.
2 / 5
Which sentence correctly uses "all the less reason to" to argue against taking an action?
"...which is all the less reason to invest..." correctly keeps "all the less" fixed before the noun "reason", followed by the infinitive. The other options scramble the fixed word order.
3 / 5
Which sentence correctly contrasts "all the more reason" (a fact strengthens the case for something) with "all the less reason" (a fact weakens the case)?
"...no sensitive data, which is all the less reason to add... encryption, unlike the payment service, which is all the more reason to" correctly matches each correlative to the logic of its clause: less data sensitivity weakens the case, more sensitivity strengthens it. Option B swaps the two correlatives, reversing the logic. Options C and D scramble the fixed word order of both phrases.
4 / 5
Which sentence correctly uses "all the less" followed by a that-clause to explain reduced urgency?
"It is all the less urgent that we patch..." correctly keeps the fixed order "all the less" before the adjective "urgent", followed by the that-clause. The other options scramble the internal word order.
5 / 5
Which sentence correctly uses "all the less" to say a mitigating fact reduces the severity of a bug?
"...it is all the less severe than initially reported" correctly keeps "all the less" fixed before the adjective "severe". The other options scramble the internal word order of the fixed correlative.