"All The Less" as a Negative Comparative Correlative
5 exercises — practise the negative comparative correlative "all the less".
0 / 16 completed
1 / 16
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 / 16
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 / 16
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 / 16
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 / 16
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.
6 / 16
Reviewer: 'The performance test failed again. It's not a huge deal, but it's all the less reassuring given our upcoming release.' What does this comment *primarily* convey?
This sentence uses 'all the less' to downplay the significance of a negative outcome. The phrase indicates that the failure doesn't *decrease* reassurance – it actually makes it *more* reassuring than if there were no failures at all. It's about reducing the impact of a problem, not amplifying it.
7 / 16
Slack message from Sarah (Lead Developer) to David (Junior Dev): 'I know you're working on the authentication module. Given the recent security vulnerabilities discovered in similar libraries, it's all the less reason to prioritize feature X.' What is Sarah suggesting?
Here, 'all the less reason' indicates that a negative factor (security vulnerabilities) *reduces* the justification for an action. Sarah isn't saying David *must* postpone X; she's saying the vulnerabilities make it a weaker argument for prioritizing it. This is a common usage to express diminished support or approval.
8 / 16
Reviewer: 'The performance test failed again. It's not a huge deal, but it's all the less reassuring given our upcoming release.' What does this comment *primarily* convey?
This sentence uses 'all the less' to downplay the significance of a negative outcome. The phrase indicates that the failure doesn't *decrease* reassurance – it actually makes it *more* reassuring than if there were no failures at all. It's about reducing the impact of a problem, not amplifying it.
9 / 16
Slack message from Sarah (Lead Developer) to David (Junior Dev): 'I know you're working on the authentication module. Given the recent security vulnerabilities discovered in similar libraries, it's all the less reason to prioritize feature X.' What is Sarah suggesting?
Here, 'all the less reason' indicates that a negative factor (security vulnerabilities) *reduces* the justification for an action. Sarah isn't saying David *must* postpone X; she's saying the vulnerabilities make it a weaker argument for prioritizing it. This is a common usage to express diminished support or approval.
10 / 16
Reviewer: 'The performance test failed again. It's not a huge deal, but it's all the less reassuring given our upcoming release.' What does this comment *primarily* convey?
This sentence uses 'all the less' to downplay the significance of a negative outcome. The phrase indicates that the failure doesn't *decrease* reassurance – it actually makes it *more* reassuring than if there were no failures at all. It's about reducing the impact of a problem, not amplifying it.
11 / 16
Slack message from Sarah (Lead Developer) to David (Junior Dev): 'I know you're working on the authentication module. Given the recent security vulnerabilities discovered in similar libraries, it's all the less reason to prioritize feature X.' What is Sarah suggesting?
Here, 'all the less reason' indicates that a negative factor (security vulnerabilities) *reduces* the justification for an action. Sarah isn't saying David *must* postpone X; she's saying the vulnerabilities make it a weaker argument for prioritizing it. This is a common usage to express diminished support or approval.
12 / 16
Reviewer: 'The performance test failed again. It's not a huge deal, but it's all the less reassuring given our upcoming release.' What does this comment *primarily* convey?
This sentence uses 'all the less' to downplay the significance of a negative outcome. The phrase indicates that the failure doesn't *decrease* reassurance – it actually makes it *more* reassuring than if there were no failures at all. It's about reducing the impact of a problem, not amplifying it.
13 / 16
Slack message from Sarah (Lead Developer) to David (Junior Dev): 'I know you're working on the authentication module. Given the recent security vulnerabilities discovered in similar libraries, it's all the less reason to prioritize feature X.' What is Sarah suggesting?
Here, 'all the less reason' indicates that a negative factor (security vulnerabilities) *reduces* the justification for an action. Sarah isn't saying David *must* postpone X; she's saying the vulnerabilities make it a weaker argument for prioritizing it. This is a common usage to express diminished support or approval.
14 / 16
Code Review Comment: 'The error handling is basic, but given the low traffic on this endpoint, it's all the less critical to implement full retry logic.' What does this comment suggest?
The phrase 'all the less critical' indicates a reduced level of importance. The comment isn't saying the error handling *is* good; it's saying the lack of high traffic makes the issue less important. This highlights a nuanced use of the correlative – emphasizing diminished consequence, not necessarily quality.
15 / 16
Slack Message: 'Hey @john_doe, I've reviewed your changes to the API endpoint. The documentation is still missing some key parameters; however, given the limited user base for this feature, it's all the less reason to rush its completion.' What does John need to do?
The message uses 'all the less reason' to suggest that the lack of a large user base reduces the urgency to fix the incomplete documentation. This demonstrates the correlative being used to justify a relaxed approach when faced with mitigating factors; it's not an endorsement of poor quality.
16 / 16
Slack message from Mark (Senior Dev) to Emily (Junior Dev): 'I know you're refactoring the database schema. Given the lack of existing documentation on this module, it's all the less reason to spend extra time creating detailed unit tests.'
The phrase 'all the less reason' here implies that a lack of documentation *reduces* the justification for a higher effort. This is a key usage of the correlative – it doesn't mean testing becomes unnecessary; it means the *reason* to invest heavily in testing diminishes. Option C is incorrect as Mark does not suggest writing documentation first, and D is too simplistic.
What will I practise in ""All The Less" as a Negative Comparative Correlative — IT Grammar Exercise"?
Practise using the fixed correlative "all the less [adjective/reason]" — the negative counterpart of "all the more" — to argue that a fact weakens the case for
How many exercises are in this module?
This module has 16 multiple-choice exercises, each with instant feedback and a full explanation of the correct answer.
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