The more we saw, the less we could believe. Estructura gramatical

The more we saw, the less we could believe

We use a reduced clause in each part of a The more…, the … expression. The correlative comparative is a paired construction. Each part is sytactically alike.   A comma separates the two clauses.

The more the building shook, the more we held on

The more the wave rose, the faster we ran

The more we saw, the less we could believe 

The more we saw, the fewer things we found to retrieve

• retrieve (v.) – to find something and bring it back

• debris (n.) – the pieces of something that are left after it has been destroyed in an accident, explosion 

The meaning varies from cause-effect actions to simply same-time occurrences.  Not every As more, then sentence can be restated as a The more…, the … expression.

As / Because the shaking of the building grew stronger, we held on more.

As / Because the wave rose higher, we ran faster

As we saw more destruction 

As we looked, we found fewer things to retrieve 

Expected Outcome

In some expressions, the second variation is expected.  Note that the word, verb, phrase and clause forms are parallel in each part of the expression.  Be is omitted in the reduced construction.

The larger the paycheck, the greater the purchase

The lower the rates, the more the borrowers

The stronger, the better (coffee, nations, will)

The bigger, the better (toys, cars)

The higher the rise, the more they benefit

The older I get, the more I understand

The more you give, the more you recieve

The more you learn, the more you learn

Unexpected Outcome

The larger the pacheck, the higher the tax

The lower the rates, the fewer the lenders

The stronger, the worse

The smaller, the better

The higher the rise, the harder they fall

The older I get, the younger I feel

The  more you take, the more you lose

The more I learn, the less I know

 Count Noun

For some nouns, both a plural and singular forms exists. In this case, expressions that are more specific, tend to use the plural count noun. The is used in the comparative phrasing of each part, particularly with the more, the greater, the better, the lesser, the fewer, the harder.  The is also used with the nouns being compared (speaking in general). A possessive pronoun — my, our, his, etc.— is used when spekaing more specifically.

 

The better your education is, the greater opportunities (you will have)

The more you plan, the better the experiences (you will have)

The more input you have, the better our conversations will be

The better we sleep, the more rested our minds (will be) 

 

The more we saw, the less we could believe / the more we couldn't believe.
The greater the disaster, the more the disbelief

The more cars, the worse the trafic

The more noise, the worse the experience

The more it rains, the worse the flooding

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