Action Comparison Questions in the SAT and the ACT

While basic comparison questions involve noun comparison like the ones in the previous post, the SAT and the ACT also tests action comparison.


This is an example of action comparison error:


I ran faster than him. (x)


While this is perfectly acceptable in spoken language, it is grammatically incorrect in the SAT. The sentence is not about two people: it is about the action of running.


The correct comparison is


I ran faster than he ran.



In the SAT, this sentence can be taken two steps further.


As mentioned earlier, repeating the same word is not recommended.


Therefore, this sentence can be and should be written as

I ran faster than he did.


*do / does for present tense.



Action comparison can also be emphasized through the use of inversion:



I ran faster than he did.

   


I ran faster than did he.

   


Though this sentence sounds awkward, it is grammatically correct and is frequently used by many writers.

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