Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[Seiichi MYOGA]

Which of (2a) to (2c) is a paraphrase of (1)?

(1) Hummingbird eggs are the size of coffee beans.
(2) a. Hummingbird eggs are no bigger than coffee beans.
b. Hummingbird eggs are as big as coffee beans.
c. Hummingbird eggs are as small as coffee beans.

Thank you in advance
Seiichi MYOGA

[CP]

To me, the best paraphrase would be

(3) Hummingbird eggs are about as big as coffee beans.

(2) a. Hummingbird eggs are no bigger than coffee beans. This implies that they can be / usually are smaller than coffee beans.

b. Hummingbird eggs are as big as coffee beans. This is all right but not quite as exact as (3). If it follows a passage saying that spider eggs are the size of dust particles, this one is fine.

c. Hummingbird eggs are as small as coffee beans. This works best if it follows a passage that says Dodo eggs were as big as coffee cans, or something like that.
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You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb

[Seiichi MYOGA]

Dear CP,

I appreciate your help and comments.

Seiichi MYOGA

The "no plus comparative" form is confusing, because we learn here that "no bigger than," for example, often means "as small as." I have questions to ask, but I'd like to post something as a new thread.

Thank you