Dear BJ:

> here i am with more grammar problems, that i hope you
> will help to solve:
> in comparative ~er…~er structures, the rule says you
> have to use the same structure after ‘the ~er, the
> ~er’, as in the examples:
> 1. the harder you work, the more you accomplish, or:
> 2. the greater the experience, the higher the salary;
>
> my problem is the verb ‘to be’ in such structures;
> can i say instead of: 3.’the hotter the food is, the
> harder it is to eat’ – 3a.’the hotter the food, the
> harder it is to eat’?,
> or: 4. instead of: ‘the older the children are, the
> more their parents expect from them’ – 4a.’the older
> the children, the more their parents expect from
> them’?;
>
> is the structure: 5. ‘the bigger the house, the more
> expensive it is’ correct [no verb ‘to be’ in the first
> part]? or, is it necessary to keep the structures
> parallel by using the verb ‘to be’ in both parts?
> please, help!!!
> regards, and thank you;
> baba jaga
>
I think I understand your question.

The parallel structure refers to the pattern of the clauses and the verb tenses. It does not refer to the actual verb chosen. You do not need to use the verb to be in the second clause at all. And in some cases, like 4a above, the verb to be is understood. Both 4 and 4a are standard English.

All the examples you gave are fine. A well-known English saying goes like this: “The bigger they are, the harder they fall.” In colloquial speech, you can use parallel comparatives without a verb as long as the “to be” is understood. English speakers often say, “The bigger, the better.”