Choose the correct option to fill in the blank:
His bark is worse ____ his bite, so stay calm.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → than
Complete sentence: His bark is worse than his bite, so stay calm. "His bark is worse than his bite" is a fixed saying: a person sounds angrier or more threatening than he really is, like a dog that barks fiercely but seldom bites.
| Option | Meaning and use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) then | Then refers to time or what comes next, not to comparison. (Then and than sound alike: then is about time, than is used in comparisons.) | Finish your homework, and then go out to play. |
| (2) than (answer) | An adjective in the comparative degree (bigger, better, worse) compares two things. The second thing compared is brought in by than: "worse than his bite". | This year's exam was easier than last year's. |
| (3) thus | Thus means in this way or therefore. It cannot complete a comparison. | He did not study, and thus he failed. |
| (4) but | contrast. A comparative adjective needs "than", not "but". | He is poor but honest. |