1. I like these (kinds) of books.
2. This is the (better) pen of the two.
3. Her essay is (worse) than mine.
4. He is (more clever/ cleverer) than I am.
5. (A little) money is better than none.
Explanation:
1. I like these (kinds) of books.
In this sentence, the use of "kinds" is based on the singularity/ plural of the subject and verb. Since "these" and "books" are all in plural form, so also, "kinds" will be plural.
2. This is the (better) pen of the two.
In comparing things, the use of either the comparative or superlative form is dependent on the number of things under consideration. And in this aspect, the comparison in the given sentence is just between two things. Taking that into consideration, the comparative form of "good" will be used, which is "better" while "best" is used to compare between two or more things depending on the things under consideration.
3. Her essay is (worse) than mine.
As in sentence 2, the comparative and superlative degrees of comparison comes in this sentence too. Since the comparison is between two sides, the comparative form "worse" will be used instead of "worst" as the latter is in the superlative form.
4. He is (more clever/ cleverer) than I am.
Similarly, the comparative form of clever is "more clever" or "cleverer" while the superlative form is "most clever" or "cleverest". And in this case, the correct adjective will be "cleverer" or "more clever".
5. (A little) money is better than none.
"A little" or "little" are quantifiers that express the quantity or number of things. In the given sentence, the quantifier "a little" will be used as the inclusion of the article "a" emphasizes the number, instead of "little" alone as this suggests a negative meaning, while "a little" suggests "some".
