Comparatives vs. superlatives: correct the degree of comparison in a two-item comparison Original sentence: "The performance of our players was rather worst than I had expected." Choose the option that corrects the comparative form.

Rule
Use the comparative “worse” with “than” (two-term comparison). “Worst” is the superlative and cannot be paired with “than”.

Option analysis
worse than I had expected — correct comparative construction. ✅bad as I had expected — uses “as … as” and changes meaning.worse than expectation — awkward noun form; less idiomatic than a full clause.worst than was expected — incorrect degree; superlative with “than”.No correction required — original is erroneous.

Final Answer
worse than I had expected.