Parallelism - I guess

[rgaddam]

I have a quick question about a problem that I worked on earlier. I am not sure of the source of the problem as I saw it in a forum. Here is the modified -replaced with new words - version of it.

The Mustang is larger than usual for a sports car.
a) usual
b) is usual

Can anyone please explain how do I go about solving such problems. Examples to illustrate would be very helpful.

Thanks

[jnelson0612]

Generally, "usual" is used to compare something to itself, whereas "is usual" is used to compare a particular member to its subgroup.

For example:
My hair is longer than usual. (comparing my hair now to my hair usually)

My cat's tail is longer than is usual for Persian cats. (comparing my cat to all Persian cats)

Hope this helps!