The interaction of factor phrases--things like "half", "twice", and "three times"--with degree constructions such as comparatives (i.e., comparisons of the form "-er" or "more...than") and equatives (comparisons of the form "as...as") is an area that has seldom been touched upon. While much has been written about comparatives in general, and some has been written about adverbial versions of these factor phrases (in sentences such as "John went to the store twice today"), degree-related factor phrases have been largely neglected. In particular, the distinction between factor phrases like "twice", which combine only with equatives, and phrases like "two times", which combine with both equatives and comparatives, has been overlooked. I will thus be examining these factor phrases as they relate to degree constructions. I will argue that for many factor phrases, like "twice" and "half", Bierwisch (1989)'s prediction that they interact only with equatives holds true, while in cases of the form "n times" this prediction breaks down. I will also argue that factor phrases like "twice" involve a maximality operator, while factor phrases like "two times" simply involve an existential operator.
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