A couple of random Russian questions that have popped up for me lately:

1. Лучше vs. лучший, меньше vs. меньший, хуже/худший, ... -

Which is correct:

Я надеюсь, что матч завтра будет лучший / лучше, чем сегодняшний.
Тот фильм вчера был хуже / худший, чем этот.

Any more examples of when the comparitive adverb vs. adjective is used would be helpful!

2. Претензии vs. pretense - It seems that Russians use the word претензии a bit different than English speakers' "pretense." Most often in my experience, Russians say "У него претензии ко мне.." (in the sense that the person wants something from you that is not reasonable). In English, the word "pretense" is most often used in the context of someone being "pretentious" -- showing off, pretending to be overly sophisticated (Russians do say "претензиозный" in this context). My question is -- can you say something like  "Она претворяется, что любит современное искусство, но это только претензия"? This is how we might say it in English but not sure it works in Russian.

Dear all,

What do you think is the best American equivalent for зелень? The dictionary gives "greens, herbs," but I am wondering if зелень in Russia usually refers to a specific type of herb (e.g., green onion, celantro, etc.?) or the general category of green herbs? Thanks!

Is there a slang word материк that means something like 'the big city' or to the capital?

In a recent film, Комбинат надежда, which takes place in the industrial town Norilsk, they keep saying something like "На материку улетаешь?" which I assume means, "Are you leaving for the big city?" What is this word? Is it slang? In 12 years of speaking Russian I haven't heard it...