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For this sentence,

By allowing the customization of user interface, the user interface are more close to the need of user, since every user has different style of preferences.

Is it correct to use "more close to the need of user"?

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The sentence is ungrammatical. – Noah Nov 14 '12 at 5:39
the sentence has multiple issues - you can start with this: By allowing customization of the user interface (UI), it brings it closer to the needs of the user, since every user has different preferences. – mplungjan Nov 14 '12 at 5:56

closed as too localized by Mahnax, FumbleFingers, mplungjan, Jim, MετάEd Nov 14 '12 at 6:08

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1 Answer

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To begin with the phrase you ask about: you must say “closer” rather than “more close”, and it should be either “of the user” or “of users”. Even better would be a possessive: “closer to the user's needs” or "closer to users' needs."

But there's a lot more that's wrong with this sentence, both grammatically and semantically.

Grammatical matters

  • The construction “By allowing ... , the user interface is ... “ violates two rules:

    1. A phrase of the form “by VERBing ... “ must modify a clause whose subject is the same as the implicit subject of VERB; otherwise you don’t know who or what VERBed, and you have what is called a “dangling modifier”.
    2. Moreover, the verb in the clause modified must be a full verb, not a mere “copula” (form of the verb be). One may “become something by” doing something, but outside of extraordinary philosophical contexts one doesn’t “be by” doing something.

    Who “allows” the customization? What does the “user interface” do?

  • The singular “user interface” requires a singular verb: “the user interface is closer”.

  • All users have different Xs (plural), but every user has a different X (singular).

Semantic matters

  • What is that causes the user interface to be “closer to a user’s needs”? Is it “allowing” customization? Is it the “customization” itself? Or is it simply that a “customized interface” is closer ... ?
  • What does it mean to be “closer” to a user’s needs? Do you perhaps mean “meets a user’s needs more closely”?
  • What is the practical difference between a user’s “needs” and “preferences”? Aren’t you really talking about one thing here, rather than two?
  • What is a “style” of preferences? Is it really a “style” which is in question, or is this just an “elegant variation”, an alternative (and confusing) way of talking about the preferences?

I suspect what you mean is something a good deal simpler than what you have said:

“Users may customize this interface to their different preferences.”

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Or: The user interface is customizable on a per user basis. Users may customize the interface based on their preferences. – Noah Nov 14 '12 at 5:52
@Noah Aside from the fact that I loathe "on a __ basis" constructions with a white-hot passion, it's unlikely to be the case that each user may customize the interface only once. And the Center for Grammatical Disease Control will probably quarantine you for that dangling participle. ;} – StoneyB Nov 14 '12 at 6:02

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