The form of an adjective or adverb used to compare two or more things. English comparatives are formed with the suffixes -er/-est or the words more/most.
6
votes
1answer
77 views
Does English have half-graded antonyms?
In a recent question about comparatives, a dispute arose in the comments about gradable antonyms like useful/useless where English speakers strongly prefer to use comparative forms only for half of ...
15
votes
5answers
1k views
Are the rules regarding absolute modifiers too absolute?
A common grammar lesson that was taught to me in the US and that I've had to teach abroad in EFL classrooms is that we're not to use adverbs of emphasis with absolute modifiers, just as we're not ...
1
vote
3answers
169 views
“worse” vs. “less better”
What is the right way to convey the meaning that I want to say?
Your job is worse than mine, so I am not going to quit my job.
Is there a better choice to say this? Should I use less better than ...
1
vote
0answers
26 views
Which one is correct, 'I like this more' or 'I like this better'? [duplicate]
I feel that using 'I like this name more' is more correct than 'I like this name better'. Since English is not my mother tongue, I am not sure.
1
vote
5answers
1k views
What is the opposite of “Could you talk a little louder”?
In a conversation, when I don't hear someone, I usually say:
Could you talk a little louder please?
However, what should I say if:
Someone is being very loud in the other room when talking on ...
5
votes
4answers
987 views
Is 'uniquer' a word?
My spellcheck doesn't complain about 'uniquer'. Is it a valid word?
Since unique means "one of a kind", 'uniquer' has no valid definition,
but that doesn't prevent it from being a valid dictionary ...
1
vote
1answer
932 views
much and more comparative superlative
I know that much is used with uncountable nouns and more with countable nouns.
There is no connection between much and more with the comparative and superlative, right?
For example, if we take the ...
8
votes
2answers
174 views
Is 'worse' the only comparative that has neither -er nor more?
There was a question recently about comparatives and it got me thinking about how comparatives are formed.
There are those that take -er and those that use more to indicate comparison, but is worse ...
-1
votes
3answers
70 views
“Move slower” vs. “move less”
What is the proper word to fill the blank?
The more cars there are on a given road, the __ the traffic will move.
The answer is slower. But I wonder whether less is incorrect.
-1
votes
1answer
132 views
“Less fast” vs. “less faster” [closed]
Which one is correct?
He runs less fast than I.
He runs less faster than I.
0
votes
1answer
90 views
“than do I” vs. “than I do” [duplicate]
I need grammatical explanations for the following two sentence structures:
The mistakes children make in learning to speak tell linguists more about how children learn language than do the ...
4
votes
3answers
656 views
two times or twice
In the 1980’s the rate of increase of the minority population of the
United States was nearly twice as fast as it was in the 1970’s.
In the 1980’s the rate of increase of the minority population of ...
0
votes
0answers
52 views
“Taller than me” or “taller than I”? [duplicate]
Which one is correct here and why?
He is taller than me.
He is taller than I.
4
votes
2answers
306 views
Comparative adverbs
"Officially" (or so I believe) English doesn't have comparative adverbs (a single word rather than "more" + an adverb), but faster is in common usage as one, for example:
Do it faster
When ...
-2
votes
1answer
329 views
Most is adjective or adverb, comparative or superlative in the following phrase?
In the following phrase, from the 1971 film "The Devils" by Ken Russell, what is "most"? An adjective or an adverb? And in what form, comparative or superlative?
I conjure thee, most frightful ...
-1
votes
2answers
212 views
Usage of “no more” in a sentence
I would need help with the following sentence:
It may be no more difficult to claim in words a feeling not felt than one that is.
The “no more” is related to the whole sentence or just to the ...
0
votes
1answer
247 views
Explaining the comparative form of “numb” [closed]
The most common definition I have of numb is:
"Deprived of the power of sensation."
"Deprived of feeling or responsiveness."
These definitions show up in nearly the same form in multiple ...
1
vote
2answers
814 views
Usage and correctness of the term “Better than Best”
I have heard the term "Better than Best" used at few places.
How is it different than saying just "best"?
For example :
a) He is better than the best.
b) He is the best.
1) How are (a) and (b) ...
0
votes
1answer
161 views
“more close to” [closed]
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 ...
3
votes
1answer
313 views
Use of comparative degree when no comparison is being done
I have studied in my academics that we can use comparative degree when comparison is being done. But today I came across use of comparative degree without any comparison. Is it correct to use ...
6
votes
6answers
2k views
Use of the superlative when only two items are present
When speaking with my mother a couple of days ago, I read to her a message I was sending to my cousin on her behalf ending with: "... the birthday of your youngest." [implying her child]
She ...
0
votes
2answers
152 views
Is the account balance “less” or “smaller” when we compare two amounts?
Your current account balance is $X smaller/less than is required
I have read that when we are talking about amount we say small amount. So in my case what word would be right to use?
1
vote
1answer
99 views
meaning and usage of “in order the more” [closed]
I have just come across a phrase I have never seen before:
I do not so in order to undermine the status of xy but, on the contrary, in order the more securely to identify certain aspects.
A ...
4
votes
3answers
2k views
Differences between “audio” and “sound”?
What is the difference between "audio" and "sound"?
Is it possible that a beeping noise could be considered one but not the other?
6
votes
3answers
2k views
Is “very less” correct English?
Is using very less correct English? My friend suggests it should be very little. Are they both correct, or is there a difference?
3
votes
1answer
190 views
Comparative, superlative using “one of”
Which is correct:
Today is one of the warmer days this month.
Today is one of the warmest days this month.
I hear the first used almost exclusively on television news.
0
votes
2answers
145 views
Is “faster speed”, “faster performance” correct? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Is 'low speed' finally proving its merit?
Recently in a mayor presentation of upcoming product I saw slide talking about "faster performance". Then in BBC ...
9
votes
5answers
864 views
Morbid curiosity about “more better”
I have a grammatical question regarding one of the worst pieces of grammar imaginable. One of my students made the argument that better things could be considered a single item. Is it possible for the ...
8
votes
5answers
943 views
Are there any “-nk-” or “-nc-” words in English where there isn't a “ng” before the “k” sound?
In words like think and lank, we actually seem to be saying "thing-k" and "lang-k." Can anyone thing-k of any words or rules for sound use where this doesn't happen?
1
vote
4answers
2k views
“Lower number” vs. “smaller number”
Is −9 a smaller number than −8?
And is −9 a lower number than −8?
What is the difference between lower and smaller here?
0
votes
0answers
25 views
When to use “less than” vs. “fewer than”? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
“Less” vs. “fewer”
What is the rule for using "less than" or "fewer than"? E.g. "10 items or less", or "10 items or fewer"?
0
votes
2answers
397 views
-er rather than -lier as an adverbial comparative form
In modern German, one can make tief into the comparative tiefer, regardless of whether the word is used as adjective or adverb. In English, I now have a sentence in which I want to do the same thing ...
20
votes
7answers
1k views
Why “Greater Toronto” rather than “Great Toronto”
Many big cities have their names preceded by Greater. Why not just Great? Does Greater indicate that the city is ambitious to expand itself?
Why is Greater not used for country names such as Great ...
10
votes
2answers
1k views
Speak Slower or Speak Slowlier?
AFAIK the correct grammar for "speak slow" is "speak slowly" (slowly being an adverb). Please correct me if I am mistaken.
But in daily life I have not heard anyone saying "Speak slowlier".
I think ...
8
votes
5answers
459 views
Use of “The better”?
Disclamer: English isn't my first language.
I learned during my English courses (a few years ago), that there is, as in French (which is my first language), a comparative and superlative version for ...
-3
votes
1answer
312 views
Then or Than, Which to use when comparing time? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Is it absolutely necessary to use “than” over “then” in a comparison?
Which sentence is grammatically correct?
"I have been here for less ...
0
votes
1answer
116 views
Best way to represent comparative information in paragraph form?
Let's say normally I have a table, and the left hand column has a requirement in it, and the right hand column has how the requirement is fulfilled. But because of a lack of support for tables, I ...
2
votes
4answers
81 views
X are equivalent to Y in Z
I'm pretty new to English StackExchange, and English is not my first language, so I'm not even sure what tags to look for. So, I apologize if this has been discussed before.
I'm writing up a blog and ...
6
votes
3answers
6k views
“Much more easy” versus “much easier”
My mom and I are having a dispute on much more easy versus *much easier. For example, consider the sentence:
It's [much more easy]/[much easier] to do action X than action Y.
I say that much ...
18
votes
3answers
45k views
“More clear” vs “Clearer”: when to use “more” instead of “-er”?
Which one of these adjectives is correct? I can see that both of them are being used, I'm just not sure which one is grammatically correct.
Is there any general rules to follow as of the use of one ...
1
vote
3answers
306 views
How do you say “more to the east”? Easter, Easterer, Easterner, Easternerer?
One can sure write “east to you” or “more to the east”, but if I'm located in London and you're in Berlin, can I say that you're “easter” than me?
4
votes
6answers
548 views
Mass nouns and counts nouns. Does getting it wrong ever matter?
Less/fewer, too much/too many, amount/number... When people get these things wrong, it bugs me. But I cannot think of a situation where mistaking a mass noun for a count noun (or vice versa) would ...
3
votes
6answers
466 views
“More perfect” versus “less imperfect”
"More perfect" is presumably bad English (Preamble to the US
Constitution notwithstanding), since something is either perfect (and
thus can't be improved) or not.
"Less imperfect", however, seems ...
2
votes
2answers
355 views
Can any adjective be used as comparative?
I was talking with my friends the other day about what is heathy to eat, I brought up the fact that something can be healthy if you compare it to something that is not healthy. You could say a ...
-2
votes
4answers
1k views
“More than (what) meets the eye”
Is it correct to say more than what meets the eye? More than meets the eye sounds incorrect, but I've seen a lot of people use it and that confuses me. What acts like an object to the phrase which ...
6
votes
5answers
979 views
Is “such a cooler” proper English?
I'm trying to say something like "that's such a cooler design". Is there more valid expression that expresses the same thing? Or is this okay English?
I guess "that design is so much cooler" would ...
5
votes
3answers
285 views
Is it incorrect to use non-comparative adjectives while comparing two things?
Is it required to use comparative adjectives while comparing two things like this?
Wireless networks, compared to wired networks, suffer from slow(er) connection speed, long(er) delay, and (more) ...
7
votes
3answers
875 views
Increasingly + positive or increasingly + comparative?
For instance, would you rather say "It became increasingly hard" or "It became increasingly harder"?
From my understanding, both are possible, but their meaning is slightly different. The first ...
3
votes
1answer
487 views
Rules for single-word comparatives and superlatives [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
“More clear” vs “Clearer”, when to use “more” instead of “-er”
Are there any rules for which words are allowed to have ...
3
votes
4answers
440 views
“Younger” or “youngest”
I came across an odd-looking usage in the paper today...
The wife of President Assad listens to her husband yesterday with her two younger children
The sentence suggests that she has some other ...
