Does the adjective "different" have a comparative form? If so what is it?
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I think the general rule is that only words of one syllable, and some two-syllable words, can form superlatives by appending -er and -est. Arguably, "different" is two-and-a-half syllables, so it doesn't meet the requirement. The superlatives are therefore more different, and most different, to the extent that such terms can meaningfully be used as adjectival phrases.– FumbleFingersCommented Dec 9, 2011 at 18:58
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1en.wiktionary.org/wiki/different#Adjective– RegDwigнtCommented Dec 9, 2011 at 20:15
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Voting to reopen. I'm not sure how much can be added to John's answer, though I'd like to know if there's any more on the guiding principle as to which two-syllable words can take -er, -est. But just because Wiktionary happens to define the comparative doesn't mean this Q is trivial.– FumbleFingersCommented Dec 9, 2011 at 20:44
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2 Answers
There's no single word, no.
Different has three syllables, and English adjectives of three or more syllables (as pronounced, not spelled) must use the periphrastic more or most to form a comparative or superlative phrase.
The comparative suffix -er and superlative suffix -est can only inflect adjectives of one syllable, with a few -- mostly ones ending in /i/ or /o/ -- of two syllables swinging both ways.
- big: bigger, biggest, *more big, *most big
- easy: easier, easiest, ?more easy, ??most easy
- narrow: narrower, narrowest, more narrow, ?most narrow
- helpful: *helpfuller, *helpfullest, more helpful, most helpful
- interesting: *interestinger, *interestingest, more interesting, most interesting
Just one more example of dying inflections in English. There are only 9 inflectional suffixes in English, and this is two of them, both hanging on only in common monosyllables.
answered Dec 9, 2011 at 19:11
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1Check any ESL textbook. Non-native speakers have to be taught the actual grammar of the language, instead of the catechism of shibboleths that native speakers are taught in Anglophone schools. Commented Dec 9, 2011 at 20:14
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1@GEdgar: unfriendliest. I'm cheating a little by adding the 'un', but just wanted to highlight that there is at least one exception to the rule.– LynnCommented Dec 10, 2011 at 3:46
It’s more different, but it’s normally only used in negative sentences, as in, for example, Nothing could be more different than chalk and cheese.
answered Dec 9, 2011 at 18:55
