Suppose we were to say that "California is one of the more pleasant states on the West Coast in terms of weather." Is this grammatically incorrect because there are more than two states on the West Coast? Would I have to say that "California is one of the most pleasant states on the West Coast in terms of weather?" I feel that the above sentence would somewhat change the intended meaning. Thanks in advance!
1 Answer
They are both grammatically correct. The difference in their meanings is subtle.
"California is one of the more pleasant states on the West Coast in terms of weather," makes me think the states on the West Coast were divided into two groups, one is pleasant states, the other is not as pleasant. And California belongs to the first group.
"California is one of the most pleasant states on the West Coast in terms of weather," makes me think that we sorted all states on the West Coast based on the quality of being a pleasant state, and California is one among those at the top of the chart.
answered Nov 24, 2013 at 10:03
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There are only three states on the West Coast so in a list one would be at the top, one in the middle and one at the bottom. Can there be a plural number of states at the top, i.e. more pleasant than the middle one?– HenryOct 3, 2019 at 7:59