0

Does

I don't love you any more.

mean that my love dwindled till there was not any more of it left, focus(s)ing on the process, whereas

I don't love you any longer.

would mean that there came a day when I had to admit my love had ceased to be, focus(s)ing on that day's more or less sudden realisation rather than on the process which led (had led?) to that day?

How alive is the distinction between 'not any more / no more' and 'not any longer / no longer'?

|improve this question
0

I would say that there is no longer a distinction between them, where any longer was once more formal.

Any more: the two words are the traditional expression in English and may be preferable for formal writing, particularly in a negative expression when meaning “any longer”. The two adverbs are interchangeable, and you can use them in formal and informal writing.

any more (adverb) any longer I couldn't trust him any more.

The only distinction I would make is when it refers to degree: I don't love him any more than I love her. Clearly any longer is not synonymous in this case.

|improve this answer
  • Your last example has ‘more’ as an adjective by itself, preceded by ‘any’, instead of the monolexemic ‘any more’ (or ‘anymore’, showing its monolexemicity more clearly), so it’s not really fully comparable. You could also use ‘longer’ in that way: “A badminton court isn’t any longer than a tennis court”, for example. – Janus Bahs Jacquet Feb 9 '14 at 16:12
0

There is really no difference in meaning at all.

Of course if you are writing a romantic love song, then it could be of great significance to the lyric whether you use 'more'(which rhymes with 'on the floor') or 'longer' (which rhymes with 'I feel stronger').

|improve this answer

protected by user140086 Nov 21 '16 at 20:31

Thank you for your interest in this question. Because it has attracted low-quality or spam answers that had to be removed, posting an answer now requires 10 reputation on this site (the association bonus does not count).

Would you like to answer one of these unanswered questions instead?

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.