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I have a question concerning use of more in comparative sentences when used with adjectives.

I was more furious about my cat's death than you thought I would be.

Usually, or always, when more is used with an adjective in a comparative sentence, this more should be placed before the adjective it modifies as above, according to many websites dealing with this comparative adjectives.

But some people said it is fine to use it after the adjective like this.

I was furious about my cat's death more than you thought I would be.

To me, it doesn't make sense because if I put more after "sad" with no prepositional phrase between them, it sounds strange to my ear.

I was furious more than you thought I would be.

So, is it OK to use it like that? And if yes, why is that?

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    I would incline to say that the first and second examples are both OK, though the second would be improved by a comma or dash before the more, and maybe a so after it. The third could be rescued by these same means, but without either punctuation or "more so" it strikes me as decidedly ungainly English, though not outright ungrammatical, nor wholly unlikely in casual speech.
    – Brian Donovan
    Commented Sep 28, 2015 at 18:07
  • So the second one is grammatically correct as is without any punctuation?
    – wolfatthedoor
    Commented Sep 28, 2015 at 18:19
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    Say the second sentence aloud. I'll bet you pause between "death" and "more". I won't say the second sentence is ungrammatical without the comma, but it is weird.
    – ab2
    Commented Sep 28, 2015 at 18:51
  • If I put a comma, does the phrase after "more" become a verbless clause (something like absolute phrase with no noun in it)?
    – wolfatthedoor
    Commented Sep 28, 2015 at 18:54
  • The first sentence is not idiomatic. I would say," I was sadder about my cat's death than you thought I would be." I agree with ab2 and believe that the comma is necessary for the second sentence to make sense.
    – chasly - supports Monica
    Commented Sep 29, 2015 at 9:53

1 Answer 1

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With the example you give,

I was furious about my cat's death more than you thought I would be.

the sentence is leaning towards complex. The "more" isn't modifying "furious," the whole phrase is. A comma or dash would clarify the resumptive modifier:

I was furious about my cat's death, more than you thought I would be.

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