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Everlastinghope Posted 15 years ago
Grammar
Comparative adjectives
Dear friends,
Easy subjects are always thorny ones to me.It concerns "comparative adjectives" that accept long and short adjectives;they are interchangeable.That is,how do we know that this adjective can be used by adding both "er" as well as "more".Like in "clever" which can be as "cleverer and more clever".I know that there are exceptions,but how can I explain this to my students ?
Thanks in advance
Easy subjects are always thorny ones to me.It concerns "comparative adjectives" that accept long and short adjectives;they are interchangeable.That is,how do we know that this adjective can be used by adding both "er" as well as "more".Like in "clever" which can be as "cleverer and more clever".I know that there are exceptions,but how can I explain this to my students ?
Thanks in advance
Top answer
You can consult a reliable dictionary and listen to what native speakers say. What they say may or may not be correct. Besides, people disagree to some extent on correct usage.
- You can consult a reliable dictionary and listen to what native speakers say.
- What they say may or may not be correct.
- Besides, people disagree to some extent on correct usage.
- By the way, more clever doesn't sound particularly bad to my ear but I was taught at the age of 12 that disyllabic adjectives ending in er , such as clever, don't take more and most in comparison.
- Cleverer and cleverest should be used.
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2 Answers
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You can consult a reliable dictionary and listen to what native speakers say. What they say may or may not be correct. Besides, people disagree to some extent on correct usage. By the way, more clever doesn't sound particularly bad to my ear but I was taught at the age of 12 that disyllabic adjectives ending in er, such as clever, don't take more and most in comp
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