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Teo Posted 21 years ago
Grammar
MORE, MOST with short adjectives
1. Practical English Usage (by Michael Swan, Oxford University Press 2005).
Sometimes more/most are used with adjectives that normally have -er/-est. this can happen, for example, when a comparative is not followed immediately by than; forms with -er are also possible.
The road's getting more and more steep. (OR . . . steeper and steeper.)
2. A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language (By Randolph Quirk et al, Longman Group Limited 1985)
Most adjectives that are inflected for comparison can also take the periphrastic forms with more and most. With more, they seem to do so more easily when they are predicative and are followed by a than-clause:
John is more mad than bob is.
It would be difficult to find a man more brave than he is.
He is more wealthy than I thought.
Which rule do you think is more in the right, followed by than or not followed by than?
Thank you so very much for your reply.
Sometimes more/most are used with adjectives that normally have -er/-est. this can happen, for example, when a comparative is not followed immediately by than; forms with -er are also possible.
The road's getting more and more steep. (OR . . . steeper and steeper.)
2. A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language (By Randolph Quirk et al, Longman Group Limited 1985)
Most adjectives that are inflected for comparison can also take the periphrastic forms with more and most. With more, they seem to do so more easily when they are predicative and are followed by a than-clause:
John is more mad than bob is.
It would be difficult to find a man more brave than he is.
He is more wealthy than I thought.
Which rule do you think is more in the right, followed by than or not followed by than?
Thank you so very much for your reply.
Top answer
Hello Teo I don't think two statements contradict each other. Swan didn’t say that we can't use periphrastic forms in the construct <… than …>. Quirk et al.
- Hello Teo I don't think two statements contradict each other.
- Swan didn’t say that we can't use periphrastic forms in the construct <… than …>.
- Quirk et al.
- said merely that we can use periphrastic forms in <… than …> and they didn't say it is a MUST.
- I think the choice between inflective and periphrastic forms for < … than …> will depend on the adjective.
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1 Answers
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Hello Teo
I don't think two statements contradict each other. Swan didn’t say that we can't use periphrastic forms in the construct <… than …>. Quirk et al. said merely that we can use periphrastic forms in <… than …> and they didn't say it is a MUST.
I think the choice between inflective and periphrastic forms for < … than …> will depend on the adjective. I w
I don't think two statements contradict each other. Swan didn’t say that we can't use periphrastic forms in the construct <… than …>. Quirk et al. said merely that we can use periphrastic forms in <… than …> and they didn't say it is a MUST.
I think the choice between inflective and periphrastic forms for < … than …> will depend on the adjective. I w
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