The comparative tag has no usage guidance.
3
votes
1answer
25 views
“twice the height of” is it a noun or an adjective?
[A] Which is correct?
Tower A is twice the height of tower B.
Tower A has twice the height of tower B.
Is the phrase "the height of" used as a noun (height) or as an adjective (high)?
...
1
vote
1answer
29 views
Confusion of comparative adjective and/or adverb in a sentence
An adjective is that which tells something about a noun or a pronoun. And an adverb is that which describes a verb. However, I find sentences where an adjective is used to describe a verb as follows: ...
1
vote
2answers
72 views
Can I leave out “the” in “caused by the higher oxygen content of ethanol”?
These higher performance outputs for the ethanol are also caused by the higher oxygen content of ethanol fuel.
If I put higher instead of the higher, the meaning of the sentences will change?
-1
votes
2answers
367 views
“More close” VS “closer”
I want to express that both of us are not quite right but I am closer. Should I put:
I'm more close to right than you.
I'm closer to right than you.
So, which way is correct to express ...
1
vote
1answer
37 views
“More an X” vs. “More of an X”?
Are the following sentences grammatical?
a. He is more a poet than a novelist in the traditional sense.
b. They are more poets than novelists in the traditional sense.
c. He is more of a ...
0
votes
1answer
60 views
I prefer getting up early (rather) than rushing at the last minute
As written in the title:
I prefer getting up early rather than rushing at the last minute.
Why do I have to include ''rather" when it already makes sense if you omit the 'rather' word. So it goes ...
3
votes
2answers
47 views
When can two pronouns being compared in a sentence be of different types?
I came across a sentence on one of the pages on stackexchange today -
He resents your being more popular than he is
I always thought that while comparing two pronouns they should always be of the ...
2
votes
2answers
179 views
What is the correct form (using a comparative adjective) of the sentence 'no other planet is so big as Jupiter'?
No other planet is bigger than Jupiter.
or
Jupiter is bigger than any other planet.
Which of these is the 'correct form', using a comparative adjective, of the following sentence?
No other ...
1
vote
2answers
441 views
“Wronger” and “wrongest” Vs. “more wrong” or “most wrong”
According to what I learnt, there are short and long adjectives.
Short adjectives: one syllable.
Long adjectives: two / three / four syllables.
All of those short adjectives (one syllable) get ...
1
vote
1answer
1k views
Is “more than 2” includes 2?
In technical document in English, I read sentence of "more than 2". I usually just understand it as "two or more" since we generally translate it as similar sentence in Korean. (in Korean, there are ...
0
votes
1answer
34 views
Can after “the more…the more…” be a noun, not a noun phrase?
Google Translate gives me this sentence:
He himself felt helpless in communicating, as the more he said the wrong way.
It's not "the more wrong it is", it's just plainly "the wrong way". But since ...
0
votes
2answers
32 views
Comparative after or before the noun
I have normally seen people invert the placement of the adjective and put them after the noun when the adjective is a comparative one:
I have good hair - I have hair better than his
I would like to ...
1
vote
1answer
30 views
When can we use “the” with comparatives?
I have already found in a book this rule:
The comparative structure includes the only when the comparative takes a noun position, example:
I like the smaller of the two.
May you ...
3
votes
2answers
343 views
Is such writing okay in the sentence?
We don't have to worry much, for with as so small an amount as is in his possession he won't go far and we'll eventually catch him.
I've made up this sentence and I'd like to know if the "for with as ...
1
vote
1answer
208 views
Comparative or superlative with plural
Let's sat I have a set of 10 different positive numbers. I want to pick the 4 with the smaller (or smallest?) value. Should I say "the four smaller values" or "the four smallest values"?
In other ...
1
vote
1answer
798 views
comparison: is “faster than I thought” correct? [closed]
In a grammar book I find this question:
Find the mistake
The car run faster than I thought.
Does this sentence have a grammar mistake? I guess not.
Edit: I thought "run" is in the simple past ...
0
votes
0answers
246 views
Can strong adjectives have comparative and superlative?
I learnt that strong adjectives are "ungradable" so for example the adjective enormous can't be used with intensifiers such as very, slightly, a little, a bit, extremely, terribly, etc. So I wonder if ...
1
vote
1answer
87 views
Question about comparative adjective
The question is about filling the blank with the best answer. (with the word given in the parentheses)
1. An eagle flies ........... a sparrow (high)
a. Higher Than
b. More Highly than
...
4
votes
2answers
116 views
Is it grammatical to use a comparative form with a definite article?
A: Whose book is this? Yours?
B: Oh, it's Mark's. Mine is -----.
I know * Mine is thinner.* is correct.
How about Mine is the thinner.
Is it grammatical to add the article?
Thanks a lot.
1
vote
1answer
43 views
your better life
Can one say:
When he sees your better life, he will be jealous.
Instead of:
When he sees your life, which is better than his, he will be jealous.
Can one say:
When he sees your better house,...
1
vote
2answers
608 views
Which is right between these two sentences? “much easier” vs. “more easily”
The children learn a new language much easier than adults.
The children learn a new language more easily than adults.
I think 2 is right because easy modifies the verb, so it needs to be written ...
0
votes
0answers
383 views
Comparison of weight, quantity & number
Why don't we use comparative degree when the sentence is with 'times'?
see the below sentences :
My book is three times as cheap as yours. (NOT 'three times cheaper than yours')
Your income is ...
3
votes
2answers
472 views
Positive, comparative, superlative and… is there a fourth?
I'm wondering whether English has something beyond its superlative degree. In my language we call that "túlzófok", it literally translates to "exaggerative degree."
I'm wondering because I often hear ...
5
votes
2answers
56 views
Prettier a flower
Is
This one is prettier a flower than a rose.
acceptable?
Or am I not allowed to invert it and have to say
This one is a prettier flower than a rose.
?
2
votes
1answer
2k views
Is using “madder” grammatically correct?
I've seen in several occasions many people using the comparative adjective "madder".
Like in saying "I'm mad at him. But if he didn't ask I'll be even madder."
This "madder" just doesn't sound ...
1
vote
2answers
1k views
This book is comparatively cheap/cheaper than that one
I am confused at the usage of (comparatively+than). Please guide.
1
vote
1answer
404 views
word that describes advantages being “surpassed” or “exceeded” by disadvantages
For instance, a sports car might have all the technology and power but the high cost is its disadvantage compared to an average car. So "However, the advantage of high technology and power is _____ed ...
0
votes
2answers
60 views
Are there other ways to say “The store is farther from the motel than we expected.”?
The store is farther from the motel than we expected.
As the comparative form "farther" is a bit distant from "than" in the above sentence, it doesn't sound intuitive in relation with "than we ...
0
votes
2answers
263 views
Usage of “compared to” [closed]
Which can I say?
The price of A is higher compared to B.
or
The price of A is higher compared to the price of B.
0
votes
1answer
226 views
Can I say “Put 3 times the amount of water than soybeans”?
Can I say:
Put 3 times the amount of water than soybeans.
Or:
Put 3 times water than soybeans.
Put 3 times cups of water than soybeans.
Put 3 times the amount of water as soybeans.
Put 3 times as ...
4
votes
5answers
3k views
Twice as short, twice as cheap, twice as slow?
Is it grammatically correct to say:
This book is twice as expensive as that one.
That book is twice as cheap as this one.
This rope is twice as long as that one.
That rope is twice as ...
5
votes
1answer
163 views
Do monosyllabic past participles used as adjectives follow the comparative and superlative rules about adding -er/-est suffixes?
This question showed up in my Writing part of F.C.E. test when I wrote
TV is the most bought electric household appliance
In that moment, I wondered whether boughtest is the correct form instead ...
3
votes
1answer
21k views
“much more” or “far more”?
1: What is difference between "much more" or "far more"?
2: Is the incorrect sentence, below I mentioned, really wrong?
3: If so, how should I use "much more" or "far more"?
Incorrect: Since her ...
2
votes
1answer
36 views
Help understanding the differences between more than/about and most/all of
I am very confused when doing homework because there are four sentences which are really alike but my teacher said that they are different and I still don't understand why.
"More than three-...
1
vote
1answer
10k views
How to use “more” as adjective and adverb
Where should I use more as adjective (comparative) and adverb?
Sometimes, it seems like Mary does things only to make it more inconvenient for her husband to have a good time when he’s out with his ...
10
votes
4answers
17k views
“The most rude” or “the rudest”?
Rude comparative ruder superlative rudest
But the most rude is applied in the following title:
The Most Rude, ill-Mannered, and Humiliating Plays in NBA History!
Can we use both forms for any ...
1
vote
2answers
176 views
Exclusion in formation of comparative statements
I was going through the topic "formation of comparative and superlative".
The rule says
When two objects are compared with each other, the latter term of comparison must exclude the former, ...
0
votes
1answer
821 views
“…than there are” vs “than”
I'd like to know which one of these sentences are grammatically correct. Is there any difference in meaning between them?
There are more cars than there are people in this country.
There are more ...
1
vote
2answers
72 views
Is it correct to say “with less”?
When I want to refer to something (which has the least amount of something), is it correct to say "with less"? For example:
The house with less windows in the town.
3
votes
2answers
5k views
Near, Nearer, Nearest
a) Take me to a near station.
b) Take me to a nearer station than that station.
c) Take me to the nearest station.
I believe a) is not used but b) and c) are. I want to hear a good explanation if ...
1
vote
3answers
16k views
“Early” vs “earlier” this morning / this month
While I was reading some various text below two things came up over and over like them in a rule.
Early this morning (Ex. 4~5 AM)
Earlier this month (Ex. 1~5 Nov.)
If "early" and "earlier" were ...
5
votes
3answers
537 views
“The pain is less now than it was 5 hours ago” or should it be “lesser”?
The pain is less now than it was 5 hours ago
Shouldn't it be "The pain is lesser now than it was 5 hours ago"?
5
votes
2answers
28k views
'more preferred' versus 'preferable'
Which of the following two sentences is correct?
a) Which of the two boxes is preferable ?
b) Which of the two boxes is more preferred?
I think it should be a) because Oxford dictionary ...
5
votes
1answer
6k views
“such that” & “such as to”, “so…that” &“so…as to”, “such…that” &“such …as to”
If the subjects of the main clause and the subordinate clause are the same,
we could simplify "such that" to "such as to", for example
1a Her voice was such that it made everyone stare. →
1b ...
1
vote
2answers
177 views
is “little such [noun]” acceptable?
Can "little" be used to modify "such + noun"? Does "little such care" sound natural to you?
Thank you very much!
0
votes
1answer
82 views
What does this quote mean? BY SHAW [closed]
Man is the only animal which esteems itself rich in proportion to the number and voracity of its parasites.
compared with the number and voracity of man's parasites, man considers himself rich?
5
votes
2answers
644 views
Help parse “There is much more to preventing employee crime than background checks…”
Consider:
There is much more to preventing employee crime than background checks and traditional audits. It's not just about the employees you don't know; some of the biggest crimes are committed ...
4
votes
2answers
313 views
Parallel constructions in “than” sentences
Then out spake brave Horatius,
The Captain of the Gate:
"To every man upon this earth
Death cometh soon or late.
And how can man die better
Than facing fearful odds,
For the ashes of his fathers,
And ...
5
votes
3answers
1k views
Tom is taller than I?
In this question, in one of the comment threads the following was stated
Tom is taller than me" or "Tom is taller than I am" — both are correct. "Tom is taller than I" is WRONG` (link)
Which I'...
2
votes
2answers
18k views
More easily or most easily
I know when to use an adjective as comparative or superlative.
Example -
This is an easy job.
This is easier than the previous one.
This is the easiest.
And when this way, we can't ...
