domingo, 8 de septiembre de 2024

COMPARING ADJECTIVES IN ENGLISH



After I turn off the light once I am in bed, I listen to lectures, talks, and interviews on diverse subjects. Last night, I tuned in to an interview with a communications guru, a lawyer who instructs listeners on improving their English speaking abilities. He said "it was much more easier to..." and I turned him off. Any self-respecting motivational speaker who falls into such a solecism does not command my respect. Actually, he made two errors because "easier" would have sufficed. One-syllable adjectives are compared like this:
Rich - richer - the richest
Tall - taller - the tallest
Poor - poorer - the poorest
Two-syllable adjectives ending in -y are compared like this:
Easy - easier - the easiest
Wealthy - wealthier - the wealthiest
Lazy - lazier - the laziest
We must be mindful of comparisons such as "happier" which could be debatable and that "much happier" would be the epitome, the cusp, of happiness. Careful with hyperbole. 

 

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