Booher's Rules of Business Grammar - Dianna Booher 2009

“This job is more simpler than what i had before”
Adjective and adverb attitudes

COMPARING WITH MORE AND MOST

If you have siblings, you probably don’t like to be compared. Those comparisons can be especially troublesome when done by teachers: “Pudge, you’re not as good a math student as your sister, Jamale, was. She was always brighter, faster, and more conscientious than you in doing her homework.” No, indeed, that’s not a pleasant remark and reminder.

But deal with it, and let’s focus on the language. Why the choice of brighter and faster when the teacher compared Pudge and Jamale? And then the switch to more conscientious? Why not conscientiouser? Sure it’s a tongue twister, but why not positiver about doing her homework? Or pleasanter about doing her homework?

When using a one-syllable word to compare things or people, you typically add —er or —est: quick, quicker, quickest; sharp, sharper, sharpest; limp, limper, limpest; sick, sicker, sickest; light, lighter, lightest; heavy, heavier, heaviest; rainy, rainier, rainiest.

But when using longer adjectives (words of two or more syllables) to compare things or people, you typically need the help of more or less, most or least: more brilliant, most brilliant; more flavorful, most flavorful; more confusing, most confusing; more explicit, most explicit; less miserable, least miserable; less memorable, least memorable; less understandable, least understandable.

Some adjectives used to compare people or things are totally different words altogether:

My steak is good. Winnifred’s steak is better. Spike’s steak is the best.

Pongo is ill. Ebeneezer is worse. Eldora is the worst.

Percival drinks far too many sodas. Pongo drinks even more sodas. Ebeneezer drinks the most sodas of all three.

Memory tip

Comparing is as simple as counting 1, 2.

If the adjective has only one syllable, add one syllable to compare (—er, —est).

If the adjective already has two or more syllables, leave it alone. Instead, add a word to compare (more or most; less or least).