Booher's Rules of Business Grammar - Dianna Booher 2009
“I like smaller cars”
Adjective and adverb attitudes
INCOMPLETE COMPARISONS
Do people who talk in circles drive you crazy? The only person less maddening than someone talking in circles is someone talking in halfcircles.
Case in Point:
Daffy likes the Midwest better. (What two areas of the country are being compared? Better than what? Better than she used to like the Midwest? Better than she likes the Northeast? Better than Fritz likes the Midwest?)
Correct:
Daffy likes the Midwest better than the South.
Half the comparison is stated, but the second half of the comparison is only in the speaker’s head.
Want to drive your friends and family nuts? Try a few of the following:
Incorrect:
This is a longer report. (Longer than what? Longer than I expected? Longer than the one sent last year? Longer than the one other vendors send? Longer that the one someone else wrote?)
Correct:
This report is longer than what I expected.
Incorrect:
May’s sales are higher than April. (Really? Then April had better work harder, because May is outselling her. Probably, the speaker is referring to months rather than women.)
Correct:
Sales in May are higher than sales were in April.
Incorrect:
For months, I’ve been interviewing general contractors about a new office building, and I’ve finally found someone who seems more dependable and trustworthy. (Than who? Than most builders? Than a past builder used? Than the builder interviewed last week?)
Correct:
For months, I’ve been interviewing general contractors about a new office building, and I’ve finally found someone who seems more dependable and trustworthy than the contractor who built my last office complex.
Incorrect:
Rufus dislikes consultants more than his boss. (Does Rufus dislike consultants more than he dislikes his boss? Or, does Rufus dislike consultants more than his boss dislikes consultants?)
Correct:
Well, your choice—maybe you know Rufus.
Incorrect:
Mortimer saw Eldora give a presentation last week; he said she had much more confidence. (Than what or who?)
Correct:
Mortimer saw Eldora give a presentation last week; he said she had much more confidence than previously.
Incorrect:
Fourth-quarter sales are higher than third quarter. (The sales are higher than the third quarter? Really? Now that you understand this error, it’s starting to sound silly to you, isn’t it?)
Correct:
The fourth-quarter sales are higher than the third-quarter sales.
When comparing things, talk in circles and “finish the loop.” Longer than what? Different from what? Taller than who? Bigger than what? Older than who? More expensive than what?
Memory tip
Imagine the listener or reader raising an eyebrow and asking: as compared to what? As compared to who? As compared to when?