Preferables in English Grammar
Preferables in English Grammar :
When two things are compared with each other, it is more correct to use a Comparative than a Superlative.
1. This boy is the cleverest of the two. (Incorrect)
2. This boy is the cleverer of the two. (Correct)
1. This boy is the cleverer of the three. (Incorrect)
2. This boy is the cleverest of the three. (Correct)
1. Which was the most famous - Rome or Athens? (Incorrect)
2. Which was the more famous - Rome or Athens? (Correct)
1. He is the abler of the three sons. (Incorrect)
2. He is the ablest of the three sons. (Correct)
1. Which is the best of the two? (Incorrect)
2. Which is the better of the two? (Correct)
OTHER after Positives and Comparatives
When one thing is compared with another of the same kind, take care to use OTHER after an Adjective in the Positive or the Comparative Degree.
Positive : He is as clever as any other boy in the class.
Comparative : He is cleverer than any other boy in the class.
Similarly…
1. England has more ships than any other Power in Europe.
2. The Taj is more beautiful than any other mausoleum.
3. Shakespeare is greater than any other dramatist.
OTHER must not be used after Superlatives. When one thing is said to surpass all other things of the same kind, take care not to use other after an Adjective in the Superlative Degree.
1. He was the laziest of all other workmen. (Incorrect)
2. He was the laziest of all workmen. (Correct)
3. He was the most eminent of all other statesmen. (Incorrect)
4. He was the most eminent of all statesmen. (Correct)
5. Gold is the most precious of all other metals. (Incorrect)
6. Gold is the most precious of all metals. (Correct)
7. The tiger is the fiercest of all other wild beasts. (Incorrect)
8. The tiger is the fiercest of all wild beasts. (Correct)
9. He had the shortest memory of any other speaker. (Incorrect)
10. He had a shorter memory than any other speaker. (Correct)
11. No other speaker had so short a memory. (Correct)
Another very common form of error is….
1. The population of Calcutta is greater than Delhi. (Incorrect)
2. The population of Calcutta is greater than that of Delhi. (Correct)
The comparison is between..
(i) the population of Calcutta
(ii) the population of Delhi
Similarly…
1. The streets of Karachi are wider than Bombay. (Incorrect)
2. The streets of Karachi are wider than those of Bombay. (Correct)
Preferable has the force of a Comparative and is followed by TO. We must never say…more preferable than.
1. Knowledge is even more preferable than riches. (Incorrect)
2. Knowledge is preferable even to riches. (Correct)
We should always say the first two, the first three, etc.
THE TWO FIRST and THE THREE FIRST are meaningless expressions because they imply that two or three things may be first.
1. He has read the first two chapters of the book. (Correct)
2. The first three girls were selected. (Correct)
Double Comparatives and Superlatives are to be avoided.
1. This road is the more shortest of all. (Incorrect)
2. This road is the shortest of all. (Correct)
3. This pen is much cheaper than that. (Incorrect)
4. This pen is much cheaper than that. (Correct)
But the use of LESSER is quite common.
1. The lesser of the two evils….(Correct)
2. He had lesser money than I. (Incorrect)
Lesser is always used attributively (never predicatively) and always denotes the inferior in size, status or importance of two definite things or groups.
1. The lesser evil…
2. The lesser light…
3. The greater…
Avoid such sentences.
1. This is one of the best and powerful machines that have ever been made. (Incorrect)
2. This is one of the most powerful machines that have ever been made. (Correct)
If the first of two or more Adjectives is a Superlative, others should also be Superlative.
RELATED PAGES :
- The Adjective
- An Adjective
- Attribute Position of Adjective
- Predicative Position of Adjective
- Kinds of Adjectives
- Proper Adjectives
- Descriptive Adjectives
-
Quantitative Adjectives ( Adjectives of Quantity )
- Qualitative Adjectives ( Adjectives of Quality )
- Numeral Adjectives ( Adjectives of Number )
- Definite Numeral Adjectives
- Indefinite Numeral Adjectives
- Demonstrative Adjectives ( Demonstrative Adjective )
- Definite Demonstrative Adjectives
- Definite Demonstratives
- Indefinite Demonstrative Adjectives
- Indefinite Demonstratives
- Distributive Adjectives
- Interrogative Adjectives
-
Exclamatory Adjectives
- Possessive Adjectives
- Possessive Determiners
- First Person Possessive Adjectives
- Second Person Possessive Adjectives
- Third Person Possessive Adjectives
- Emphasizing Adjectives
- Coordinate Adjectives
- Paired Adjectives
- Cumulative Adjectives
- Non-Coordinate Adjectives
- Two Uses of Adjectives
- Attributive Use of Adjectives
- Predicative Use of Adjectives
- The Degrees of Comparison
- Comparison of Adjectives
- Latin Comparatives of Adjectives
- Irregular Comparisons of Adjectives
- Formation of Comparatives and Superlatives
- Formation of Comparative and Superlative
- Uses of Quantitative Adjectives
- Uses of Numeral Adjectives
- Definite Numeral Quantities
- Uses of Demonstrative Adjectives
- Uses of Distributive Phrases
- Uses of Distributive Adjectives
- Example Sentences with suitable Adjectives
- Uses of Degrees of Comparison of Adjectives
- Uses of Positive Degree of Comparison of Adjectives
- Uses of Comparative Degree of Comparison of Adjectives
- Uses of Superlative Degree of Comparison of Adjectives
- Use of The Comparative Degree
- OTHER after Positives and Comparatives
- Double Comparatives
- Double Superlatives
- Comparatives which have lost their force
- Latin Comparatives
- English Comparatives
- Adjectives used as Nouns
- Adjectives in Pairs
- Adjectives preceded by THE
- Position of Adjectives
- Adjectives Used Attributively
- Adjectives Used Predicatively
- The Adjective Clause
Preferables in English Grammar :
The Sentences Index
