Good, Better, Best: Comparisons in VS .NET

Creator Code 128A in VS .NET Good, Better, Best: Comparisons

20

-est to descriptions more/less and most/least correctly Jjl> Understanding some irregular comparisons

s your knowledge of comparisons more better or less worse If you chose one of those two alternatives, this chapter is for you, because more better and less worse are both incorrect English has two ways of creating comparisons, but you can't use them together and they're not interchangeable In this chapter, I show you how to tell the difference between the two types of comparisons, how to use each correctly, and how to avoid some of the common errors of comparisons I don't, however, tell you which comparisons to avoid altogether, such as Which dress makes me look fat and Am I a better dancer than your last date You have to figure out those dilemmas yourself

Lochness's smile is more evil than Legghorn's, but Legghom's giggle sounds cuter Eggworthy searched for the least efficient sports utility vehicle, believing that global warming is less important than having the raciest image in the parking lot Felonia's most recent symphony was less successful than her earlier composition Analivia's older sister is an even greater mathematician than Analivia herself, though Analivia has the edge in geometry Lulu's latest tattoo is grosser than her first, but Lulu, not the shyest girl in the class, is looking for the most extreme design for her next effort

What did you notice about the comparisons in the preceding sample sentences Here's the stripped-down list: more evil, cuter, least efficient, less important, raciest, most recent, less successful, earlier, older, greater, grosser, latest, shyest, most extreme

Some of the comparisons were expressed by adding -er or -est, and some were expressed by adding more, most, less, or least to the quality that's being compared How do you know which is appropriate (Or, to use a comparison, how do you know which is better ) The dictionary is the final authority, and you should consult one if you're in doubt about a particular word However, there are some general guidelines:

Table 20-1 is a chart of some common descriptions of Lola, with both the-er and -est forms Note: To understand Lola's personality, you need to know to what (or to whom) she's being compared, so I include a few clues

Table 20-1

ablest of all the budding scientists in her atom-splitting class baldest of the models cutest of all the assassins

(continued)

Part IV: Polishing Without Wax - The Finer Points of Grammar Table 20-1 (continued)

dumber than a sea slug edgier than caffeine friendlier than a grizzly bear gladder than the loser heavier than a before ad for a diet book itchier than she was before she sat in poison ivy

dumbest of the presidential candidates edgiest of the atom splitters friendliest person on the block gladdest of all the lottery winners heaviest of all the sumo wrestlers itchiest of all the patients in the skin clinic

Notice that when the last letter is )I, you must often change the y to i before you tack on the ending Table 20-2 contains even more descriptions of Lola, this time with more, less, most, and least added:

Table 20-2

more jerkily than the old horse less knock-kneed than an old sailor less lily-livered than the saloon owner in an old movie more magnificent than a work of art more notorious than a princess less oafish than the young prince

most jerkily of all the racers least knock-kneed of all the beauty pageant contestants least lily-livered of all the florists most magnificent of all the ninjas most notorious of the florists least oafish of all the cab drivers