3 Eleanor told me the teacher was boring during the class.
446.
1 When you’re dealing with unreasonable people, making decisions quickly causes arguments.
2 When you’re dealing with unreasonable people, making decisions causes arguments quickly.
3 When you’re dealing with unreasonable people, making quick decisions causes arguments.
447.
1 Lying asleep in the crib, the nanny checked on the child.
2 The nanny, lying asleep in the crib, checked on the child.
3 The nanny checked on the child lying asleep in her crib.
448.
1 The house Agnes once visited sold for a million dollars.
2 The house Agnes visited sold for a million dollars once.
3 The house Agnes visited once sold for a million dollars.
449.
1 Testifying for the defense, the eye-witness account from Mr. Jones was compelling.
2 Testifying for the defense, Mr. Jones’s eye-witness account was compelling.
3 Testifying for the defense, Mr. Jones gave a compelling account of what he had witnessed.
450.
1 The commissioners explained the environmental impact of mining with a slide presentation.
2 The commissioners explained with a slide presentation the environmental impact of mining.
3 With a slide presentation, the commissioners explained the environmental impact of mining.
451.
1 The tattoo artist injected ink into the client’s upper arm, which was thickly muscled and hard to draw on.
2 Thickly muscled and hard to draw on, the tattoo artist injected ink into the client’s upper arm.
3 The tattoo artist injected ink, thickly muscled and hard to draw on, into the client’s upper arm.
Chapter 10
Writing Gooder Better Comparisons
Are your comparisons correcter than your friends'? If you've already crossed out correcter and substituted more correct, you're on your way to better (not gooder!) comparisons. The questions in this chapter challenge you to create comparisons that conform to the rules of Standard English. You also practice identifying and correcting vague, illogical, or impossible comparisons.
The Questions You'll Work On
In this chapter, you work on questions that involve the following tasks:
Choosing the correct word(s) to compare two elements (the comparative form, such as nicer) or three or more elements (the superlative form, such as nicest)
Inserting more, most, less, and least properly
Dealing with irregular comparisons — good, better, best and bad, worse, worst
Identifying words that can’t be compared
Avoiding incomplete and illogical comparisons
What to Watch Out For
Keep these points in mind when you’re answering the questions in this chapter:
Short words often form positive comparisons by adding -er or -est to the base word. If the base word ends in y, you generally change the y to i before adding -er or -est.
Don’t double up: If you add -er or -est, don’t use more or most too.
Use the comparative (-er or more, less) when comparing two elements and the superlative (-est or most, least) when comparing three or more elements.
Absolutes — perfect, unique, and similar concepts — can’t be compared.
Good, bad, well, many, and much are irregular.
All comparisons must be complete and clear.
Use other or else when comparing someone or something to the group that includes the person or thing being compared.
Creating Comparative and Superlative Forms
452–476 Which comparisons of the base word are correct?
452. Base word: neat
Comparisons: neater, more neater, less neat, neatest, least neat
453. Base word: close
Comparisons: more close, closer, most close, less close, closest
454. Base word: beautiful
Comparisons: beautifuller, more beautiful, beautifullest, most beautiful, less beautiful
455. Base word: scary
Comparisons: scarier, scariest, more scarier, most scariest, least scary
456. Base word: competent
Comparisons: competenter, less competent, less competenter, least competent, least competentest
457. Base word: pretty
Comparisons: prettyer, prettier, prettyest, prettiest, less pretty
458. Base word: softly
Comparisons: softlier, softliest, more softly, most softly, less softly
459. Base word: fast
Comparisons: faster, fastest, less fast, least fast, most fast
460. Base word: tall
Comparisons: taller, tallest, more tall, most tall, less tall
461. Base word: rapidly
Comparisons: more rapidly, most rapidly, less rapidly, least rapidly, rapider
462. Base word: concerned
Comparisons: more concerned, less concerned, most concerned, least concerned, concernest
463. Base word: nimbly
Comparisons: nimblier, nimbliest, more nimbly, more nimblier, most nimbliest
464. Base word: merry
Comparisons: more merry, most merry, more merrier, most merriest, merrier
465. Base word: loudly
Comparisons: loudlier, loudliest, more loudly, most loudly, more loudlier
466. Base word: curved
Comparisons: curveder, curvedest, less curved, least curved, most curved
467. Base word: friendly
Comparisons: friendlier, friendliest, less friendlier, least friendlier, most friendlier
468. Base word: artificially
Comparisons: more artificially, most artificially, less artificially, least artificially, artificialler
469.