Hi,
which is correct: more clever or cleverer? and more polite or politer?
Thanks
Hi Liza,
I’m happy with either. Possibly I would prefer ‘cleverer’ but I wouldn’t describe ‘more clever’ as incorrect.
Alan
Dear Alan,
Thank you so much for your quick reply. May I have one more question in connection with this?
Which ending is correct?
He is cleverer than me.
He is cleverer than I.
He is clevere than I am.
Your dog is cleverer than my dog.
Your dog is celevrer than my dog is.
Your dog is clevere than mine.
Your dog is clevere than mine is.
Thanks a lot!
bye
Liza
Certainly cleverer or more clever than me. It should be -than I am instead of I but -I am is not logical. If someone is cleverer than someone else is (cleverer) then who is cleverer? If you get what I mean.
He is cleverer than me. - Wrong
He is cleverer than I. - Correct
He is cleverer than I am. - Correct
Although this is debated, “than” is a conjunction in these sentences, not a preposition, so a subject pronoun is needed. The verb “to be” is implied. You cannot say “He is cleverer than me is.”
Even if some prefer to consider it a preposition when used with an object pronoun, I find the conjunction argument useful for its distinction.
She loves me more than him.
If “than” can be both a preposition and a conjunction depending on desire, there are two possible interpretations:
She loves me more than he does.
She loves me more than she loves him.
If we consider “than” only a conjunction in such cases, the use of object pronouns (him) will tell us the example instead can mean only the second interpretation.
Subject pronouns will mean only the first option. = She loves me more than he (does).
All below are correct:
Your dog is cleverer than my dog.
Your dog is cleverer than my dog is.
Your dog is cleverer than mine.
Your dog is cleverer than mine is.
Keefe, the implication is “than X is clever,” not “than X is cleverer.” It’s quite logical. It is understood that you are making a comparison, so what is implied would not invalidate that comparison.
I would actually prefer “more clever,” but I like both.
I strongly prefer “more polite,” but they’re both correct.
There is no rule stating that only three-syllable adjectives take “more.” This is no change, either.
More tactful
More graceful
More gauche (Can go both ways.)
More adroit
More adept
More feckless
More helpless
More hopeless
More abject
More aloof
More reckless
More grateful
More thankful
More absurd
More intense
More silent
More vocal
More fervid
More fervent
More complete
More tireless
More tiresome
More boring
More pleasing
mordant, can’t e put (er ) (est) to any of these adjectives ?? or as we like?
you can also add
real
right
wrong
common
up
I have a serious problem with your list of words,
These words are binary Adjectives, are either ARE or ARE NOT true of a target noun.
You cannot be more than someone else in any of them. Hence why you cannot create a comparative or superlative of said nouns.
Take the original word Clever.
mentally bright; having sharp or quick intelligence,
you either have it or you don’t. Sure the speed can be compared, the level of intellect can be compared, but the idea of clever is to have it, or not.
hence: not comparative.
all the words in the list, when looked at correctly, have the same properties.
How can someone be more silent? by the mere concept that sound has been emitted, silence ceases to exist. you are either bored by something or you are not, something tires you, pleases you,
The suffix ful = FULL = 100% no comparison,
Less = without = 0 no comparison.
Now, sure, language changes, and concepts of words change, but the origins dictate how we construct the rules, and rules should stay the same so our children can learn from parents and grandparents without too much confusion.
He is cleverer than I. Academic English
He is cleverer than me. Correct as well. Informal English
Right?
Wrong, sorry, E2e4.
The object pronoun is ‘me’.
‘He is cleverer than me’ is correct. Your other sentence is not correct. There is no difference here between academic, formal or informal English.
The subject pronoun is ‘I’.
‘I am cleverer than him’ is correct.
The pronoun is ‘I’. This is because ‘is’ (the verb ‘be’) is not a transative verb with an object, but a connecting, linking, or copular verb, with a complement. While it looks like an object, the complement is correctly in the subjective case. Hence, the correct form is “It is I”, not “It is me”. In the same way, the correct form is “He is cleverer then I” or “He is more clever than I” as you prefer.