Collins Cobuild English Grammar (43 page)

2.101
  Some compound adjectives seem rather odd because they contain words that are never used as single words on their own, for example
namby-pamby
,
higgledy-piggledy
, and
topsy-turvy
. Words like these are usually informal.

…all that
artsy-craftsy
spiritualism.
…his
la-di-da
family.

foreign compound adjectives

2.102
  Some compound adjectives are borrowed from foreign languages, especially from French and Latin.

…the arguments once used to defend
laissez-faire
economics.
…their present
per capita
fuel consumption.
In the commercial theatre, almost every production is
ad hoc
.

Here is a list of compound adjectives borrowed from other languages:

à la mode

a posteriori

a priori

ad hoc

ad lib

au fait

avant-garde

bona fide

compos mentis

cordon bleu

de facto

de jure

de luxe

de rigueur

de trop

ex gratia

hors de combat

infra dig

laissez-faire

non compos mentis

per capita

prima facie

pro rata

sub judice

Comparing things: comparatives

2.103
  You can describe something by saying that it has more of a quality than something else. You do this by using
comparative adjectives
. Only qualitative adjectives usually have comparatives, but a few colour adjectives also have them. Comparatives normally consist of the usual form of the adjective with either
-er
added to the end, as in
harder
and
smaller
, or
more
placed in front, as in
more interesting
and
more flexible
.

Note that
good
and
bad
have the irregular comparative forms
better
and
worse
.

The patterns for forming regular and irregular comparatives are explained in the Reference Section.

in front of a noun

2.104
  Comparatives can be used as
modifiers
in front of a noun.

The family moved to a
smaller
home.
He dreams of a
better, more exciting
life.
A
harder
mattress often helps with back injuries.

Note that comparatives can also be used as modifiers in front of
one
.

An understanding of this reality provokes a
better
one.

after a linking verb

2.105
  Comparatives can also be used after a
linking verb
.

The ball soaked up water and became
heavier
.
His breath became
quieter
.
We need to be
more flexible
.

The use of adjectives after linking verbs is explained in paragraphs
3.132
to
3.137
.

structures used after comparatives

2.106
  Comparatives are often followed by
than
when you want to specify what the other thing involved in the comparison is. You say exactly what you are comparing by using one of a number of structures after
than
.

These structures can be

noun phrases

Charlie was
more honest than his predecessor
.
…an area
bigger than Mexico
.

Note that when
than
is followed by a pronoun on its own, the pronoun must be an object pronoun such as
me
,
him
, or
her
.

My brother is
younger than me
.
Lamin was
shorter than her
.

phrases that start with a preposition

The changes will be even
more striking
in the case of teaching
than in medicine
.
The odds of surviving childhood in New York City are
worse than in some Third World countries
.

clauses

I would have done a
better
job
than he did
.
I was a
better
writer
than he was
.
He’s
taller than I am
.

Note that when a comparative is not followed by a
than
phrase, the other thing in the comparison should be obvious. For example, if someone says
Could I have a bigger one, please
? they are likely to be holding the item that they think is too small.

A mattress would be
better
.

position of comparatives

2.107
  If you choose a phrase or clause beginning with
than
when you are using a comparative in front of a noun, you usually put the phrase or clause after the whole noun phrase, not directly after the comparative.

The world is a
more dangerous
place
than it was
.
Willy owned a
larger
collection of books
than anyone else I have ever met
.

A comparative can also come immediately after a noun, but only when it is followed by
than
and a noun phrase.

We’ve got a rat
bigger than
a cat living in our roof.
…packs of cards
larger than
he was used to.

more
and
more than

2.108
  
More
is sometimes used in front of a whole noun phrase to show that something has more of the qualities of one thing than another, or is one thing rather than being another.

Music is
more
a way of life
than
an interest.
This is
more
a war movie
than
a western.

Note that
more than
is used before adjectives for emphasis.

Their life may be horribly dull, but they are
more than satisfied
.
You would be
more than welcome
.

comparatives used as nouns

2.109
  Comparative adjectives are sometimes used as noun-type words in fairly formal English. In such phrases, you put
the
in front of it, and follow it with
of
and a noun phrase that refers to the two things being compared.

…
the shorter of the two lines
.
Dorothea was
the more beautiful of the two
.
There are two windmills,
the larger of which
stands a hundred feet high.

If it is clear what you are talking about, you can omit
of
and the following noun phrase.

Notice to quit must cover the rental period or four weeks, whichever is
the longer
.

less

2.110
  The form that is used to say that something does not have as much of a quality as something else is
less
followed by an adjective.

The answer had been
less truthful
than his own.

You can also use
less
and an adjective to say that something does not have as much of a quality as it had before.

As the days went by, Sita became
less anxious
.

Note that
less than
is used before adjectives to express a negative idea.

It would have been
less than fair
.