NRTC English: Stop saying ‘more better’ when you speak or write

The use of comparative forms in English can be tricky. When two people or things are compared, we talk about comparatives. Examples include taller, bigger, faster, stronger, more expensive, etc. And when more than two people or things are compared, we talk about superlative use. Examples include the tallest, the biggest, the fastest, the strongest, the most expensive, etc.

For example:

1. My house is larger than hers.
2. This box is smaller than the one I lost.
3. Your dog runs faster than Jim’s dog.
4. The girl is the tallest in the class.

ALSO READ: NRTC English: ‘Bogus’ does not mean ‘big’ and ‘terrific’ does not mean ‘terrible’

However, there are some irregular comparative and superlative forms. You should familiarize yourself with this arrangement: positive/comparative/superlative. Examples include good/better/the best, bad/worse/the worst, much or many/more/the most, less/lesser/the least etc.

In English, using two comparative forms together results in a grammatical blunder. ‘Better’, as you can see from the arrangement above, is an adjective in the comparative degree, and so is ‘more’ hence they cannot be used together.

ALSO READ: NRTC English: Madam, can I pay in instalments, not instalmentally?

So, how do you make a stronger comparison with the word ‘better’ or any other adjective in the comparative degree?

We can use quantifiers before comparative adjectives and adverbs to make a stronger comparison. Some examples of such quantifiers in English are ‘far’, ‘much’, ‘way’, and a little’ etc.

For example:

1. iPhone is much better than Android.
2. He felt far worse than yesterday.
3. James is way smarter than Kola (is).
4. He is a little more confident in his abilities.
5. She’s walking much more slowly since her operation.

ALSO READ: NRTC English: Funny enough or funnily enough?

The rule is simple: you should avoid using two comparative forms together in English and possibly in other languages of the world.