Macmillan Holdings, LLC. Grammar Girl, Grammar Girl's, QDnow, and Quick and Dirty Tips are all trademarks of Macmillan Holdings, LLC. How to choose the right superlatives and comparisons part I Bill grammar Thanks so much for your tips. Very helpful. Question, is it ever correct to compare three or more items in a sentence without using a superlative. E.g. (Not exactly sure how to write it) PowerPoint enables you to be more creative than any of Word, Excel, or Access applications. Thanks. http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/better-versus-best.aspx?commentid=21284#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/better-versus-best.aspx?commentid=21284#Comments Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:55:46 GMT Stephanie Symonds grammar for number of syllables, if you have a word like Kraft will it depend on the person's speaking accent? http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/better-versus-best.aspx?commentid=19831#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/better-versus-best.aspx?commentid=19831#Comments Thu, 15 Oct 2009 23:28:25 GMT mc grammar Not a very well written piece, one thinks. The explanations of the rules are the worst I have ever seen. Also there are many mistakes. Stupier is obviously incorrect gramatically. Needs much improvement! http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/better-versus-best.aspx?commentid=15684#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/better-versus-best.aspx?commentid=15684#Comments Mon, 09 Feb 2009 02:50:21 GMT Diana grammar I have to disagree with a few of the examples given in this article, especially when discussing the two syllable words. To me it makes much more sense to say "most gentle" instead of "gentlest" (which trips up my tongue); I have never seen or heard "naivest"; and thank goodness "tranquilest" is becoming obsolete! http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/better-versus-best.aspx?commentid=13422#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/better-versus-best.aspx?commentid=13422#Comments Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:46:00 GMT Nikki grammar I noticed that the title of this article is "Better Versus Best" as if the two would be compared or contrasted. Reading the article, however, the word "best" is mentioned only three times. It is present in the title, in an example of an irregular one syllable adjective, and in the phrase "my best friend". "Better" can be found four times, but it is also never actually the topic of discussion. As far as I can see, this is a well-written and informative exploration of comparative and superlative adjective formation. But it is in no way a comparison between those two forms as the title would imply. Keep up the good work, but consider changing the title to something that relates more strongly to the content of the article. http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/better-versus-best.aspx?commentid=13382#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/better-versus-best.aspx?commentid=13382#Comments Sun, 10 Aug 2008 16:33:10 GMT Drew Kime grammar Try this one: There are three brothers, Aaron, Bob and Chuck, named tallest to shortest. So Aaron is taller than Chuck. And Bob is taller than Chuck. But Aaron is more taller than Chuck than Bob is. http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/better-versus-best.aspx?commentid=13363#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/better-versus-best.aspx?commentid=13363#Comments Fri, 08 Aug 2008 13:25:46 GMT Tim grammar I apologize for all of the typos in that. I haven't had my coffee yet! http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/better-versus-best.aspx?commentid=13362#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/better-versus-best.aspx?commentid=13362#Comments Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:56:43 GMT Tim grammar My wife and I have had disagreements about this, and I wanted you opinion. I am prepared to be wrong. My wife is very strict about the application of comparitive and superlative forms. She feels that there is only one correct option for any given word. I can't wait to have her read your section offering "stupider" and "more stupid." My view has always been that only specific words can take suffixes, but any word can take more or most if you want. You should just choose what works best in your situation. Now, you odd that it would sound odd to say "I am more tall than my sister" and I agree. But is it *incorrect* to say this? I feel that it you might want to say, "I know both brothers are tall, but who is *more* tall?" Sometimes you can put emphasis on a more or most that you can't put on a suffix. I can accept it if I am wrong on this, but I hope I am not! Thanks for the great article! http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/better-versus-best.aspx?commentid=13361#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/better-versus-best.aspx?commentid=13361#Comments Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:54:54 GMT Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:55:46 GMT http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/better-versus-best.aspx feedback@quickanddirtytips.com (Managing Editor) feedback@quickanddirtytips.com (Webmaster) en-us