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ESL forum >
Grammar and Linguistics > correct me plz
correct me plz
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andalous
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correct me plz
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I �ve recently found the following sentences: "my mother is less old than yours." for me, it doesn �t sound correct because I �ve never encountered such comparative: less is used only with +3-syllable adj as I know
what do you think? |
24 May 2011
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rockthevinyl
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To me it doesn �t sound good simply because of the easier to say "younger."
I �ve never seen a rule regarding �less � and syllables.
I �ve only seen a rule for �more � and syllables, because you have the option of using �more � or �-(i)er �.
+ happy = happier OR more happy
+ dangerous = more dangerous
- happy = less happy
- dangerous = less dangerous
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24 May 2011
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Mehlika Sultan
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when use comparative old-older; young -younger according to the rules, but lately sometimes in spoken language people break the rules.
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24 May 2011
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Zora
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Hi there,
I �d use the comparative form "as....as" here.
My mum is not as old as yours.
It sounds much more natural and it is grammatically correct.
Cheers,
Z.
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24 May 2011
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hossein mehdaoui
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Yes Mr Zora but the focus is the fact that she is younger not as old as.
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24 May 2011
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Apodo
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The usual way to say this would be: My mother isn �t as old as yours.
The sentence my mother is less old than yours sounds completely unnatural unless you an arguing child or being humorous:
A: Your mother �s old!
B: Well, my mother is less old than your mother!
No three syllable rule that I know of eg:
This old farmhouse is less ramshackle than that one. |
24 May 2011
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spinney
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According to the "Oxford Guide to English Usage," less shouldn �t be used as a comparative for one syllable words. So, I suppose that �s official! Funnily enough, I �ve often wondered about that. |
24 May 2011
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andalous
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the problem is that I found "less old" in the correction sheet of a French university exam, equivalent to the French baccalaureate exam. the exercise was to rewrite sentences using the comparative or superlative forms. the transformations were just very traditional, except this one:
"My mother/-/old/yours."
I corrected it with my ss as: "my mother isn �t as old as yours" since we have to use the adjective "old". but I was so surprised to find in the "official" correction document: "My mother is less old than yours"!!!
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29 May 2011
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