“‘Curiouser and curiouser!’” cried Alice (she used to be such a lot stunned, that for the instant she reasonably forgot how to talk excellent English); “now I’m opening out like the biggest telescope that ever used to be! Goodbye, toes!”
This quote, from Lewis Carroll’s loved Alice in Wonderland presentations some nonstandard English that the creator, in conventional Nineteenth-century shape, dings as now not being “excellent” English.
The lifestyles of fine English means that anything is “unhealthy” English.
However possibly there’s English that is going past simply “unhealthy.” This is to say, it’s imaginable Alice’s English may have been worser.
Let’s check out phrases like “worser” and see whether or not they in point of fact are unhealthy grammar.
Is “worser” a phrase?
The phrase “worser” is a funny means of claiming “worse.” Even if this can be a phrase relationship again to the fifteenth century, it’s now not used excluding for funny impact and shouldn’t be use in maximum settings (as a substitute, use “worst”). Alternatively, in case you’re making an attempt for funny exaggeration, “worser” is a smart selection.
Comparative and superlative phrases
On the root of this actual quote from Alice in Wonderland are grammatical phrase bureaucracy known as “comparative” and “superlative.”
Each those bureaucracy are used to evaluate issues, and you’ll be able to bring to mind them as being one of those development.
Let’s take the adjective “highly spiced” for instance: “Jalapeno peppers are highly spiced, whilst habanero peppers are spicier.
The spiciest pepper is the Carolina Reaper, which is greater than ten occasions spicier than a habanero.”
On this sentence, we’ve got the basis type of the phrase (highly spiced), its comparative shape (spicier), and its superlative shape (spiciest).
In easy English, the comparative type of a phrase displays that it’s extra, whilst the superlative shape displays that it’s the maximum.
The easy grammar rule for “extra” vs “-er”
There are two tactics to display comparisons in English the usage of adjectives. The primary is to put the phrases “extra” and “maximum” in entrance of the basis type of the adjective, whilst the second one provides -er and -est to the top of the basis shape as a substitute.
Some grammar regulations, like figuring out whether or not to use a comma sooner than until, may also be difficult. Thankfully, comparative adjectives have only some easy regulations:
- For one-syllable phrases, upload -er or -est on the finish
- For phrases which can be 3 syllables or longer, upload “extra” or “maximum” in entrance
- For 2-syllable phrases, you’ll be able to both upload -er or -est on the finish or use “extra” or “maximum” in entrance
English being English, there are naturally and a couple of different issues you will have to do, like converting “y” to “i” on the finish of an adjective or doubling the ultimate consonant in phrases like “giant” and “unhappy.”
Typically, despite the fact that, that’s in point of fact all you will have to do!
Except for when it isn’t. Input abnormal adjectives.
Unhealthy, worse, and… worser?
The phrase “worse” is a smart instance of an adjective that has an abnormal comparative and superlative shape.
In truth, to be extra proper, the phrase “worse” doesn’t have a comparative or a superlative shape. That’s as a result of it’s itself the comparative type of “unhealthy,” some of the adjectives that follows an abnormal trend: unhealthy (root), worse (comparative), and worst (superlative).
Alternatively, that doesn’t mean “worser” isn’t a phrase. In reality, in accordance to the Oxford English Dictionary, continuously thought to be an authoritative supply of English phrases and definitions, the phrase “worser” dates the entire long ago to 1493.
What’s extra, it used to be a fully standard phrase on the time.
Now, then again, possibly in phase on account of “curiouser and curiouser,” the phrase “worser” simply sounds roughly humorous and folks would possibly imagine it mistaken grammar.
Nowadays, maximum linguists desire the phrase “nonstandard” moderately than “proper” vs “mistaken,” particularly when taking into account issues of dialect like whether or not to say “a novel” vs “an distinctive”. Nonetheless, you’ll be able to’t be too cautious.
When you “worser” fans can take solace in the truth that this can be a actual phrase with an extended historical past, it’s best to steer clear of the usage of it until you wish to have to humorously exaggerate simply how unhealthy one thing is.
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