TÉCNICO UNIVERSITARIO EN TRADUCCIÓN

Español e Inglés

Irregular Comparisons
A few modifiers form their comparative and superlative degrees irregularly. It is helpful to
memorize their forms.

MODIFIERS WITH IRREGULAR FORMS OF COMPARISON

Good better best
Well better best
Bad worse worst
Badly worse worst
Ill worse worst
Far (distance) farther farthest
Far (degree, time) further furthest
Little (amount) less least
Many more most
Much more most

Correcting Double Comparisons

Don’t use both –er and more. Don’t use both –est and most. To do so would be an error
called a double comparison.

Exam ples
•INCORRECT A redwood tree grows more taller than an oak.
•CORRECT A redwood tree grows taller than an oak.
•INCORRECT Aunt Ellie is my most kindest aunt.
•CORRECT Aunt Ellie is my kindest aunt.
•INCORRECT They will write to us more oftener after school starts.
•CORRECT They will write to us more often after school starts.

1
CORRECTING INCOMPLETE COMPARISONS
Don’t make an incomplete or unclear comparison by omitting the word other or the word else
when you compare a person or thing with its group.

EXAMPLES
UNCLEAR Mercury is closer to the sun than any planet.
[Any planet includes Mercury.]
CLEAR Mercury is closer to the sun than any other planet.
UNCLEAR Aunt Elizabeth has more pets than anyone I know.
[Anyone I know includes the aunt.]
CLEAR Aunt Elizabeth has more pets than anyone else I know.

Be sure your comparisons are between like things— that is, similar things.

EXAMPLES
UNCLEAR The grace of a basketball player is more obvious than a baseball player.
[The grace of a basketball player is being compared illogically with everything
about a baseball player.]
CLEAR The grace of a basketball player is more obvious than that of a baseball player.
CLEAR The grace of a basketball player is more obvious than the grace of a baseball
player.
CLEAR The grace of a basketball player is more obvious than a baseball player's.

UNCLEAR The claws of a lion are larger than a house cat.

[The claws of a lion are being compared illogically with everything about a
house cat.]
CLEAR The claws of a lion are larger than those of a cat.
CLEAR The claws of a lion are larger than the claws of a house cat.
CLEAR The claws of a lion are larger than a house cat's.

GOOD OR WELL; BAD OR BADLY

Always use good as an adjective. Well may be useful as an adverb of manner telling how
ably or how adequately something is done. Well may also be used as an adjective meaning "in
good health."

EXAMPLE Red is a good color for you. [adjective]

EXAMPLE You look good in red. [adjective after a linking verb]
EXAMPLE I feel good when I hear our song. [adjective after a linking verb]

EXAMPLE You dress well. [adverb of manner]

EXAMPLE Aren't you feeling well? [adjective meaning "in good health"]

Always use bad as an adjective. Use badly as an adverb.

EXAMPLE That's a bad idea. [adjective]

EXAMPLE That milk tastes bad. [adjective after a linking verb]
EXAMPLE I feel bad about your moving away. [adjective after a linking verb]
EXAMPLE The porch swing is squeaking badly. [adverb after an I action verb]
2
CORRECTING DOUBLE NEGATIVES
Remember that double use of negative words in a sentence produces a positive
meaning. Avoid double negatives wherever possible. I am not uncomfortable means “I am
comfortable.” I don’t know nothing, on the other hand, is poor English and would be better
written I don’t know anything or I know nothing.
Modifiers such as hardly, scarcely, and barely carry negative meanings. They should
not, therefore, be used as modifiers when there are other negative words in a sentence.

INCORRECT Edwina didn’t hardly eat her lunch.

CORRECT Edwina hardly ate her lunch.
CORRECT Edwina didn’t eat her lunch.

Don't use two or more negative words to express the same idea. No and not are the
most common words used to make a sentence negative.

EXAMPLES
INCORRECT I don't have no stereo equipment.
CORRECT I don't have any stereo equipment.
CORRECT I have no stereo equipment.

INCORRECT We haven't seen no concerts this year.

CORRECT We haven't seen any concerts this year.
CORRECT We have seen no concerts this year.

INCORRECT My parrot never says nothing.

CORRECT My parrot never says anything.
CORRECT My parrot says nothing.

The words hardly and scarcely are negative words. Don't use them with other negative words,
such as not.

EXAMPLES
INCORRECT I haven't hardly finished.
He can't scarcely never be on time.
CORRECT I have hardly finished.
He can scarcely ever be on time.

CORRECTING MISPLACED AND DANGLING MODIFIERS

Misplaced modifiers modify the wrong word, or they seem to modify more than one word
in a sentence.
Place modifiers as close as possible to the words they modify in order to make the meaning
of the sentence clear.

EXAMPLES
MISPLACED Soaring over the edge of the cliff, the photographer captured an image of the
eagle. [participial phrase incorrectly modifying photographer]
CLEAR The photographer captured an image of the eagle soaring over the edge of the cliff.
[Participial phrase correctly modifying eagle]

3
MISPLACED He easily spotted the eagle with his high-powered binoculars. [prepositional
phrase incorrectly modifying eagle]
CORRECT With his high-powered binoculars, he easily spotted the eagle. [prepositional
phrase correctly modifying he]

Place the adverb only immediately before the word or group of words that it modifies.
If only is not positioned correctly in a sentence, the meaning of the sentence may be unclear.

EXAMPLES

UNCLEAR Dan only has art class on Monday. [Does Dan have only one class on Monday,
or does he have art class on another day than Monday, or is Dan the only
person (in a group) who has one class on Monday?]
CLEAR Dan has only art class on Monday. [He has no other! class that day.]
CLEAR Dan has art class only on Monday. [He does not have art class on any other
day.]
CLEAR Only Dan has art class on Monday. [No one else has art class on Monday.]

Dangling modifiers seem logically to modify no word at all. To correct a sentence that has a
dangling modifier, you must supply a word that the dangling modifier can sensibly modify.

DANGLING Working all night long, the fire was extinguished. [participial phrase logically
modifying no word in the sentence]
CLEAR Working all night long, the firefighters extinguished the fire. [participial phrase
modifying firefighters]
DANGLING Sleeping soundly, my dream was interrupted by the alarm. [participial phrase
logically modifying no word in the sentence]
CLEAR Sleeping soundly, I had my dream interrupted by the alarm. [participial phrase
modifying]

4
Name ___________________________________________________

PRACTICE – Irregular Comparisons

Circle the correct modifier from the choice given in parentheses.

1. Washington University is (far, farther, farthest) from my house than St. Louis University is.
2. Sam has been suffering from (ill, worse, worst) health lately.
3. Of all the legislators, Senator Glenn wanted the trip to space (much, more, the most).
4. You may wish to explore the subject (far, farther, further) than you have explored it up to now.
5. Hector likes the poetry of E. E. Cummings (good, better, best) than that of Emily Dickinson.
6. Of all the foods he's tasted so far in the United States Kim likes spaghetti (good, better, best).
7. I'm sorry the interview went (badly, worse, worst), Marian; maybe the next one will be (good,
better, best).
8. Doque ate (little, less, the least) ice cream of all.
9. The sulfur stench from the paper mill is just about the (bad, worse, worst) odor I've ever
encountered.
10. Of all of us, Yukio is (little, less, least) satisfied with his situation.

PRACTICE – Correcting Double Comparisons

Circle each error in comparison, write the correct word to the left of the number. If the sentence is
already correct, write C.

1. This is the most widest mobile home I've ever seen!

2. That tuna smells more fishier than the scrod.
3. Is vermicelli more thinner than regular spaghetti?
4. I'm pretty sure that linguini is more wider than both vermicelli and spaghetti.
5. After the test, Velma left the room more quickly than anyone else.
6. Sam always says that his life is just a little more solitarier than a hermit's.
7. When she pounced on the soap bubble and it disappeared, the kitten was the surprisedest thing
in the world.
8. "This is the most long letter I've ever received," said Lee.
9. A hummingbird's nest is just a bit tinier than a tennis ball.
10. After dieting and daily exercise, I should become much more healthier and agiler than I am
now.

5
PRACTICE – Correcting Incomplete Comparisons
Circle each error in comparison, write the correct word to the left of the number. If a sentence is
already correct, write the letter “C”.

1. Archie's test results are better than Andy.

2. Isn't Seaside Park cleaner than any park?
3. Sean is more organized than anyone.
4. Other than Maribeth, Sheila is the best swimmer.
5. Is banana ice cream really better than any flavor?
6. The speed of racing cars is greater than ordinary cars.
7. Eloise's artwork is better than anyone else's.
8. Was Michelangelo's art better than Leonardo da Vinci?
9. Shani thinks that yams are tastier than any vegetable.
10. Jeannie's voice is lower than Pat.

PRACTICE – Irregular, Double and Incomplete Comparisons

Circle each error in comparison, write the correct word to the left of the number. If a sentence is
already correct, write the letter “C”.

1. Cutting the sugar in one's diet may be even gooder than cutting the fat.
2. Does the Zambezi River flow quicklier than the Nile?
3. Is Emily Dickinson or Robert Frost the better poet?
4. Was Jesse Owens or Bob Mathias the swiftest runner?
5. Your little brother Donnie is least irritable than Jamie.
6. Do you wish to explore this topic farther in your paper?
7. Diego has the goodest costume of all.
8. Ange is more taller than Rick but more shorter than I.
9. Kele admires Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. more than anyone.
10. My boxer dog's bark is deeper and louder than other dogs.

PRACTICE – Good or Well; Bad or Badly

Circle the correct word from those in parentheses. In one item, either word could be correct.

1. That television show was (bad, badly).

2. We wanted to go on a picnic, but the weather looked (bad, badly).
3. That scarf looks (good, well) on you.
4. I'll rewrite these invitations because someone wrote them (bad, badly).
5. French toast tastes (good, well) with homemade applesauce.
6. Beth thought she was catching a cold, but she feels (good, well) now.
6
7. Luc's trumpet solo sounded flat, but yours sounded (good, well).
8. This stuffy cabin smells (bad, badly); let's open the windows.
9. Sam felt (bad, badly) about forgetting to drive Lou home after her appointment.
10. Our science teacher said our project was done (good, well).

PRACTICE – Regular and Irregular Comparisons

Give the comparative and superlative forms of each modifier. Consult a dictionary if necessary.

1. lonely _____________ _____________

2. swiftly _____________ _____________
3. well _____________ _____________
4. light _____________ _____________
5. little _____________ _____________
6. afraid _____________ _____________
7. much _____________ _____________
8. ill _____________ _____________
9. blue _____________ _____________
10. nutritious _____________ _____________

PRACTICE – Correcting Double Negatives

Circle each error in the double negative. Write the correct word(s) to the left of the number. If a
sentence is already correct, write C.

1. Giuliana is a very quiet girl; she never says nothing.

2. I haven't hardly got no energy left to write.
3. Since I hurt my wrist, I can't hardly never throw foul shots as well as I used to.
4. We haven't seen no UFOs, and even if we had, we wouldn't have said nothing to nobody.
5. Liam isn't feeling no better; yet, if he were, he still wouldn't say nothing.
6. I hadn't scarcely finished my dinner when the doorbell rang, but nobody wasn't there.
7. Nobody didn't tell me nothing about the pep rally yesterday.
8. I asked the police officer what was new in the case, but she told me that officially nothing was.
9. Margaret hasn't scarcely ever had a loud voice, but now that she has tonsillitis, I can't never
hear a word she says.
10. Mark and Kiyoshi had never planned to have their own band, but now they scarcely have time
for anything else.

7
PRACTICE – Correcting Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers
Rewrite each sentence to make the writer's intended meaning clear.

1. Floating through the air, I watched my kite.

______________________________________________________________________
2. Thanking the operator, my call was made correctly.
______________________________________________________________________
3. Janine only had to tell her dad the problem once.
______________________________________________________________________
4. Filled with straw, the children played with the handmade dolls.
______________________________________________________________________
5. Lost on the country road, it was too dark to see the sign.
______________________________________________________________________
6. The United States Capitol came into view landing at the airport in Washington D.C.
______________________________________________________________________
7. Mr. Atkinson watched the waves sitting quietly on the beach.
______________________________________________________________________
8. Rana anxiously watched the moose in the distance wearing his green plaid robe.
______________________________________________________________________
9. Running to catch the bus, the flour fell in the street.
______________________________________________________________________
10. Reaching into the bushes, the snake nearly bit me.
______________________________________________________________________