Nowadays, although double comparatives and superlatives are not considered standard usage, they are kept alive in vernacular dialects. Separated from the noun: The employee was ambitious. You can either use them directly before the noun to create a noun phrase or separate them from the noun they’re describing. Even Shakespeare used double comparatives and superlatives, as in Mark Antony's statement, "This was the most unkindest cut of all" from Julius Caesar. Adjectives are often called 'describing words.' They modify the noun in a sentence. The Modern English rule governing the distribution of -er/-est and "more/most" had not yet arisen, and such forms as "eminenter," "impudentest," and "beautifullest" occurred together with constructions like "more near," "most poor," and "most foul." Double markings were commonly used to indicate special emphasis, and they do not appear to have been socially disfavored. 1500-1800), "more" and "most" constructions became more common. Prior to this, in Old and Middle English, suffixes, rather than a preceding "more" or "most," almost always marked the comparative and superlative forms of adjectives and adverbs, regardless of word length. In English, the redundant comparative dates back to the 1500s. Speakers of vernacular dialects often use double comparatives and superlatives such as "more higher” and "most fastest." Although such constructions may seem redundant or even illogical, standard and nonstandard varieties of all languages are replete with such constructions.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |