Prufrock
Arbitrary Moderation
All right, English buffs. I have a technical question regarding comparative adjectives which has come up a few times in something I'm translating.
If you have two comparative adjectives, one of which is an "_____-er" (i.e., closer), and the other is a "more _____" (i.e., more liberal), what is the most proper way to relate them, when the "-er" is preceded by the "more" adjective?
1.) "to a land more spacious and free."
2.) "to a land more spacious and freer."
The first sounds better, but the second seems more correct (though it sounds awkward). Does the inflected form of an -er adjective change when preceded by a "more" adjective?
Also, if 1 is correct, and the inflected form changes for parallelism, would it also be proper to say: 1.) "more free and spacious," in place of 2.) "freer and more spacious"?
If you have two comparative adjectives, one of which is an "_____-er" (i.e., closer), and the other is a "more _____" (i.e., more liberal), what is the most proper way to relate them, when the "-er" is preceded by the "more" adjective?
1.) "to a land more spacious and free."
2.) "to a land more spacious and freer."
The first sounds better, but the second seems more correct (though it sounds awkward). Does the inflected form of an -er adjective change when preceded by a "more" adjective?
Also, if 1 is correct, and the inflected form changes for parallelism, would it also be proper to say: 1.) "more free and spacious," in place of 2.) "freer and more spacious"?