| Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993. |
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| ABSOLUTE COMPARATIVES |
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| We seldom notice these incomplete or “understood” comparisons, and they are quite acceptable in most speech and in some writing: This bulb will give brighter light. Occasionally, though, the incompleteness can blind us to concealed meanings. In advertising, the comparison may be with an unstated and therefore untestable something else. Some uses of the comparative form of the adjective occur in positions where we intend a relative meaning: She prefers older [not old] men. | 1 |
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| | | The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. Copyright © 1993 Columbia University Press. |
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