 Re: irregular comparatives
Hello MW
"Farther" is a variant of "further", which is the comparative of "fore". The original comparative of "far" was "farrer", but "farther" has now displaced this.
As for the meaning, my dictionary says that "farther" is used as the comparative of "far", while "further" is used in contexts "where the notion of far is absent". However, in ordinary usage, I would say that most people do not apply this distinction; my impression is that in most contexts, most people use "further".
Of your other comparatives, I would say that "simpler", "narrower", "quieter", and "unhappier" turn up more often in standard (BrE) English than the versions with "more", while "more pleasant" and "more common" turn up more often than "pleasanter" and "commoner".
Both forms are correct, in each case; the forms with "more" are more likely to be used when emphasis is required, e.g.
1. "Did you say that ducks were as common as geese?" "No, I said that ducks were more common than geese."
It may be different in American English; maybe another poster will let us know.
All the best,
MrP  |