[Grammar] There was a greater demand for ability to speak foreign languages, and various reform

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UM Chakma

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Hi,
"There was a greater demand for ability to speak foreign languages, and various reformers began reconsidering the nature of language and of learning."

I do not understand why the comparative form often used in contexts like the above. Is it for a high degree of emphasizing?





Please note that if there are any mistakes in my writing, correct them and show me the mistakes. I will be really grateful to you.
 

Rover_KE

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The sentence cannot stand alone. It has to be viewed in the context of what has gone before. The comparison relates to an earlier time when there wasn't much demand for the​ ability to speak foreign languages.
 

UM Chakma

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Sorry Rover, I didn't mean that and I think I didn't explain my problem clearly. Okay, I meant that why comparative form(greater) is used mostly despite the adjective form(great). In that sentence "greater" was used and Would be there any changes in meaning if "great" was used in that place? And can we use those two forms "comparative and adjective" interchangeably in that kind of context?
 

Rover_KE

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I meant to ask why the comparative form (greater) is used instead of the adjective form (great). In that sentence "greater" was used. Would be there any changes in meaning if "great" was used in that place? And can we use those two forms "comparative and adjective" interchangeably in that kind of context?

Certainly not.

Which form we use depends entirely on what has gone before in the particular context.
 
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