Comparatives

I've pretty sure I've never heard 'butterier' and 'sourer' before. The rest are reasonable.

Buttery has three syllables and thus can't take any endings. Webster's Unabridged Dictionary says sour should be compared sourer, sourest even though I'm not sure what I would say should I need a comparative or a superlative.

CB

JuanZZZ wrote:

how many syllables does "simple" have? 2? If so, shouldn't it be more simple?

It's not so simple , Juan. Very many disyllabic adjectives are compared with er and est. Examples:

1. consonant + e: simple, noble
2. adjectives ending er: clever, slender
3. adjectives ending y: happy, sleepy, angry
4. adjectives ending ow: narrow, shallow
5. adjectives with stress on the second syllable: polite
6. adjectives ending some: handsome, lonesome

This is what grammarians say. Actual usage often differs from these "rules" greatly and is a matter of personal preference. For instance, it may well be that the majority of native speakers prefer to say more polite rather than politer.

More and most are especially common when emphasis is applied and may be used even with monosyllables in certain contexts, like for instance when the comparison is not between two things or persons, but between the same person at two different times:

Every month I become a year more old. (Kipling)

English being what it is, what sounds good to some frequently sounds odd to others. About a year ago a native speaker was convinced on this forum that commoner can only be a noun: He is a commoner. In his opinion the comparative of common should always be more common. More common may well be... well... more common than commoner, but any good dictionary gives both as correct comparatives of common.

That doesn't mean a person shouldn't be allowed to consider commoner only a noun. I don't always agree with all grammars and usage experts, why should anybody else?

Cheers
CB