WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - Grammar Minute: Incomplete Comparisons

Episode Date: September 17, 2024

"Mechanical pencils are just better." Well, yes--but better than what? Learn more on today's episode of Grammar Minute!

Welcome to the Grammar Minute, where we're saving the English language 60 seconds at a time. I'm Lauren Smith, and I have a potentially upsetting opinion. Mechanical pencils are just better. Some of you are assuming the buzzer went off because my opinion is wrong. First of all, it's just an opinion so it can't really be wrong. Second, there was a grammar mistake in that sentence. Mechanical pencils are just better. Then what?

Snails, pomegranates, pens, markers? This is called an incomplete comparison. Terms like better, worse, smaller, and so on are comparative adjectives. When you use these, you should always specify both of the things you're comparing. As with everything, there are exceptions. If you're writing informally, and it's obvious what you're comparing based on context, you can sometimes get away without specifying the second object. Mechanical pencils are just better.

Could be a clippy response to a friend who has just made the opposite assertion. That's your Grammar Minute. Visit thegrammerminit.com for more tips and tricks. Thank you.