Can someone help me decide whether to use "more clear" or "clearer" in a sentence?
2023-06-26
This is what goPenpal answered
Absolutely, I'd be happy to help you with that! In English, both "more clear" and "clearer" are grammatically correct and can be used interchangeably. They're super close friends who love to hang out in sentences together. However, "clearer" is used more often because it's shorter and easier to say, sort of like the popular kid at school.
Now imagine you're looking at a crystal-clear lake, you might say "The water couldn't be any clearer". This is because shorter words (with one syllable like 'clear') usually prefer '-er' over 'more'. It's kind of like a close knit family, they just gel well together.
On the other hand, imagine you're watching a movie with complex plot twist, you might comment, "That could have been more clear". Longer words like 'complicated' or 'interesting' (with three or more syllables) usually go better with 'more'. They're like a well-coordinated basketball team, passing the 'more' ball around to score grammar points.
Keep in mind though, language is kind of like play dough, you can mold it to suit your style. Some people might prefer one over the other depending on the rhythm or sound of the sentence, so go ahead and use the one that sounds better to your ears!
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