If I see two products that are cheap, for example, if normally each product costs $10 and now one of them (product A) costs $5 and the second (product B) costs $7. Then what will be the correct form to refer to product B price state?
- Choice 1: Product B is less cheap.
- Choice 2: Product B is less cheaper. (with comparative form)
Now it's obvious that I can use in terms of expensive (for product B) and cheaper (for product A), but my question deals with a situation in which I'd like to emphasis or to focus on the cheapness (since in the end of the day they're both cheaper than normal).
Is it valid at all in English to use one of these couple of words: "less cheap" or "less cheaper"?
Best Answer
X is cheaper than Y. [X =10, Y=20]
X is less expensive than Y. [X=10, Y=20]
Those two sentences mean the same thing.
Conversely, Y is more expensive than X.
Cheap, one syllable, just add ER: Cheap=cheaper
Expensive, three syllables, add less or more: less expensive than, more expensive than.
In fact, X is much cheaper than Y, by 10 dollars. Much=an adverb that modifies cheaper.
much cheaper is an adverb and goes with cheaper. It is not a little cheaper, it is a lot cheaper. much cheaper=a lot cheaper.
Adding much or a lot or a little [adverbs] to a comparative is fine.
Much cheaper, but: much more expensive.
The other meaning of CHEAP=BAD quality:
Product A is less cheap than Product B= The quality of Product A is higher than the quality of Product B.
Comparative: Product A looks less cheap than Product B.