Learn English – Multiple comparatives of different types: how to choose

adjectivescomparativesphrasesword-choice

I have an eight-month-old daughter. Her experiments in mobility led me to contemplate phrases like

the dirtier and messier, the better.

What happens if one (but not both) of the adjectives before the comma is replaced with a word that forms a comparative with "more" rather than the suffix -er? For example, replace "messy" with "dangerous." Neither of the following sound quite satisfactory to my ear:

the dirtier and more dangerous, the better
the more dirty and dangerous, the better

Is one of these actually correct? Is there some other solution that isn't coming to mind?

Best Answer

Of the two alternatives, the first is correct:

The dirtier and more dangerous, the better.

The phrase 'more dirty' is simply incorrect.

Change 'dirty' into 'beguiling', and then you can write:

The more beguiling and dangerous, the better.

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