Help with a word formation

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ESL forum > Ask for help > Help with a word formation

Help with a word formation

ascincoquinas

Help with a word formation

Dear members,

I was taught that the adjective HANDSOME would form the comparative using MORE.

However, I came across with the following sentence:

"she had become fearfully pale and, strange to say, was even handsomer for it."

Now my question is: Is this correct or is an old form of English?

Thanks

22 Dec 2012

cunliffe

No, it isn �t old English. �Handsomer � is quite usual.

22 Dec 2012

ascincoquinas

Dear Cunlife,

Both Cambridge and Logman dictionaries say that its use dates back to Dickens � time or even prior to that .... Ermm

1350�1400; Middle English handsom easy to handle

22 Dec 2012

Apodo

...and where Cunliffe comes from they still use it and have done so for hundreds of years. It �s just another variation in regional English usage.

BTW - Where I come from we say more handsome.

22 Dec 2012

ascincoquinas

Thanks to both of you Apodo and Cunlife

22 Dec 2012

MoodyMoody

For a third opinion, we �d use "more handsome" more frequently, but "handsomer" doesn �t sound bad to me as an American.

22 Dec 2012

Sonn

As far as I remember the rules, the words ending in -some should form the comparatives by adding -er or -est. (upd. Kobrina N.A., p. 233. Handsome is the only example in the book, there aren�t any other examples for the words ending in -some, but adding -er to the words ending in -some is described there as a general rule)

But I �ve also heard the variant "more handsome" from native speakers.

UPD.
Here is another example with lonesome
http://onlinedictionary.datasegment.com/word/lonesomer

Nevertheless, "troublesome" should be "more troublesome". I don�t knw why.
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/troublesome

According to wiktionary, for handsome both variants are possible
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/handsome

UPD. 2
Here is a list with adjectives ending in -some. You can use google, wiktionary, onlinedictionary and other sources to check which way is more common with such adjectives.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_some_adjectives_ending_in_some

22 Dec 2012

yanogator

@Sonn,

It �s "more troublesome" because it has three syllables.

Bruce

23 Dec 2012

cunliffe

Hi ascinoquinas, what I meant was that it isn �t old English as in obsolete. It may well date back centuries, but it �s still around.

Edit: I would always say �My husband is handsomer than yours.�

23 Dec 2012

ascincoquinas

Hi Cunlife!

Thanks so much for your help.

Merry Christmas and a Happy new year.

23 Dec 2012