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Triangle Grammar Guide
Longtime N&O journalist Pam Nelson writes about language use and misuse and answers questions about grammar and style. Readers can weigh in on what annoys them, too. Think of this as your online grammar class. Send e-mail to Pam at pam.nelson@newsobserver.com.
Nothing could be finer (adjective forms)
Submitted by Pam_Nelson on 07/05/2008 - 08:04
A reader from Charlotte, Anita Keller, sends two of her peeves:
The first is the trend toward not using superlatives [comment from Pam: and comparatives]. Example, "more quiet" for "quieter". It happens all the time. It seems I notice it more and more every day. The other gripe I have is how society now says "It was so fun". When I was growing up, learning English, it was always "so /much /fun" or "such fun". Why does that seem to have changed? What is the rule that prohibited "so fun" to start with?
As I told Anita when I replied to her e-mail message, I agree with her about the problem with using adjectives in the comparative and superlative forms. I think people have forgotten what they learned in the third or fourth grade. One-syllable adjectives and some two-syllable adjectives need -er or -est to make the comparative and superlative forms. Many adjectives of two syllables and all adjectives of three syllables or more need more or most (or less or least). Of course, irregular forms can throw us off -- good, better, best and bad, worse, worst. But if you are in doubt, look for the adjective in a good dictionary. The entry will give you irregular forms and will often give regular forms. If no form is explicitly spelled out, use the regular form. Most of the time, it seems to me, the sound will give you the right choice: warmer sounds right; more warm doesn't. An English as a Second Language site has a useful tutorial. You'll find a little test at the bottom of the page.
Although I am not bothered by "so fun" in speech, I avoid using "fun" as an adjective in writing. The usage is changing on this word, it appears, but you are safer sticking with the standard in writing. Use "fun" as a noun, and you won't offend.
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Pam Nelson
Pam Nelson began her career as a writer in 1976 and has worked in various editing jobs at The News & Observer since 1987. She has won awards for her headline writing and has taught college classes in copy editing and seminars in grammar and usage.
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Comments
helllooo
Wed, 08/13/2008 - 20:02 — milly (not verified)so is nothing a adjective? you have not answered the question???
re: helllooo
Thu, 08/14/2008 - 05:48 — Pam_Nelson (author)Are you asking whether the word "nothing" is an adjective? Words that we think of primarily as nouns can be used as modifiers, although some people find that usage hard to take (such as "that was a fun time"). Certainly in an informal context you could say that you had "a nothing day" or "that was a nothing answer."
Pam Nelson
Triangle Grammar GuideÂ
re: helllooo
Thu, 08/14/2008 - 05:48 — Pam_Nelson (author)Are you asking whether the word "nothing" is an adjective? Words that we think of primarily as nouns can be used as modifiers, although some people find that usage hard to take (such as "that was a fun time"). Certainly in an informal context you could say that you had "a nothing day" or "that was a nothing answer."
Pam Nelson
Triangle Grammar GuideÂ
Good answer
Sun, 08/03/2008 - 10:12 — Pam_Nelson (author)Thank you.
Pam Nelson
Triangle Grammar Guide
Anita's example was the noun usage
Sat, 08/02/2008 - 22:28 — bellaparolaThat was the actual answer to her question: what happened to so much fun or such fun, changed to simply so fun? When you say something was fun, it is a noun - such and so much modify it in the adjective way. "So," however, doesn't modify nouns, it is an adverb modifying an adjective, and as such changes fun to the adjective usage that is not formal, if indeed it is even correct.