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Is Cleverer A Word


PaRtZ

Cleverer  

50 members have voted

  1. 1. Is cleverer a word?

    • Yes
      8
    • No
      42


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Little debate here

I'm a normal person with a solid grasp of english grammar and vocabulary. To my knowledge cleverer isn't a word because it just sounds wrong, in the same way eagerer isn't a word. The correct form should be more clever and more eager.

Friend and dictionary sites say it isn't :S

So without wiki-ing it is it a word? And which would you use?

What does trials-forum think?

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Use a whole different word, such as smarter..

Anyone can Google. He was after personal opinions by the sound of it - not facts.

I have given my personal opinion already. In these situations just use a better word that will avoid confusion...I agree they sound wrong but they can still be used, I have had this issue before and therefore have researched it before, but it can still cause confusion it seems.

Edited by AndrewEH1
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Nope - Cleverer isn't considered a word in the ENGLISH dictionary, however it is in american. In the UK, the term is more clever. Clever is an adjective, and when beginning with a consonant, should not be followed by Er, only est. When it begins with a consonant, the term should be more.

For example;

That looks more green than that one. As the object contains more of a green shade.

That person is more clever than him down there. As the person is more knowlegable.

And so on.

Well I've just looked in my Collins dictionary and both cleverer and cleverest are there. Shall we blame the internet?

Edited by AndrewEH1
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Clever is an adjective, and when beginning with a consonant, should not be followed by Er, only est. When it begins with a consonant, the term should be more.

Eh? You're saying greener/faster/stronger/fitter/better aren't allowed as words because they start with a consonant?

I would have thought cleverer was technically OK but since it doesn't quite sound right, most people would use the 'more clever' form.

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I was doing some reading and the number of syllables the adjective contains has something to do with it. As mentioned above

green = 1 syllable => greener is ok

fast = 1 syllable => faster is ok

homophobic = 4 syllables => homophobicer is not ok (sorry, only other long adjective I could think of)

interesting = 4 syllables => interestinger is not ok

eager = 2 syllables => eagerer? Id say no but internet dictionaries say yes

clever = 2 syllables => cleverer?

:S

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I'd never say cleverer in conversation, it's just not part of my vocabulary. Doesn't mean it's not in a dictionary, but dictionaries are constantly evolving entities and it wouldn't surprise me if cleverer was one day removed through lack of use.

EDIT: I voted 'no' for that reason, even though clearly the 'correct' answer is yes.

Edited by JDâ„¢
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It's a paradox.

I'm cleverer than you all.

In that sentence, that word would let everyone know that you're one chromosome short of a full set. And while they may pat you on the back, they all know they're more intelligent.

I'd never say it. Just because it sounds so incredibly awkward.

Edited by MonsieurMonkey
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Shitted.

Now assume that due to the huge popularity of the cars, there were to be a Prius owners club. If more than one of them were to hold a meet and you happened to walk past you'd say "oh em gee, man that's a lot of ............. right there"

On a more relevant note, I would have thought the shit rules (which often don't work anyway) would say no to repeated sounds to aid prononciation. Much like "a napron" has now become the more commonly known "an apron".

Thats my guess anyway.

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I hope it isn't, the elegance of the word is absent. But knowing how widespread it's used I'm guessing even if it isn't now the likelihood is, it will be picked up soon.

I seem to remember to make the dictionary, as a new word, all you have to do is be a word in common usage.

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