Least, Less, More, and Most

Least, Less, More, and Most â€Å"Least,† â€Å"Less,† â€Å"More,† and â€Å"Most† â€Å"Least,† â€Å"Less,† â€Å"More,† and â€Å"Most† By Mark Nichol The modifiers least, less, more, and most present troubles for essayists when the words are matched with different descriptive words: Should hyphens be utilized? Also, shouldn't something be said about when little, much, and comparable terms are included? For the most part, don't hyphenate such developments. The accompanying models are on the whole right: â€Å"She purchased the most economical shampoo.† â€Å"I’ve never heard a less fascinating story.† â€Å"That wasn’t the most lamentable part.† â€Å"We have a more probable explanation.† Be that as it may, utilize these words circumspectly in such sentences. For instance, â€Å"He made a few progressively fruitful efforts† is uncertain: Does it imply that the individual added a couple of effective endeavors to his record of past effective ones, or that the person’s endeavors were more fruitful than past ones? A few journalists decide to hyphenate â€Å"more successful† when fitting in such a specific circumstance, yet such a methodology prompts irregularity when the hyphen is excluded in a comparative however unambiguous proclamation. â€Å"He made a few extra fruitful efforts† or â€Å"He put forth a few attempts that were more successful,† individually, explains the writer’s expectation without making exemptions. Very is another risky term. Most essayists likely think of it as evident that no hyphen has a place in â€Å"John held up a full bucket,† yet very remains solitary in any event, when it changes a hyphenated phrasal descriptive word, as in â€Å"They picked three very popular students.† In any case, contrast these shows and the custom for such words as meager, much, sometimes, and frequently. These words, all of which aside from regularly can be descriptors or modifiers, serve the last capacity when they go before a modifier and a thing and for this situation, they require a hyphen. (That’s illogical, in light of the fact that modifiers are regularly hyphenated to an after word, while qualifiers once in a while are.) Here are a few models: â€Å"Mary talked about a little-comprehended part of the animal’s behavior.† â€Å"He clarified a much-misjudged phenomenon.† â€Å"The sometimes observed plant is found in only one place.† â€Å"The venture was tormented by intercessions with regularly uncertain results.† (Likewise with phrasal descriptors, these word sets are not hyphenated after the thing. For instance, â€Å"Mary talked about a part of the animal’s conduct that is little understood.†) Note this exemption: â€Å"The to some degree abstract report excluded some significant details.† Need to improve your English in a short time a day? Get a membership and begin getting our composing tips and activities day by day! Continue learning! Peruse the Style classification, check our famous posts, or pick a related post below:Possessive of Proper Names Ending in S41 Words That Are Better Than GoodWhat Is a Doctor?