Stricter Vs More Strict

JLukeItaly   Mon Sep 29, 2008 12:20 am GMT
Ok suddenly I have this doubt:

"I'm stricter than you" or " I'm more strict than you"
"I'm the strictest teacher in the world" or " I'm the most strict teacher in the world"

Which form is correct? Which one is more used in everyday life?

Please tell me your nationality too, thank you :)
Guest   Mon Sep 29, 2008 12:31 am GMT
Both are correct I suspect that stricter/strictest is more common.

(USA).
Uriel   Mon Sep 29, 2008 3:35 am GMT
Stricter is more common. American.
Guest   Mon Sep 29, 2008 12:07 pm GMT
In Britain the second form would be more common. Usually native english suffixes aren't applied to words of latin derivation.
Guest   Mon Sep 29, 2008 12:15 pm GMT
*I mean the comparative and superlative ones.
Guest   Mon Sep 29, 2008 2:44 pm GMT
When two comparative forms are possible, US English prefers the synthetic form, while the analytic (two word) form is preferred in the UK.
Leasnam   Mon Sep 29, 2008 3:25 pm GMT
<<Usually native english suffixes aren't applied to words of latin derivation. >>
<<*I mean the comparative and superlative ones.>>

The derivation doesn't matter. It is the number of syllables that determines whether the comparative and superlative suffixes are used.

calm calmer calmest (=Romance derivative)
noisy noisier noisiest (stem = Romance der.)
large larger largest (Romance...)
tiny tinier tiniest (etc)
Buddy   Tue Sep 30, 2008 2:37 pm GMT
Yeah, American English is Germanicker than British English due to pervasive German influence (eg "Does she come *with*?" = Komt sie mit?)

"wurst" instead of sausage (in Am. sausage is for breakfast)