Double comparatives and double superlatives

Double comparatives and double superlatives were once common in English, but now they are not used.

It was the most unkindest cut of all. (Shakespeare – Note the use of the double superlative)

The above sentence is incorrect in modern English.

Concession or contrast may be expressed in several different ways. Study the following examples carefully.

By using though and although

Note that both though and although mean the same.

Although/ though he is ill, he is cheerful.
Although/though he works hard, he doesn’t earn much.
Poor though he is, he will not pocket this insult. (=Though he is poor, he will not pocket this insult.)

We use several different structures to express a condition in English. The most common among these structures are explained here.

By using if

If is commonly used to express a condition. Examples are given below:

Avoid run-on sentences

Run-on sentences are actually two separate sentences that have been joined with a comma instead of a colon, a full stop or a joining word.

Consider the sentence given below:

The camel is an ungainly animal, it has a hump on its back.

Omit words which have already been clearly implied

One or more words can be omitted when they are already clearly implied.

John had finished his studies and gone to play football with his friends. (Better than ‘John had finished his studies and had gone to play football with his friends.)
Alice has written the letter and posted it. (Better than ‘Alice has written the letter and has posted it’.)

Emphasizing a word

You can put special emphasis on a word in a number of ways. For instance, try placing it first.

Though he is poor, he is happy.
Poor though he is, he is happy. (Here the emphasis is on the word ‘poor’.)

Note the correct use of the following adverbs

Very

Very means ‘to a great degree’. It is commonly used with adjectives or adverbs in the positive degree.

He was very nice.
She is very intelligent.
It is very small.
He did it very well.
He drove very carefully.

The tense of a verb in the subordinate clause changes in accordance with the tense of the verb in the main clause.

The basic rules are as follows:

Rule 1

If the verb in the principal clause is in the present or the future tense, the verb in the subordinate clause may be in any tense, depending upon the sense to be expressed.

We have seen that the same word may introduce clauses of different kinds. The following examples illustrate this point.

If
He asked if he could go. (Here the subordinate clause ‘if he could go’ is the object of the verb asked. It, therefore, serves as a noun clause.)

The same word may introduce clauses of different kinds. It is therefore wrong to judge a clause from the word which introduces it. The exact nature of each clause should be figured out from the kind of function it serves in the sentence.

Compare: