English Language & Usage Asked on May 16, 2021
Page 267 of Fowler’s Dictionary of Modern English Usage reads
Adjectives ending in –ic (comic, rustic, etc.), –ive (active,
restive, etc.), and –ous (famous, odious, virtuous, etc.) do not have
–er and -est forms except in special circumstances.
What special circumstances is the author referring to?
Secondly, what would such forms be for comic? comicker/est?
One example of the special case would curiouser, an er form of the adjective curious. It is a special case of neologism derived from a work of literature, in this case, Alice in Wonderland.
Answered by neo_logophile on May 16, 2021
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