Grammatica - loco

9
Adjectives
112
9.2.2
Inflection of the comparative
When used attributively, comparatives follow the rules for the inflection
of simple adjectives, e.g. een grotere jongen ‘a bigger boy’, een kleiner
huis ‘a smaller house’.
Comparatives of more than three syllables are often not inflected because
of the resulting sequence of unstressed syllables when an -e is added to
the existing -er ending and the combination is thus difficult to pronounce,
e.g. een uitvoeriger(e) beschrijving ‘a more detailed description’,
verstandiger(e) gedachten ‘more sensible thoughts’.
It is also quite common for some comparatives of two syllables not to
inflect, but here one has the choice, e.g. na korter(e) of langer(e) tijd. The
rules for -s inflection also apply to comparatives, e.g. iets groters ‘something
bigger’, niets duurders ‘nothing more expensive’.
9.2.3
Use of meer with the comparative
In English the comparative of longer adjectives is formed by placing ‘more’
before the word rather than by adding ‘-er’, e.g. ‘more important’, ‘more
interesting’. As a general rule one can say that this is not the case in
Dutch, e.g. belangrijker ‘more important’, interessanter ‘more interesting’.
The comparative with meer is known in Dutch but is not often compulsory
and should thus be avoided if in doubt, e.g. succesvoller or meer succesvol,
typischer or meer typisch (sometimes used with adjectives ending in -isch).
It is often used before adjectives of nationality too, e.g. meer Hollands
(= more Dutch, Dutcher, although the latter sounds somewhat peculiar
in English too) and is also usually used before past participles functioning
as adjectives, e.g. meer geïnteresseerd (also geïnteresseerder) ‘more
interested’, meer gewend aan ‘more used to’, meer opgewonden (also
opgewondener) ‘more excited’. On occasions -er is possible in such cases,
e.g.:
Een vervallener/meer vervallen huis dan dit hebben we nog
nooit gezien.
We have scarcely seen a more dilapidated house than this.
Die acties waren nog uitgebreider.
The campaigns were even more extensive.