English — Parallel and double comparatives
English links two comparatives to show that one change drives another: The more you practise, the better you get. A single comparative can also be doubled to show gradual change: bigger and bigger.
How it works
The parallel comparative has two halves, each starting with the: the + comparative + clause, the + comparative + clause. The first half states one changing factor and the second states the associated change: The harder you work, the more you earn. Adjectives and adverbs use their normal comparative form (the older, the more expensive, the less comfortable). With nouns, use more, less or fewer as appropriate (the more time, the better; the fewer mistakes, the better), and with verbs use more or less (the more you sleep, the fresher you feel). To show gradual change, repeat a comparative with and: The queue got longer and longer; She spoke more and more quietly.
Examples
| Example | Pattern / meaning |
|---|---|
| The more you practise, the better you get. | Adverb + adjective: more practice leads to more skill. |
| The harder you work, the more you earn. | Adverb + more + verb: effort raises income. |
| The older I get, the less I worry. | Adjective + less: rising age, falling worry. |
| The more the merrier. | Fixed idiom with omitted verbs: more people, more fun. |
| The queue got longer and longer. | Repeated comparative: a steadily growing change. |
| She spoke more and more quietly. | Long adjectives/adverbs repeat with more and more. |
Good to know
Both halves need the — dropping it ("More you practise, better you get") is a common error. In the repeated pattern, short adjectives double the whole word (bigger and bigger, hotter and hotter), while longer ones keep the base and repeat more (more and more expensive, not "expensiver and expensiver"). Note the irregular pair worse and worse and better and better.