Rose Bowl Posted 17 years ago
Grammar
In the superlative degree of comparison only
This is from Two Cities:
IT WAS THE BEST OF TIMES, it was the worst of times, it was the
age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch
of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season
of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring
of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before
us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct
to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way-in short,
the period was so far like the present period, that some of its
noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good
or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.
I don't understand why he says comparison. Comparison with what, who is doing the comparison? I find "in the superlative degree of qualification only" is more appropriate. Can someone explain to me the reason why the author chose this wording?
IT WAS THE BEST OF TIMES, it was the worst of times, it was the
age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch
of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season
of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring
of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before
us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct
to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way-in short,
the period was so far like the present period, that some of its
noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good
or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.
I don't understand why he says comparison. Comparison with what, who is doing the comparison? I find "in the superlative degree of qualification only" is more appropriate. Can someone explain to me the reason why the author chose this wording?
Top answer
Hi, t/b, The author is comparing the "present" time to all previous time(s). He also reports that "some of its noisiest authorities" are making the same comparison with the same result. " Best wishes, - A.
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
0
Hi, t/b,
The author is comparing the "present" time to all previous time(s).
He also reports that "some of its noisiest authorities" are making the same comparison with the same result.
"Degree of qualification" is something of a grammatical term, and would not be as broadly understood as "degree of comparison."
Best wishes, - A.
The author is comparing the "present" time to all previous time(s).
He also reports that "some of its noisiest authorities" are making the same comparison with the same result.
"Degree of qualification" is something of a grammatical term, and would not be as broadly understood as "degree of comparison."
Best wishes, - A.
00
toiletbowelsThis is from Two Cities:
I've never heard it called "Two Cities".
00
Charles Dickens lived in England during the reign of Queen Victoria, not during the period he was writing about, which was the French Revolution. He was saying that it was very concerning to himself, as well as the politicians of his time, that what was going on socially and economically in France and England during the French Revolution was VERY similar to the way people were beginning to behave
0