Many years ago I took a two-day course on Chicago Manual of Style. It was a great review of high school English classes and I learned much more than I expected. The lesson that stood out to me the most was that grammar and usage is, for the most part, a relative science. There are general rules, but the rules change and exceptions can be made.
An editor recently changed a sentence I had written in a manuscript from “more simple” to “simpler.” That seemed right to me. “Simpler” is just one word and “more simple” is two. The more simpler the better!
I did a little research to figure out when to use “-er” and when to use “more” (as well as “-est” and “most”) so that I don’t make the same mistake again.
This rule is best to remember:
If a word is three syllables or more, then use “more.”
In the case of a word like “simple” (one syllable), use “simpler” rather than “more simple.”
For a word like “beautiful” (three syllables), it is better to write “more beautiful.”
Nonetheless, writing “more simple” is acceptable.
“Simpler” just sounds better.
Source inspiration from: Quora.
