[Grammar] comparative and superlative degree of colors

[Yura Reiri]

Are colors supposed to have comparative and superlative degrees?

Thank you!

 

[Raymott]

Are colors supposed to have comparative and superlative degrees?

Thank you!

They can do.

 

[Yura Reiri]

They can do.

Oh, thank you, Sir.

So, shall I say more violet than the first one?

How about more yellowish? more yellow?

 

[Raymott]

Oh, thank you, Sir.

So, shall I say more violet than the first one?

How about more yellowish? more yellow?

You can say:
"Of the three girls, Mary's had the reddest lipstick. Her lipstick was redder than a fire engine."

PS: Try to use quotes around quoted phrases: So, shall I say "more violet than the first one"?

 

[Barb_D]

I think this is tricky.

We all have an idea of what "true red" is, and when things are shades of pink or marroon we know we can say that a thing is "less red" than the thing that is fire-engine red or brick-red, or that her lipstick is the reddest of the three girls. I think the same is true for yellow.

But with other colors, like blue, this can be hard. Is navy blue "true" blue and a sky blue "not as blue"? I don't think so. Is hunter green more green than kelly green? Or less so? I don't know.

I have never study graphic arts, so I can't talk about colors very well. I just wanted to say there isn't a simple answer that will always work.

However, I completely agree that you can say "yellowish" and other things of that nature.

 

[SoothingDave]

I think we would tend to say "darker green" or "lighter green" rather than "greener."

 

[emsr2d2]

I think it depends on the colour. Some lend themselves better than others, especially in the comparative.

The sky is bluer today than it was yesterday.
The grass is always greener on the other side.
My grandfather has greyer hair than my grandmother.
The sky was blacker than I had ever seen it.

All of those sound fine.

Your carpet is violeter than mine - Definitely not!
Her walls are painted marooner than his - Absolutely not!
I'd like a purpler dress than the one I already have - sounds wrong.

 

[Raymott]

Of course, one could get scientific and say that the reddest object is the one that reads closest to 630–740nm on a spectrograph.
100/0/0 on the RGB system is redder than 80/20/20.
This X is bluer than this Y, to my eyes. The later is greener.
I'd also suggest that this A is more purple than this B.

 

[Mannysteps]

Not a teacher

And there's an interesting song title

"A whiter shade of pale"

M.