Page 149 - Practical English Usage 3ed - Michael Swan, Oxford

comparison (6): much, far etc with comparatives and superlatives 140
8 than anybody; the best . .. ever
'Non-affirmative' words like ever, yet and any (see 381) often follow comparatives and superlatives.
You're more stubborn than anybody I know.
It's the best book I've ever read. This is my hartkst job yet.
For the fonnation of comparatives and superlatives, See 137. For tenses after than, see 580.
For the first/second/best etc + present/past perfect. see 591.
140 comparison (6): much, far etc with comparatives and superlatives
1 much, far etc with comparatives
We cannot use very with comparatives. Instead, we use, for example, much, far, very much, a lot (informal), lots (informal), any and no (see 57), rather, a
little, a bit (informal), and even.
My boyfriend is muchlfar older than me. (NOT ••• /:Ie')' Bider thfln me.) Russian is muehlfar more difficult than Spanish.
very much nicer
a bit more sensible (informal) a lot happier (informal)
Is YOllr mother any better?
rather more quickly
She looks no older than her daughter.
a littk less expensive
Your cooking is even worse than Harry's.
Quite cannot be used with comparatives except in the expression quite better, meaning 'recovered from an illness' (see 104.1). Any, no, a bit and a lot are not normally used to modify comparatives before nouns.
There are muchlfar nicer shops in the town centre. (BUT NOT ••• fl bit nice,. 9."IB1'9 .•.)
2 many morellesslfewer
When more (see 355) modifies a plural noun, it is modified by many instead of much. Compare:
much I far I a lot etc more money
many I far I a lot etc more opportunities
Many is sometimes used to modify less (before a plural noun) and fewer, but this is unusual; far, a lot etc are more common.
far less words (more common than many less words)
a lot fewer accidents (more common than many fewer accidents)
3 much, by far, quite etc with superlatives
Superlatives can be modified by much and by far, and by other adverbs of degree such as quite (meaning 'absolutely'), almost, practically, nearly and easily.
He's much the most imaginative of them all. She's byfar the oldest.
We're walking by far the slowest.
He's quite the most stupid man I've ever met. I'm nearly the oldest in the firm.
This is easily the worst party J've been to this year.
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