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comparatives - Justification of "more perfect"



I've just read this interesting article.


We were being constantly told back in school years that we couldn't use "more" to modify "perfect".


I kept feeling guilty using "more perfect" until I read the following idea from the article:



Nothing is perfect. When we say "perfect man", it is an exaggeration. Using "perfect" for things that are not perfect opens the door for "more perfect" and even "most perfect".



This is really a sensible and convincing justification to me. Then I think of other words that our teachers wouldn't allow us to modify using "more". For example, people begin to use "more excellent" fairly frequently nowadays.


However, the use of "more excellent" might not be justified convincingly by the same logic that applies to "more perfect" above. The reason is people can absolutely be excellent while nobody can be perfect. If the justification logic for "more perfect" should fail to hold for "more excellent", what could a sensible way to justify the use of "more excellent"?



Answer



It depends on your meaning: If you mean it in the absolute sense, then no. But if you mean "Thoroughly skilled or talented in a certain field or area; proficient", yes, you may say that there are degrees of perfection.


Reminds me of a great W.C. Fields line:



Og Oggilby: Oh... I knew this would happen! I was a perfect idiot to ever listen to you!


Egbert Sousé: You listen to me, Og! There's nothing in this world that is perfect.



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