Complete the following sentence using the correct combination of words from the options provided:
Manish is the __________ boy in the class. However, going by the chatter in the school, he is ____________ than benevolent.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → cleverest / more clever
An adjective is a word that describes a noun or a pronoun, for example a tall tree, the food is tasty.
Degrees of comparison:
- The superlative (the + -est / most) compares one person with all the others in a group: "the cleverest boy in the class".
- When two qualities of the same person are compared, the pattern is more + adjective + than + adjective, never the -er form: "he is more clever than benevolent", not "cleverer than benevolent".
- Complete sentence: Manish is the cleverest boy in the class. However, going by the chatter in the school, he is more clever than benevolent.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: clever / cleverer — Incorrect.
- "The clever boy in the class" uses the positive degree where a comparison with the whole class needs the superlative.
- "Cleverer than benevolent" uses the -er form to compare two qualities of one person.
Option 2: most clever / clever — Incorrect. "Than" must follow a comparative. "Clever than benevolent" is ungrammatical.
Option 3: cleverer / cleverest — Incorrect.
- "The cleverer boy in the class": the comparative is used for two, and a class has many boys.
- "Cleverest than": a superlative is never followed by "than".