WAEC 2023 English Language · Question 121

James appears … wiser than his friends.

Question

From the words or group of words lettered A to D, choose the word or group of words that best completes each of the following sentences. James appears ............ wiser than his friends.

A.more
B.much more
C.most
D.much

Answer: D. much

Explanation written with AI and checked against the answer key

Analyze the question

The sentence is: "James appears ............ wiser than his friends."

"Wiser" is already a comparative adjective (wise → wiser). We need a word that fits before it and is grammatically correct.

Explain the concept

A comparative adjective that already ends in -er (wiser) cannot take "more" or "most". This would be a double comparative, which is wrong (e.g., "more wiser" ✗).
To strengthen a comparative, we use intensifiers such as much, far, a lot, even, still. For example: "much taller than," "far better than."
"Most" is used for superlatives ("the wisest"), so it doesn't fit a "than" comparison.

Step-by-step solution

A. more wiser: double comparative ✗
B. much more wiser: double comparative ✗
C. most wiser: incorrect, and "most" is for superlatives ✗
D. much wiser: "much" correctly intensifies the comparative "wiser" ✓

Correct answer: D (much)

The sentence reads: "James appears much wiser than his friends."

Tip: If an adjective already ends in -er, never add "more" before it. Use much, far, or a lot to add emphasis. Also remember "more" and "most" only go with longer adjectives (more beautiful, most beautiful), not with -er/-est forms.

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