Is fuller a word or is it more full

Last Update: Jan 03, 2023

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Asked by: Mrs. Sharon Hauck

Score: 4.1/5
(59 votes)

Technically, “full” would be the proper adjective. The comparative “fuller” would be used to compare two things of varying degrees of fullness, and the superlative “fullest” to compare three or more.

Is the word Fuller correct?

The word ‘fuller’ is a word, and it functions as a comparative adjective. The word full is the base, root word. The suffix, -er, is added to the end.

Is Fuller a word in English?

adjective, fuller, fullest. completely filled; containing all that can be held; filled to utmost capacity: a full cup. complete; entire; maximum: a full supply of food for a three-day hike.

What is the comparative and superlative of full?

Yes, when you need a comparative or superlative form of «full», the correct forms are «fuller» and «fullest», but «more full» and «most full» are sometimes valid alternatives.

What is the superlative form of beautiful?

The superlative form of the adjective ‘beautiful’ is ‘most beautiful,’ not ‘beautifullest.

29 related questions found

What is the comparative of pretty?

AdjectiveEdit

The comparative form of pretty; more pretty. Lisa is prettier than her sister Judy.

What is the comparative form of weak?

Superlative. weakest. The comparative form of weak; more weak.

Who were fuller?

a person who fulls cloth.

What does Fuller mean in the Bible?

A fuller’s job was to cleanse and whiten cloth. … With the cloth soaking in soap and water, the fullers beat or stamped it to remove the impurities (the Hebrew word for fuller comes from a root meaning “to tread”).

What is fuller tool?

In metalworking, a fuller is a tool used to form metal when hot. The fuller has a rounded, either cylindrical or parabolic, nose, and may either have a handle (an «upper fuller») or a shank (a «lower fuller»). … The fuller is a forging tool, used to spread the metal.

What is a fuller in Old English?

Middle English, from Old English fullere, from Latin fullo. Noun (2) fuller to form a groove in.

How do you use the word Fuller?

Fuller sentence example

  1. He was by occupation a fuller , and tradition still points out the site of his mill. …
  2. He wrote light verse to celebrate the incidents of court life in the manner of Desportes, but his verse is more fantastic and fuller of conceits than his master’s.

Is funner grammatically correct?

But if you’re thinking that that logic is downright silly, most dictionary establishments agree with you. And they also agree that…the answer to “is funner a word?” is yes. If you want to consider “fun,” as an adjective, a word, then “funner” is indeed a word, as is “funnest,” per normal rules of adjective formation.

Is it most handsome or handsomest?

Comparative and Superlative of “Handsome”

The rules call for handsomer and handsomest, but usage has changed over time. Modern speakers prefer more handsome to handsomer, and there is an even split between handsomest and most handsome.

Is it more pretty or prettier?

So this question arises from the fact that I know «funner» is not a word. the appropriate phrase is «more fun.» However, when using «pretty» can one say «prettier» or is it supposed to be «more pretty?» Prettier is a word.

What is the positive form of prettiest?

«Beautiful» is the positive degree.) What Is a Superlative Adjective? Words like «prettiest» and «richest» (formed from the adjectives «pretty» and «rich») are known as superlatives.

What is the comparison of dirty?

dirtiest. The comparative form of dirty; more dirty.

What is good better best in grammar?

Not all things are created equal: some are good, others are better, and only the cream of the crop rise to the level of best. These three words—good, better, and best—are examples of the three forms of an adjective or adverb: positive, comparative, and superlative.

What is the superlative form of worse?

Using the correct form of worse and worst

In grammatical terms, ‘worse’ is known as a comparative adjective and ‘worst’ a superlative adjective.

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  • #1

Rounding out

Description:
Rounding out optical storage offering

A dictionary user looked for this, and we don’t yet have a definition for it in our dictionaries. Please provide as many translations as possible for the benefit of future dictionary users.

Un usuario de nuestros diccionarios buscó esta palabra y de momento no teníamos una definición para ella en nuestros diccionarios. Por favor brinde cuantas traducciones usted conozca para esta palabra y ello beneficiará a los futuros usuarios de nuestros diccionarios.

Thanks/Gracias,
Mike Kellogg

    • #2

    Ejemplo: Rounding out our product offerings, we have two specialized devices.

    fenixpollo


    • #3

    I interpret this usage as a synonym for «to complete» or «to make more full or complete».

    In this context, it implies that the product in question is both the last in the list

    and

    one that makes the list complete and satisfactory.

    Completar is my suggestion.
    Para completar los productos que ofrecemos, tenemos dos aparatos/equipos especializados.

    hermenator


    • #4

    I interpret this usage as a synonym for «to complete» or «to make more full or complete».

    In this context, it implies that the product in question is both the last in the list

    and

    one that makes the list complete and satisfactory.

    Completar is my suggestion.
    Para completar los productos que ofrecemos, tenemos dos aparatos/equipos especializados.

    Friendly correction for fenixpollo:
    I think it should be written «fuller» rather than «more full», because it´s a monosyllabic word.

    fenixpollo


    • #5

    Why does it matter whether it’s monosyllabic or not?

    In addition, even though «fuller» is used, it’s better to say «more full». The suffix «-er» can’t be attached to every adjective. A more obvious example is «believable». It’s impossible to say that my explanation is believabler — it’s more believable. «Full» is a less obvious example of this.

    hermenator


    • #6

    Why does it matter whether it’s monosyllabic or not?

    In addition, even though «fuller» is used, it’s better to say «more full». The suffix «-er» can’t be attached to every adjective. A more obvious example is «believable». It’s impossible to say that my explanation is believabler — it’s more believable. «Full» is a less obvious example of this.

    Sorry there fenixpollo, I´m afraid you´re wrong this time. With all due respect, monosyllabic words are the only, by grammar rule, that can take the -er ending (in comparative) or the -est (in superlative). The more and most are only used with bisyllabic or longer polisyllabic words. That´s why you say more believable, and not believabler, but NOT and NEVER because the adverb «more» is more (bisillabic correct)correct or better (monosyllabic good) than the -er suffix. There is only a few exceptions to the rule, which are some bisyllabic words that end in -y (hea-vy=heavier), and can´t recall the remaining 2 or 3 cases. But if you´re willing to learn the rule, be my guest and do some research about it or I will provide them later on the day. Regards

    • #7

    hermenator,

    I do not want to start anything over this but I have to add my opinion. Fuller sounds terrible to say. I’m afraid you cannot always rely on the rules in English. This time you will have to trust the native speakers. Even if «more full» is wrong grammatically, I believe it is said that way. It sounds better. :)

    hermenator


    • #8

    What??????? I´m sorry Jacinta, I know this is not the appropiate place nor time, but I can´t pretend I never read that. Being native speakers could be a flaw rather than an edge on things like these. You guys never get to study the rules as much as we do nor ask yourselves why for everything, contrary to us that «have to» study the rules (why) in order to understand the how. You guys can pick up your english practically from anyone, be it a teacher or a taxi driver. If «more full» starts to sounds better to you, maybe it´s time to watch out who you´re hanging around with. On the other hand, we, english language learners, only get to be modeled by the book and its grammar rules. I would believe you if it were on the accent, but you´re talking written, and a book is glitch-proof.

    In a nutshell, I dare you or any other native speaker from the forum to do some research on this before concurring or disagreeing, because in a translation experts forum you can´t always rely on your gut feelings; that´s for amateurs. Finally, I did some googling for you both to save you the sweat and compared in a googlefight both expresions:
    Fuller- 35,700,000 results (98%) More full-1,050,000 results (2%)
    Here´s the link: http://www.googlefight.com/index.phplang=en_GB&word1=fuller&word2=»more+full»

    And if that isn´t enough, here´s the rule for both of you:

    http://www.english-zone.com/spelling/comparerules.html

    fenixpollo


    • #9

    Jacinta and I are not challenging your expertise on the rule that bi- or poly-syllabic words cannot take «-er». What we are saying is that while that is true, it doesn’t mean that all monosyllabic words can therefore take «-er».

    You guys never get to study the rules as much as we do nor ask yourselves why for everything, contrary to us that «have to» study the rules (why) in order to understand the how. You guys can pick up your english practically from anyone, be it a teacher or a taxi driver.

    http://www.english-zone.com/spelling/comparerules.html

    Your logic about native speakers is also flawed, hermenator. Without speaking for jacinta, I can tell you that I studied grammar and linguistics at the university and have taught languages (yes, I also teach the grammar rules) at all levels for more than 10 years.

    Your links are poor evidence because one is google, which returns results that were well-written and those that weren’t, those that were written by native speakers and those that weren’t. The other link mentions the mono-/poly-syllabic rules, but not the monosyllabic exceptions like «full».

    I am impressed with your understanding of the rules of your second language, but in this case, your reliance on them is doing you a disservice.

    Saludos cordiales,
    fp

    fsabroso


    • #10

    Hola amigos,

    Tranquilos, y centremonos en la pregunta inicial.

    Fuller o more full, deberá ir en una nueva consulta, quizas en English Only.

    Saludos!

    danielfranco


    • #11

    Y también a veces se usa el verbo «cerrar» de manera figurativa para expresar el concepto de «rounding out»:
    «… y cerrando esta presentación de nuestros productos, etc.»

    But I think it sounds a bit worser than fp’s.

    hermenator


    • #12

    Wow. The problem now seems not to be the -er ending anymore, but rather one with an ego nature. I don´t pretend to be perfect, and god knows I´m far from being there, but when someone corrects me, and I´m not sure of something, I do some research and I thank them in case I was wrong. Of course you seem to have a problem doing so because you´re native and you don´t have to, otherwise this discussion would have never taken place.

    Full is not an exception to the rule, monosyllabic exceptions are only: good, well, bad, ill, far, much, and old. I know that internet (google) is not a 100% reliable, but are you suggesting that you and jacinta are more reliable than google or wikipedia? I´d like to see even one link from an english teaching site where you support your so given exception «more full» and I rest my case.

    danielfranco


    • #13

    [Firefighting by pouring some gasoline on an open flame… regardez:]

    I like the concise and handy table you linked for the rules of comparatives and superlatives. Pretty neat. But, because I’m a cheeky bastard, I kept looking for the part where it says that all monosyllabic adjectives and adverbs are made into comparatives by adding -er. Ain’t find it yet.
    But I did find this:
    «Those are some basic rules for spelling comparatives and superlatives,
    but remember, there are always exceptions to every rule…Good Luck!»

    I guess that pretty much covers all the words in English. Cool. Thanks again.

    cuchuflete


    • #14

    This is an odd thread, in that the first two posts serve only as background. The thread topic begins in Post #3, and addresses, with a few fits and starts, the use of a single comparative.

    That is the first error. Look at the phrase in question:

    «to make more full or complete».

    Whatever the grammar prescriptivists may have to offer about a single, naked, isolated instance of a comparative or superlative by itself may simply be background noise in determining the ‘best’ usage here.

    FP’s suggested sample usage may be read as meaning,

    «to make more full or more complete». «More» intensifies, compares, modifies…whatever you like, two adjectives, not one. When the grammarians have all had their say, and the texts are back on the shelf, there remains the question of what is idiomatic and stylistically melodious.
    If ‘more full’ were to be changed to ‘fuller’, that would require moving ‘more’ to come before ‘complete’.

    Result: «to make fuller or more complete.» (I sincerely hope that completer is not to be found in the grammar texts.)

    Finally, there is the question of context, intended audience, and stylistic consistency. If one is suggesting a sample sentence or phrase for a translation dictionary used mostly by students interested in colloquial usage, it is arguably wise to write in such a style, even if this causes minor offense to those who gasp at sentence-ending prepositions, and the mistaken use of ‘who’ for ‘whom’. Thank heavens Fowler and others of his fine calibre suggested flexibility in the pursuit of
    communication.

    Peace to all, mono and poly-syllabic,
    cuchuflete

    PS/PD- Jacinta said it all so much more succinctly: «Fuller sounds terrible to say.» Yes, fuller sounds pretty sucky in that phrase.

    cuchuflete


    • #15

    Post script:

    In the interest of following Daniel’s fine practice of keeping the flames bright and warm, and in the comparative tradition of «my grammar text is more prescriptive that your grammar text», here is food for thought:

    The generalizations that seem to account for whether we choose the inflected pattern or the periphrastic are these: (1) most one- and two-syllable adjectives use the inflected pattern; (2) adjectives of three and more syllables almost always use the periphrastic; (3) the higher the frequency of two-syllable adjectives, the more likely they are to inflect for comparison; (4) the periphrastic more and most may on occasion be used with any one-syllable or high-frequency two-syllable adjective, e.g., more dear, most happy.

    The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. Copyright © 1993 Columbia University Press.

    lforestier


    • #16

    In language, never say this is always right or this is always wrong. I learned early on that things that strike you as incorrect might actually be otherwise.

    hermenator


    • #17

    Hahaha. No cuchuflete. Completer is NOT found in grammar books, because com-plete is bisyllabic and doesn´t end in -y. More complete is correct.

    And «fuller» probably sounds sucky, I agree maybe because it resembles the world famous trademark for cosmetics that many of us know. But people, grammar isn´t a matter of cacophony, it´s a matter of pre-determined/previously authorized graphic letter patterns. If the linguistic branch of pragmatics has already accepted the social use of «more full» I would buy that, such as who for whom, while for whilst, though for tho, and so many more.
    However, breaking a grammar rule (not a spelling one), cannot be compared to accepting language morphologies aimed to make language more fluent and practical over the age of time, unless that grammar mistake becomes the rule by the usage, and there are more people in the world using the incorrect form than its correct one. But until that googlefight gives a 9 to 1 ratio on the «fuller» vs «more full», I guess we´re going to have to assume that mistake(or exception) isn´t acceptable yet.

    cuchuflete


    • #18

    hermenator said:

    However, breaking a grammar rule (not a spelling one), cannot be compared to accepting language morphologies aimed to make language more fluent and practical over the age of time, unless that grammar mistake becomes the rule by the usage, and there are more people in the world using the incorrect form than its correct one. But until that googlefight gives a 9 to 1 ratio on the «fuller» vs «more full», I guess we´re going to have to assume that mistake(or exception) isn´t acceptable yet.

    I am glad to see an open-minded attitude. As the citation from a different and respected grammar authority in post #15 shows us, there is still a third possibility, beyond mistake or exception: a perfectly valid usage, albeit in the minority, required or selected for stylistic reasons.

    (4) the periphrastic more and most may on occasion be used with any one-syllable or high-frequency two-syllable adjective, e.g., more dear, most happy.

    The difficulty with citing only one grammar source as a sole authority is that there may be other equal but contrary authorities!

    Dueling grammar books can be as uninformative as google fights. Minority representation in google counts does not necessarily mean that a usage is wrong, though it may be. It simple tells us that some other usage—which may be wrong!—has assumed greater frequency.

    jinti


    • #19

    <cough>

    Getting back to the original question, if I may….

    ¿complementar?

    hermenator


    • #20

    Right. And just to finish, I had noticed that exception to the grammar rule as well, which I did not know and thank the person that shared it, which enables the use for rhetoric purposes. However, that was all I was asking for: a backup link, a gut link just doesn´t do ir for me, even coming from a native speaker or 2.

    However, I think that that exception to the rule, had nothing to do with the specific use of full, saying that «fuller» sounds akward. «More full» using a rhetoric strategy cannot sound better than the regular rule of it «fuller», nor could it possibly be more common. This new rule we are learning states that the comparative rule can be broken for any mono or bisyllabic words, so we can have more fast, instead of faster, more tall, instead of taller, and more full, instead of fuller, but never could we say they look or sound «normal» or correct at first glance. Now i do rest my case and let´s get you back to the case in question. Sorry to all

    fenixpollo


    • #21

    Notice also, that I originally said to make more full or complete.

    Supposing that «fuller» is correct, then I could have said to make fuller or more complete. However, that phrase would have had one comparative with «-er» and one with «more». Perhaps I chose more full not because «fuller» is wrong, but to complement more complete, in order to make the phrase seem more unified and to flow better.

    • #22

    Very nice, fenix! I agree with your eloquent explanation. Well done.

    hermenator


    • #23

    Notice also, that I originally said to make more full or complete.

    Supposing that «fuller» is correct, then I could have said to make fuller or more complete. However, that phrase would have had one comparative with «-er» and one with «more». Perhaps I chose more full not because «fuller» is wrong, but to complement more complete, in order to make the phrase seem more unified and to flow better.

    You´re right. Now that I see it that way, i can see it flow better, because you just use one word to show comparison, and not two. I just didn´t know that it could be done, because it seemed rule-breaker. Well I guess we both learned something new. That´s what this is all about. Sorry for the inconvenience, my friendly correction wasn´t meant to end up in a discussion like it did. Regards

    fenixpollo


    • #24

    No problem, hermenator. This forum exists for exactly this type of learning and discussion. If you hadn’t questioned the use of «more full», then it would have been a boring weekend. ;)

    I just have one small correction of your last post, however:

    hermenator said:

    Sorry for the inconvenience, my

    friendly

    correction wasn´t meant to end up in a discussion like it did.

    hermenator said:

    Wow. The problem now seems … to be … one with an ego nature. I don´t pretend to be perfect, … but when someone corrects me, … I do some research and I thank them in case I was wrong. Of course you seem to have a problem doing so because you´re native and you don´t have to, otherwise this discussion would have never taken place.

    Saludos.

    • #25

    Correct:
    This one is fuller.
    That one is fuller than this one.
    Would you say this one is fuller than that one.
    It is fuller today than it was yesterday.
    It was filled, so that it was fuller than ever before.
    Fill it.

    Incorrect:
    This one is more full.
    That one is more full than this one.
    Would you say this one is more full than that one?
    It is more full today than it was yesterday.
    It was more full, so that it was more fuller than ever before.
    Make it more full.

    una más opinión

    • #26

    Lo siento.

    full, fuller, fullest

    es una progression de este tense.

    Pero no es iqual de ’rounding off’.

    cuchuflete


    • #27

    All I can offer in reply to «una más opinión» is a gentle suggestion to reread the entire thread. Hermenator made the wise statement that we need more sources than a «gut» feeling or statement. He is correct.

    English is flexible. It has «rules» that correspond to the most frequent usages. When an alternative usage is employed, there is usually a reason, such as emphasis. Such alternatives may only appear in 5% or 10% of a corpus or google listing. That, in itself, does not make them wrong.

    The examples in post #25 that are described as «Incorrect» may be both correct and superior, according to context, style, and the specific intent of the author or speaker.

    hermenator


    • #28

    Fenixpollo you´re right it wasn´t friendly at all. I guess I just felt discriminated for not being a native speaker, and furthermore because nor you nor jacinta were right on the issue, and were asking me to trust your gut feeling, when i had taken the time to post some links to support what i was saying.

    Reality is, and even though i did not meant to fight over it, you both were wrong over a non-native. And somewhere in the middle of the quarrel, somebody saved you by posting they could be used in «certain rethoric cases», which i guess wasn´t exactly the nature of your original text, but we gave you the benefit of the doubt.

    So, if my posts weren´t friendly at all, I apologize, but on the other hand, I don´t think it was also very nice for you not to accept your mistake when you knew you had it, because I showed you why; it just wasn´t professional. However, i think it helped a lot of forum members to take a side on a very controversial issue, and saving the weekend from boredom.

    Thanks for whoever conveyed these posts to another serie of threads. It just didn´t belong anymore to the «round off» issue anymore.

    danielfranco


    fenixpollo


    • #30

    Fenixpollo you´re right it wasn´t friendly at all. I guess I just felt discriminated for not being a native speaker, and furthermore because nor you nor jacinta were right on the issue, and were asking me to trust your gut feeling, when i had taken the time to post some links to support what i was saying.

    Reality is, and even though i did not meant to fight over it, you both were wrong over a non-native. And somewhere in the middle of the quarrel, somebody saved you by posting they could be used in «certain rethoric cases», which i guess wasn´t exactly the nature of your original text, but we gave you the benefit of the doubt.

    So, if my posts weren´t friendly at all, I apologize, but on the other hand, I don´t think it was also very nice for you not to accept your mistake when you knew you had it, because I showed you why; it just wasn´t professional. However, i think it helped a lot of forum members to take a side on a very controversial issue, and saving the weekend from boredom.

    Thanks for whoever conveyed these posts to another serie of threads. It just didn´t belong anymore to the «round off» issue anymore.

    I never faulted you for not being a native speaker — I faulted you for relying too heavily on the rules. Grammar rules, especially in English, are more like guidelines and not laws, and I will point that out to anyone who treats them as sacred writ — whether the person is a native speaker or not, because that is a situation up with which I will not put.

    By the way, hermenator, you were right that «fuller» is grammatically correct. I will never use it, however.

    • #31

    because nor you nor jacinta were right on the issue, and were asking me to trust your gut feeling

    I’m sorry that you felt slighted by our reaction to this topic, hermenator. I certainly do not want bad feelings created by my contributions. I accept that I’m wrong :eek: but I also will never say «fuller». It still sounds terrible to me.

    I also greatly admire your command of English.

    hermenator


    • #32

    Nevermind jacinta and felixpollo. No hard feelings for you both. I appreciate you guys apologizing, really. However, you will have time in this forum to correct me, and when you can, I entreat you to do so please and return me that favour. We are all «apprentices of everything and teachers of nothing», natives and non-natives. But what has to stay here, and is the only thing that could outvalue a correct anwser, is a sense of forum brotherhood. Because we all need from each other every now and then. That´s why I apologized to you both, and I appreciate you not weaving at it. Merry Christmas and my best regards!

    hermenator


    • #33

    Maybe you’d like this thread:

    «Behold, the native speaker has, erm, spoken…»

    I entreat you to contribute there, also.

    Hey, Daniel, loved that thread. Thank you for bringing hotly debated issues to this forum. I read it in its entirety last night, however I found that after 50 threads or so, there weren´t many issues left to talk about. Give me some time to think, and I´ll see what I can talk about. Some metacognition about this «fuller vs more full» probably. Regards

    • #34

    Such an interesting thread! I think I’ve learned much reading it because I have this same doubt with other words like «funnier vs more funnier», «cleverer vs more clever», etc.

    hermenator


    • #35

    Such an interesting thread! I think I’ve learned much reading it because I have this same doubt with other words like «funnier vs more funnier», «cleverer vs more clever», etc.

    Funnier vs More funnier? funnier. you either have the more or the -er, but never both.

    cleverer vs more clever- more clever. bysillabic words (cle-ver) almost always use more, with the exception of the ones that end in -y like funny (fu-nny) in your prior example.

    ps. somehow i saw this «fuller vs more full» thread taken somewhere else, but somehow people keep posting here, instead of in the other one. This thread was originally named «rounding off» i believe, and then it became 2 with the «fuller vs more full» issue. I wish I knew how to manage the thread locations. Anybody want to help?

    geostan


    • #36

    Right. And just to finish, I had noticed that exception to the grammar rule as well, which I did not know and thank the person that shared it, which enables the use for rhetoric purposes. However, that was all I was asking for: a backup link, a gut link just doesn´t do ir for me, even coming from a native speaker or 2.

    However, I think that that exception to the rule, had nothing to do with the specific use of full, saying that «fuller» sounds akward. «More full» using a rhetoric strategy cannot sound better than the regular rule of it «fuller», nor could it possibly be more common. This new rule we are learning states that the comparative rule can be broken for any mono or bisyllabic words, so we can have more fast, instead of faster, more tall, instead of taller, and more full, instead of fuller, but never could we say they look or sound «normal» or correct at first glance. Now i do rest my case and let´s get you back to the case in question. Sorry to all

    Personally, I wouldn’t use either form. If something is full, how can more be added? Can one say emptier or more empty? It either is or isn’t? I think this is a case of not seeing the forest for the trees.

    Cheers!

    fenixpollo


    • #37

    It’s a

    comparative

    , Stan. This glass is more full than that glass. Lake Ontario is more full than Lake Erie. Or… now that I’ve added water, the beer mug is more full than it was before.

    I agree, though, that empty is empty. ;)

    geostan


    • #38

    It’s a

    comparative

    , Stan. This glass is more full than that glass. Lake Ontario is more full than Lake Erie. Or… now that I’ve added water, the beer mug is more full than it was before.

    I agree, though, that empty is empty. ;)

    Your reasoning is specious to me. If you can add water, then the container was not full to begin with. I think the reason that we cannot agree on which is correct is that neither is. There are simply adjectives that are absolutes and as such they do not work with comparatives and superlatives.

    Sorry, but that’s how I see it.

    fenixpollo


    • #39

    But can a glass not be half empty? Does «full» mean to you «up to total capacity», or are there degrees of fullness? From a dictionary-definition standpoint, it could seem absolute, but I keep thinking of the famous story of the college professor who fills a glass to the top with rocks, and asks his class if it’s full. When they reply «yes», he pours sand in between the rocks, and asks again. When they doubtfully reply «yes, it’s full», he pours in beer to the top.

    Maybe full does not necessarily mean «can hold no more», and neither does empty mean «totally void». But that’s my optimistic, glass-half-full mentality. :p

    geostan


    • #40

    But can a glass not be half empty? Does «full» mean to you «up to total capacity», or are there degrees of fullness? From a dictionary-definition standpoint, it could seem absolute, but I keep thinking of the famous story of the college professor who fills a glass to the top with rocks, and asks his class if it’s full. When they reply «yes», he pours sand in between the rocks, and asks again. When they doubtfully reply «yes, it’s full», he pours in beer to the top.

    Maybe full does not necessarily mean «can hold no more», and neither does empty mean «totally void». But that’s my optimistic, glass-half-full mentality. :p

    I just checked Webster’s International Dictionary. The definitions given support my claim. However, it also gives fuller and fullest as the inflected forms. Go figure!

    The bottom line for me is that I doubt that I would ever use either form for the reasons I gave, unless I intended it humorously.

    • #42

    I found this thread extremely interesting, as I was wondering if I should use «fuller» or «more full», as neither sounded right to me. I think geostan may have a point in his (her?) last remark, but then I have doubts about one particular case: If I were to say «mi vida es más plena ahora», how can I express that? Should I say «my life is more complete/more full/fuller now» or is there a better expression? I believe in this situation a comparative will not be wrong.

    ManOfWords


    • #43

    While reading this book I came across it …

    • Screenshot_2017-06-01-23-51-51.png

      Screenshot_2017-06-01-23-51-51.png

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      · Views: 184

    hermenator


    • #44

    If I were to say «mi vida es más plena ahora», how can I express that?
    Should I say «my life is more complete/more full/fuller now» or is there a better expression?

    As I previously said: You either use «more» or «-er», but never both.

    The grammar rule states the following:
    Monosyllabic words always use «-er». Bisyllabic words almost always use «more», except those that end in -y.

    Since full is monosyllabic and complete is bisyllabic:
    More complete and fuller would be right.
    Completer and more full would be wrong.

    • #45

    As I previously said: You either use «more» or «-er», but never both.

    The grammar rule states the following:
    Monosyllabic words always use «-er». Bisyllabic words almost always use «more», except those that end in -y.

    Since full is monosyllabic and complete is bisyllabic:
    More complete and fuller would be right.
    Completer and more full would be wrong.

    I agree that the usual comparative of full is fuller, but «more full or complete» is a good combination.

    It is not true that monosyllabic words can always use -er:

    soileder:cross: more soiled:tick:
    loster:cross:
    more lost:tick:
    roter:cross: more rote:tick:
    iller:cross: worse:tick: more ill than evil:tick:

    hermenator


    • #46

    There are always exceptions to a rule, but that’s the general rule.

    I read the rule many years ago, and now that you brought it up, I think -ed ending adjectives are also an exception.

    Therefore, soil-ed would be considered an exception to the monosyllabic words, and treated as bisyllabic.

    Rot is not an adjective but a verb. Rot-ten is the adjective, and therefore bisyllabic.

    I agree with you that «lost-er» and «ill-er» sound wrong. I wonder what the exception is for those.

    But, I disagree with you on «more full» being right.

    There’s not 2 possible choices. It’s always one or the other. And «fuller» is even a renowned brand.

    ManOfWords


    • #47

    • Screenshot_2017-06-02-23-46-02.png

      Screenshot_2017-06-02-23-46-02.png

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      · Views: 302

    • #48

    There are always exceptions to a rule, but that’s the general rule.

    I read the rule many years ago, and now that you brought it up, I think -ed ending adjectives are also an exception.

    Therefore, soil-ed would be considered an exception to the monosyllabic words, and treated as bisyllabic.

    Using more with participles is the norm, including with lost (p.p. of «lose»). It is not because of syllable count.

    Rot is not an adjective but a verb. Rot-ten is the adjective, and therefore bisyllabic.

    I didn’t say «more rot»: I said «more rote».

    I agree with you that «lost-er» and «ill-er» sound wrong. I wonder what the exception is for those.

    But, I disagree with you on «more full» being right.

    There’s not 2 possible choices. It’s always one or the other.

    Some comparatives are completely irregular: good -> better, well -> better, ill -> worse, bad -> worse, little -> less (for one meaning) or littler (for the other), few -> less. There is even a form lesser, a comparative of one of the meanings of little (opposite of great when it does not mean «big»).

    Unfortunately there are multiple correct forms for some adjectives, even without changing the meaning.

    Numb (pronounced «numm») -> number (pronounced «nummer») is natural and perfectly usable, but more numb is more common in writing just because number looks just like the noun number.

    And «fuller» is even a renowned brand.

    Fuller is a word with many uses. The brand you are talking about, whatever it is, is probably the surname of the person who started the company. Lots of people have the surname Fuller because there used to be lots of fullers in society just as there were lots of bakers, coopers, and smiths (common nouns).

    But fuller as an adjective is indeed the correct comparative form of full. But that does not make «more full» an impossible combination.

    Some examples:

    «More full bottles» usually means «more bottles that are full», not «bottles that are more full».

    In «I got some empty but I got more full», «more» means «more of them» and does not form a comparative with «full».

    «More ill than evil» means «better described as ill than as evil». «More full than empty» can mean either «more of them full than empty» or «closer to full than to empty».

    This thread example «to make more full or complete» does a good job of making a comparative out of the compound «full or complete» rather than making an awkward compound out of comparatives of different types («fuller or more complete»). Sometimes we have to use phrases like the latter, but here the original, shorter form is the better choice.

    «To make fuller or complete» makes sense too, but it does not mean «to make more full or complete» = «to make full or complete to a greater degree». It would just mean «to make full to a greater degree, or complete (to some degree or other)».

    (I can’t resist telling you about something I find amusing. Almost every day, I used to drive by a school with a sign above the door saying «Fuller Junior High», meaning «High School named for someone with the surname Fuller«. One day the local people in charge of the schools in the area decided to go to a differently tiered system, and the next time I drove by the school, the sign above the door read «Fuller Middle». I hope you can see why I couldn’t help laughing.)

    Last edited: Jun 3, 2017

    While the concept of «full» seems pretty simple, in practice it is not. A humorous illustration is the old joke that goes:

    A philosophy professor set an empty jar on his desk in front of the class.

    He proceeded to take a few large rocks and put them in the jar until they reached the top.

    He asked the class, «Is this jar full?» The class all agreed, the jar was full.

    Then he poured in some small stones, shaking the jar as he did. Again, he kept at it until they reached the top of the jar.

    He asked the class again, «Is this jar full?» The class all agreed, the jar was full.

    Then he took some sand and carefully poured it in and shook it until the sand had filled in all the spaces between the rocks and the stones.

    He asked the class a final time, «Is this jar full?» The class all agreed, the jar was full.

    He then took another jar, and filled it with sand. He then asked the class if it was possible to add some large rocks, or even some small ones. The class agreed, the jar was full and no rocks could be added.

    He explained, «These jars are like your life. The large rocks are the most important things in your life, like your job and your family. You can fill up your life with just those. The small stones are like your dear friends; they, too, can fill up your life. The sand is like your hobbies and other interests; they will also fill up your life. But note that you can get the order wrong. If you fill your life with the little things there will not be any room for the big ones.»

    He asked, «So, class, what lesson did you learn?» One student raised his hand, and the professor called on him. The student came to the front of the class, pulled a beer out of his pocket, and poured it into the first jar. Then he explained, «However packed and full your life may seem, with big things and small, there’s always room for beer.»

    Q: I heard a comment on WNYC about helping students reach their “fullest” potential. How can this be correct?  If I pour water into a glass until it’s “full,” how can I make it “fuller” or “fullest”? There’s no entry for “fuller” or “fullest” as an adjective in my old Webster’s Second (my back still hurts from lifting it). What’s up?

    A: We don’t want you to get a hernia, but if you check the entry for the adjective “full” in your unabridged Webster’s Second, you’ll find that the comparative “fuller” and the superlative “fullest” are listed as inflected forms.

    You apparently think that “full” is an “absolute adjective,” which is what some usage writers call a modifier that shouldn’t be used in the comparative (“fuller”) or the superlative (“fullest”), or with other qualifiers (“very full”).

    So something can be “full,” in your opinion, but not “fuller” or “fullest.” However, some so-called absolute adjectives are routinely used as comparatives and superlatives, and “full” is a good example.

    A glass that’s half full, for example, is obviously “fuller” than one that’s a third full. And a glass that’s filled to the brim is the “fullest” of the three.

    Yes, “full” generally means containing as much as possible, but the adjective has many other senses, as in “full of energy,” “full of himself,” “full-fledged,” “a full heart,” and so on.

    And some standard dictionaries define “full” in its primary sense as something less than full. Cambridge Dictionaries Online, for example, says it means “holding or containing as much as possible or a lot.”

    We’ve written several times on the blog about absolute adjectives, including a post in 2008 that briefly discusses such phrases as “a more just society” and “a more perfect union.”

    Getting back to your question, we see nothing wrong with that comment on WNYC about helping students reach their “fullest” potential.

    Technically, “full” would be the proper adjective. The comparative “fuller” would be used to compare two things of varying degrees of fullness, and the superlative “fullest” to compare three or more.

    But “fullest” is often used idiomatically as an emphatic version of “full.” The expression “to the fullest extent of the law,” for example, is notably more popular than “to the full extent of the law,” according to Google searches.

    In fact, we’ve found many early examples of “fullest” used in this sense. State papers from the reign of Queen Elizabeth I concerning Scotland, for example, contain a March 1, 1564, comment by guests at a banquet that they “were merriest when the table was fullest.”

    In Fowler’s Modern English Usage (rev. 3rd ed.), R. W. Burchfield defends the idiomatic use of superlatives:

    “Use of the superlative is idiomatic in such phrases as Put your best foot foremost; May the best man win; Mother knows best. And who would wish to introduce a comparative into Milton’s Whose God is strongest, thine or mine?”

    When the adjective “full” first showed up in Old English, according to the OED, it meant (as it does today) “having within its limits all it will hold; having no space empty; replete.”

    But for centuries, writers have felt the word needed something extra—using it, as Oxford says, “often with intensive phrases, as full as an egg, full to the brim, full to overflowing, full up (colloq.), etc.”

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    When was Bonnie Fuller born?

    Bonnie Fuller was born in 1956.


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    • Арабский
    • Английский (британский вариант)

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    • Английский (американский вариант)

    Full is its own word.
    -ful is not.

    «She is full of beauty.»
    «She is beautiful.»
    «she is cheerful.»

    «I am full, I can’t eat anymore»
    «The bee’s nest is full of honey.»



    full -The maximum or complete size or amount
    Example:the glass is full of water.

    ful- is a suffix used to form adjectives
    Example: beautiful,wonderful
    She is beautiful
    I had a wonderful time




    • Английский (американский вариант)

    • Упрощенный китайский (Китай)
      Практически свободно говорящий

    Full can be an adjective, noun, adverb or verb whereas “ful” is a suffix you put behind words or latin stems to make them into adjectives.




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    В чем разница между full и ful ?

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      ответ

      They have a screw loose

    • В чем разница между full и filled ?

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      full is present tense (ie: i am full)
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      I think it has a lot to do with whether the subject is a destination for something or a way of getting to a destination.

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      Basically the same thing. But if you were talking about being full of food, then you wouldn’t use filled.

      My car is full of gas — My car i…

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      ответ

      it’s FULFILLED
      fulfilled is similar to ‘satisfecho’ or ‘cumplido, completo, acabado’
      — My grandfather was fulfilled in his life.
      — Amazon ful…

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      If it is full then it has been filled. I filled up a glass of water and now it’s full.

      I can’t full up a glass of water though.
      But I can sa…

    • Oh, I’m full. это звучит нормально?
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    • 1
      full-word

      Большой англо-русский и русско-английский словарь > full-word

    • 2
      full-word

      full-word вчт. полное слово

      English-Russian short dictionary > full-word

    • 3
      full word

      1. целое слово

      Англо-русский словарь нормативно-технической терминологии > full word

    • 4
      full word

      полное слово; целое слово

      English-Russian base dictionary > full word

    • 5
      full word

      Англо-русский словарь технических терминов > full word

    • 6
      full word

      1) Компьютерная техника: слово

      Универсальный англо-русский словарь > full word

    • 7
      full-word

      Универсальный англо-русский словарь > full-word

    • 8
      full word

      English-Russian dictionary of computer science and programming > full word

    • 9
      full word

      Англо-русский словарь по полиграфии и издательскому делу > full word

    • 10
      full word

      English-Russian dictionary of technical terms > full word

    • 11
      full word

      English-Russian scientific dictionary > full word

    • 12
      full word

      1) полное слово; целое слово

      English-Russian information technology > full word

    • 13
      full-word

      English-Russian dictionary of computer science > full-word

    • 14
      full word

      English-Russian dictionary of computer science > full word

    • 15
      full word rate

      Универсальный англо-русский словарь > full word rate

    • 16
      full-word boundary

      Универсальный англо-русский словарь > full-word boundary

    • 17
      full-word buffer

      Универсальный англо-русский словарь > full-word buffer

    • 18
      full-word instruction

      Универсальный англо-русский словарь > full-word instruction

    • 19
      full-word space

      Универсальный англо-русский словарь > full-word space

    • 20
      full-word wraparound

      Универсальный англо-русский словарь > full-word wraparound

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    См. также в других словарях:

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    • full word — (esp. in Chinese grammar) a word that has lexical meaning rather than grammatical meaning; a word or morpheme that functions grammatically as a contentive. Cf. empty word. [1890 95] * * * …   Universalium

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    • Word — Word, n. [AS. word; akin to OFries. & OS. word, D. woord, G. wort, Icel. or[eth], Sw. & Dan. ord, Goth. wa[ u]rd, OPruss. wirds, Lith. vardas a name, L. verbum a word; or perhaps to Gr. rh twr an orator. Cf. {Verb}.] [1913 Webster] 1. The spoken… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

    • Word blindness — Word Word, n. [AS. word; akin to OFries. & OS. word, D. woord, G. wort, Icel. or[eth], Sw. & Dan. ord, Goth. wa[ u]rd, OPruss. wirds, Lith. vardas a name, L. verbum a word; or perhaps to Gr. rh twr an orator. Cf. {Verb}.] [1913 Webster] 1. The… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

    For those interested in a little info about this site: it’s a side project that I developed while working on Describing Words and Related Words. Both of those projects are based around words, but have much grander goals. I had an idea for a website that simply explains the word types of the words that you search for — just like a dictionary, but focussed on the part of speech of the words. And since I already had a lot of the infrastructure in place from the other two sites, I figured it wouldn’t be too much more work to get this up and running.

    The dictionary is based on the amazing Wiktionary project by wikimedia. I initially started with WordNet, but then realised that it was missing many types of words/lemma (determiners, pronouns, abbreviations, and many more). This caused me to investigate the 1913 edition of Websters Dictionary — which is now in the public domain. However, after a day’s work wrangling it into a database I realised that there were far too many errors (especially with the part-of-speech tagging) for it to be viable for Word Type.

    Finally, I went back to Wiktionary — which I already knew about, but had been avoiding because it’s not properly structured for parsing. That’s when I stumbled across the UBY project — an amazing project which needs more recognition. The researchers have parsed the whole of Wiktionary and other sources, and compiled everything into a single unified resource. I simply extracted the Wiktionary entries and threw them into this interface! So it took a little more work than expected, but I’m happy I kept at it after the first couple of blunders.

    Special thanks to the contributors of the open-source code that was used in this project: the UBY project (mentioned above), @mongodb and express.js.

    Currently, this is based on a version of wiktionary which is a few years old. I plan to update it to a newer version soon and that update should bring in a bunch of new word senses for many words (or more accurately, lemma).

    • Top Definitions
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    This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.

    This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.


    noun

    (especially in Chinese grammar) a word that has lexical meaning rather than grammatical meaning; a word or morpheme that functions grammatically as a contentive.

    QUIZ

    CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

    There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

    Which sentence is correct?

    Origin of full word

    First recorded in 1890–95

    Words nearby full word

    full toss, full trailer, full twist, full-wave rectifier, full well, full word, fully, fully fashioned, fully fledged, fulmar, fulminant

    Dictionary.com Unabridged
    Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

    How to use full word in a sentence

    • The full word is really gegedove; but it is shortened to gegedo, unless the next word is a vowel.

    • The abbreviation «Copr.,» and in certain cases the letter C within a circle, permissible instead of the full word «Copyright.»

    • The full word is cool-baur-ya where ‘baur-ya’ is the goal or gap.

    • Who, for instance, but trusts more nobly for knowing the full word of his confidence?

    • To see the full word, hover your mouse over words underlined with a faint grey dotted line.

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