Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[shiloh]

How to describe color's difference?
such as......red....blue ....green ....yellow....grey....and so on.
I once heard that...."A is redish than B"
Is the sentance correct?
Or could I say..."A is mush redish than B"...??
Another question....should I use much or more to descibe it??

Thanks in advance.

[CP]

You can say that something is reddish, meaning somewhat red in color, but when comparing colors, you would say redder or more red, reddest or most red.

Red, redder / more red, reddest / most red; reddish
Orange, more orange, most orange (I don't think oranger sounds right); orangish / orangy
Yellow, yellower / more yellow, yellowest / most yellow; yellowish
Green, greener / more green, greenest / most green; greenish
Blue, bluer / more blue, bluest / most blue; bluish
Violet, more violet, most violet (violeter and violetish just do not sound right at all)
Purple, purpler / more purple, purplest / most purple; purplish
Black, blacker / more black, blackest / most black; blackish
Brown, browner / more brown, brownest / most brown; brownish
Silver, more silver, most silver; silvery
Gold, golder / more gold, goldest / most gold; goldish
_________________
You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb

[redset]

Really you should use the normal rules for making comparatives, but with colours it's not unusual to hear people to say things like 'yellower' when it should technically be 'more yellow'. It doesn't seem to work with all colours though, which is why CP listed some that just don't sound right!

[shiloh]

Dear CP/redset,
Thanks for your help. As I'm working in a mill, I usually have color problem from my customer. Now, I know how to compare theses basic colors. Thanks!!

[beancurdturtle]