Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[river1974]

Dear teachers:

If you believe your service fees should go somehow higher, please give reasons in your reporting letter since the Client can be subject to satisfaction only if evidences have shown you have effected *more-than-usual* efforts in preparing the response.

I couldn't find the word "more-than-usual" in my dictionary. Is it a real word?

Thanks.

[helen1]

Hi River,

I don't believe it's one word - it is phrasal though - it means greater than normal -

In your sentence - put in more effort than the average person would.

[bud]

I wonder, though, if "more-than-usual" is really what is best. If the efforts are countable (phone calls made, letters written, hours spent), then it would be correct. But if the efforts are less definable, then I think "better-than-usual" would be correct. This is probably an unnecessary caution, though.