Proper English

[DirkAB]

Which is proper English, prouder or more proud?

i.e.

I've never been more proud of my son.

or

I've never been prouder of my son.



I think that more proud might be proper, but then if you take it a step further, most proud sounds improper, and proudest sounds proper. They both can't be proper can they? I think it has to be one or the other.

[ShoogarBear]

I think both are correct usages.

[polandprzem]

More proper is the first one.
But I think both are correct as SoogarBear said.

[boutons_]

prouder, proudest is definitely the more correct.

more, most proud is probably used because:

1) it seems more intensive and Americans prefer bombastic overstatement to terseness and understatement and

2) many people prefer more words to fewer to lengthen the amount of time:
a) they have their mouth open and
b) the attention is on them.

This is espeically true on live cable TV where people need to spin out enough words to fill the available time, using 20 words where 2 would suffice. Well, 99% of the time cable news have nothing at all to say. 2 words is too many.

[Lebowski Brickowski]

prouder, proudest is definitely the more correct.

more, most proud is probably used because:

1) it seems more intensive and Americans prefer bombastic overstatement to terseness and understatement and

2) many people prefer more words to fewer to lengthen the amount of time:
a) they have their mouth open and
b) the attention is on them.

This is espeically true on live cable TV where people need to spin out enough words to fill the available time, using 20 words where 2 would suffice. Well, 99% of the time cable news have nothing at all to say. 2 words is too many.

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