Sunday, April 28, 2013

grammar - Being shorter of something

I was having a chat with a friend earlier, at some point he said "you should have a score of 180, bit short of that aren't you? ;)", at which I responded with "I figure you're shorter :D".




Now, I guess this phrase can be interpreted in two ways:




  • He is shorter than me to that score, hence he is closer to it;

  • He is shorter of it than me, hence he has a lower score.



Which of the two interpretations is correct?




I get that the first interpretation may be correct when we are talking about a goal: "I am short of a goal" means that I am at some distance from achieving it, whereas "I am shorter than you of that same goal" might mean that I am at a closer distance from it compared to the other person (possibly?). I'm not really sure (that's why I am asking here in the end, we could not figure out who was "right").



Also, is relative superlative even allowed in this instance?



As my name suggests I am not a native speaker, so every bit of help is gonna be useful. Thanks!

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