This confusion, more than versus over, was sparked by a discussion in a listserv, and I was curious to understand the difference.
What it comes down to is somewhat nitpicky, but it does make sense. More than is more about the amount — and not just numbers! — while over is more descriptive or brings something to an end.
In the end, it’s whatever you think is right: more than and over are interchangeable.
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end. Consider sharing this Word Confusion with friends by tweeting it.
| More Than | Over |
|---|---|
Eating Too Much Beetroot! by Hefin Owen is under the CC BY-SA 2.0 license, via Flickr. — Yep, he’s definitely eaten more than enough! |
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Jump Over Me! by RageZ is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Since this word confusion is comparing the phrase more than with over, I’ll be ignoring the fact that over is also an exclamation, noun, prefix, preposition, and transitive verb. | |
| Adjective phrase; Comparative adverb | Adjective; Adverb |
| Compares
Adjective: [Used with mass nouns] A quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree To indicate something has greater value or importance than another To indicate something is true to a greater degree than is necessary or than average Very Comparative adverb: |
Adjective: Upper
Higher in authority, station, etc. Serving, or intended to serve, as an outer covering
Remaining or additional, surplus
Too great
Ended
Adverb:
Beyond and falling or hanging from a point Used to express action and result
Used to express repetition of a process |
| Examples: | |
| Adjective: You have more land than I do. More rain fell this year than last. I can’t afford more than a gallon of gas at these prices! He’s more than a coach, he’s a friend. The company has more than enough cash available to refinance the loan. The dummy waited more than two weeks to tell me his tooth was hurting. It’s more than likely that she didn’t win the lottery. I’m more than a little curious to find out what happened. The committee interviewed more than forty contractors. There’s not much more than ten minutes left. He managed to stop no more than six feet away from the cliff edge. I’ve warned him more than once not to interfere. During the past five years, the number of traffic accidents has more than doubled. Dang, that boy more than cleared the fence! Comparative adverb: The patient is walking more painfully today than yesterday. Helen studied more industriously than Melanie. |
Adjective: Insufficient tact and overaggressiveness are two of his problems. Well, the jerk is our new overlord. John got a new overcoat. What are we over on? Is it over? Gone a bit overboard, haven’t you? George overdid it again. When the war was over, it still took awhile before all our boys came home. Time for bed, boys! The movie is over. Adverb: Over here. Come over and cheer us up. The boat was listing over at an acute angle. The car flipped over three times and burst into flames. Hand the money over. The match is over. Message understood, over and out. He had to do it twice over. The sums will have to be done over again. |
| Derivatives: | |
| Adjective: overcomplicated, overdeveloped, overelaborate, etc. Adverb: overelaborately, overly, etc. Noun: over-and-under, over achievement, overachiever, overanalysis, overeater, overbalance, overcharge, overcompensate, overcompensation, overcompensatory, overdetermination, overdosage, overdose, overelaborateness, overelaboration, etc. Verb: over-egg, overachieve, overanalyze, overeate, overbake, overbalance, overbought, overbuy, overcharge, overcompensation, overcomplicate, overdetermine, overdid, overdo, overdone, overdose overdramatise, overdramatize [British], overdrink, overdrunk, overelaborating, etc. Well, you can tell that you can “over” pretty much everything! |
|
| History of the Word: | |
| Unknown. | From Old English ofer, of Germanic origin and related to the Dutch over and the German über, from an Indo-European word (originally a comparative of the element represented by -ove in above) which is also the base of the Latin super and the Greek huper. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for More Than versus Over
Apple Dictionary.com
Chicago Manual of Style. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003. Print. 5.150
Dictionary.com: over
The Free Dictionary: more than
Hollandbeck, Andy. “I am More Than Over This Rule.” 24 Mar 2016.?? Web. n.d.Copyediting.com. <https://www.copyediting.com/i-am-more-than-over-this-rule/?ct=t(03_25_16_CE_Weekly3_24_2016)&mc_cid=1a7d57486f&mc_eid=5a0d8d54af>.
Macmillan Dictionary: more than
Pinterest Photo Credits:
In Scotland, Rhynie Suffers in Winter, More Often Than Not by Alan Reid is under the CC BY-SA 2.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons.
