Questions & Answers about Berättelsen är mer tragisk än komisk.
Why do we say mer tragisk instead of adding an ending like we do with words like rolig (roligare)?
In Swedish, adjectives that end in -isk never take the usual -are or -ast comparative endings. Instead, you must use mer (more) and mest (most). That is why it has to be mer tragisk rather than tragiskare.
Why are tragisk and komisk in their basic forms in this sentence?
Adjectives must agree with the noun they describe. Because berättelsen (the story) is an en-word, the adjectives take their basic en-word form. If the subject was an ett-word, like dramat (the drama), you would need to add a -t to both adjectives: dramat är mer tragiskt än komiskt.
Does the word mer apply to komisk here too?
In this specific sentence structure, mer sets up a comparison between the two adjectives using än (than). You are saying the story leans more towards being tragic than it does towards being comical. If you wanted to say a different story is more comical, you would use mer komisk.
What is the base form of berättelsen and how is the definite ending formed here?