The Comparative (n.) "nearer" has a seductive pull, as if progress were a matter of course; but if no beginning was made, it is a lure into absurdity, like a man on a ship who never gets ahead of the ship.
A Conditional (n.) prediction in science can be justified by its theory even when its antecedent never comes true; justification and correctness come apart.
A Conditional (n.) negated denies a connection: it does not have to be this way.
A Conditional (n.) such as if he comes, he'll bring something can go into the subjunctive; material implication cannot.
The Conditional (n.) cannot be flattered, begged or bargained with when the inner preacher speaks it: give half your wealth to the poor, give all of it, and he answers only, "yes, if you love God."
Descriptive grammar (n.) is grammar that describes how a language is actually used by its speakers, rather than prescribing how it should be.
Descriptive grammar (n.) is an attempt to give an account of what the current system is for either a society or an individual, whatever you happen to be studying.