"At its most" + Adjective

Question

Hi.Please help me.Is it correct to say :"A restaurant at its most Chinese."

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

If you mean that the restaurant is at a point in its lifetime, or is at certain moments, Chinese in style, which can include food, ambience, etc., then, yes, you can use it.

MIG · Answer

If you mean that the restaurant is at a point in its lifetime, or is at certain moments, Chinese in style, which can include food, ambience, etc., then, yes, you can use it.

Thank you.
For example, I am the host of a Chinese restaurant opening. Can I use "A restaurant at its most Chinese" to say, this restaurant has been fundamentally designed by regarding Chinese culture. And there is no other Chinese restaurant with this much regard and similarity.

Cool Breeze · Answer

MIGAnd there is no other Chinese restaurant with this much regard and similarity.

If you say at its most Chinese, you are notcomparing the restaurant with other restaurants. You are comparing the restaurant with itself. I can't think of many contexts in which you could naturally use the phrase as you don't usually compare a restaurant with itself. You compare it with other restaurants.

Examples of at its/his/her:
He is [at his] happiest before Christmas.
= He is never happier than he is before Christmas. (He is not compared with other people.)

The lake is [at its] deepest here.
The lake is not compared with other lakes.

In your case, you may prefer to say something like: This is the most Chinese restaurant in Berlin if you really want to underline its Chinese character. Otherwise, This is the best Chinese restaurant in Berlin would suffice.

CB

MIG · Answer

Wow, thank you Cool Breeze.

Your examples are very instructive.
But please read the sentence below which is from the Apple website.

This is browsing at its most beautiful.

Is it comparing the current quality of the safari browser with what it was in past or it is a general compression with all other browsers?

Anonymous · Answer

"If you say at its most Chinese, you are notcomparing the restaurant with other restaurants."

Indeed you are. The indefinite article allows you to compare your X with all other Xs.

Anonymous · Answer

You are correct. You are comparing by implication.

Cool Breeze · Answer

It states that browsing cannot be better, or actually more beautiful, which is the word they prefer. Of course using other browsers at any time, now or in the past, is automatically implied. However, the keyword is browsing, which is at its most beautiful. Grammatically, there is nothing exceptional in the sentence.

CB

MIG · Answer

Thank you very much Cool Breeze.<img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' alt='Emotion: smile'/>

Cool Breeze · Answer

Anonymous"If you say at its most Chinese, you are notcomparing the restaurant with other restaurants."Indeed you are. The indefinite article allows you to compare your X with all other Xs.

Indefinite article? There's no indefinite article in at its most Chinese.

CB

Anonymous · Answer

Cool BreezeAnonymous"If you say at its most Chinese, you are notcomparing the restaurant with other restaurants."Indeed you are. The indefinite article allows you to compare your X with all other Xs. Indefinite article? There's no indefinite article in at its most Chinese. CB

The indefinite article appears in "I am the host of a Chinese restaurant opening.", and so is implied in "at its most Chinese". The "its" is anaphoric.

"At its most" + Adjective

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