0
Gu-Hoon Kwon Posted 13 years ago
Vocabulary
meaning of the most
Please check the sentence below.
Unfortunately, recent findings show that wild animals have the most problems if they are in captivity.
What does the "most" in the sentence above mean? I don't think it's a superlative word. Is it? Or what else?
Unfortunately, recent findings show that wild animals have the most problems if they are in captivity.
What does the "most" in the sentence above mean? I don't think it's a superlative word. Is it? Or what else?
Top answer
Gu-Hoon Kwon I don't think it's a superlative word. Is it? Yes, it is.
- Gu-Hoon Kwon I don't think it's a superlative word.
- Is it?
- Yes, it is.
- They have more problems in captivity than in the wild.
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
4 Answers
0
Gu-Hoon Kwon I don't think it's a superlative word. Is it?Yes, it is. They have more problems in captivity than in the wild.
00
Then, why is the superlative "most" used in the sentence, not comparative "more"?
00
It is common for native speakers to use the superlative even when only two entities are being compared (and here, it is not even obvious that there are only two options). In fact, the comparative 'more' often sounds hyper-correct to many native speakers, except in very careful or formal writing.
00
Gu-Hoon Kwon findings show that wild animals have the most problems if they are in captivity.I agree that in careful writing this would be ... have more problems if they are in captivity, assuming that the context is a discussion of the contrasts between animals in the wild vs animals in captivity, ignoring the in-between case of domesticated animals,
0
Related Questions