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Anonymous Posted 17 years ago
Grammar

OLDER, OLDEST / ELDER, ELDEST

wHICH IS CORRECT? SHE IS THE ELDEST OF THE THREE SISTERS. SHE IS THE OLDEST OF THE THREE SISTERS. SHE IS OLDER THAN HER SISTER PAM. SHE IS THE ELDER SISTER OF THE TWO JOHNSON GIRLS.
  

Top answer

All of them are correct. Here are some usage notes from the dictionary: Usage Note: The adjective elder is not a synonym for elderly. In comparisons between two persons, elder means "older" but not necessarily "old": My elder sister is sixteen; my younger, twelve.

— AlpheccaStars

  • All of them are correct.
  • Here are some usage notes from the dictionary: Usage Note: The adjective elder is not a synonym for elderly.
  • In comparisons between two persons, elder means "older" but not necessarily "old": My elder sister is sixteen; my younger, twelve.
  • ) In other contexts elder does denote relatively advanced age but with the added component of respect for a person's achievement, as in an elder statesman.
  • If age alone is to be expressed, one should use older or elderly rather than elder: A survey of older Americans; an elderly waiter.
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4 Answers
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All of them are correct.

Here are some usage notes from the dictionary:

Usage Note: The adjective elder is not a synonym for elderly. In comparisons between two persons, elder means "older" but not necessarily "old": My elder sister is sixteen; my younger, twelve. (Eldest is used when three or more persons are compared: He is the eldest of four brothers.) In other contexts elder
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Elder, older; eldest, oldest.- Elder and eldest are used only of persons, not of animals or things; and are now confined to members of the same family. Elder is not used with than following. Older and oldest are used of both persons and things.

John is my elder brother.
Tom is my eldest son.
He is older than his sister.
Rama is the oldest boy in the eleven.
This is the old
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AnonymousElder and eldest are used only of persons,...and are now confined to members of the same family.
There are also elder statesmen, at least.
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