Use of keenest

Question

HiCould you please shed some light on the use of keenest here? Although I understand the overall meaning, I am not really sure in what sense the underlined word has been used.Richard's foresight proved keenest when he accurately predicted that the organisation would soon be disbanded.Thanks,Tom

AlpheccaStars · Accepted Answer

See entry #1:
http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/american/keen_1#keen_1__6

Mr. Tom · Answer

Thanks, AStars.

Yes, I saw the entry # 1 -- and here it is:

keen http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/american/sight_1, http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/american/hearing, etc. http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/american/make_1 you very http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/american/good_1 at http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/american/seeing http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/american/thing,http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/american/hearing http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/american/thing, etc.

I have a very keen http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/american/sense_1 of http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/american/smell_1.

Although I am familiar with the use of keen in the underlined sentence above, this original puzzled me a bit. So, I assume, all of these are OK too?

My prediction about her return was keen, wasn't it?
His foresight about the outcome of a cricket match is always keenest.
Was't her sense that something was amiss in the room keen?

Tom

AlpheccaStars · Answer

Mr. TomMy prediction about her return was keen, wasn't it?

No, predictions are not described as keen. Foresight, sight, smell, etc. are things that can be described as "keen."

Mr. TomHis foresight about the outcome of a cricket match is always keenest.

That does not fly because the superlative is not being compared to anything.
The original compared one occasion to other occasions where he had some foresight.

Mr. TomWas't her sense that something was amiss in the room keen?

That is quite odd, because it does not refer to one of the senses: sight, hearing, smell.
General feelings about things are not "keen."

CalifJim · Answer

Mr. Tomkeenest ... Although I understand the overall meaning, I am not really sure in what sense the underlined word has been used.

sharpest, most perceptive, most insightful

CJ

CalifJim · Answer

Mr. TomMy prediction about her return was keen, wasn't it?His foresight about the outcome of a cricket match is always keenest.Was't her sense that something was amiss in the room keen?

Dictionary definitions are typically "one-way".

Given a word in a sentence, you may be able to find a definition in a dictionary that helps you understand the usage of that word in that sentence. However, you can't always work backwards and create sentences using that word and expect them to read as idiomatic English, even though the definition fits.

For one thing, 'keen' and its forms do not work very idiomatically in the predicate position after linking verb "be" (Don't ask me why; it just sounds wrong to me), and all three of your examples illustrate that kind of usage. Dictionaries don't have enough room to point out all such stylistic considerations.

CJ

Use of keenest

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