Janet is the......of the two girls.
a. taller b. tallest
I think both 'a' & 'b' are OK. 'A' is OK in formal English; 'B' is OK in informal English. Am I right?
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Hi, Omar,
@Omar Ahmed posted:Janet is the......of the two girls.
a. taller b. tallest
I think both 'a' & 'b' are OK. Am I right?
Only 'a' works here.
@Omar Ahmed posted:Janet is the......of the two girls.
a. taller b. tallest
I think both 'a' & 'b' are OK. Am I right?
Hello, sir.
In 'Practical English Usage', M. Swan says "
groups with two members:
When a group only has two members, we sometimes use a comparative instead of a superlative.
I like Lily and Mia, but I think Mia’s the nicer/nicest of the two.
I'll give you the bigger/biggest steak: I'm not very hungry.
Some people feel that a superlative is incorrect in this case.
Also, in 'A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language',
'The superlative is often used for a comparison between two persons, items, etc [3], though this is avoided in careful usage where the comparative [3a] is preferred :
He is the youngest (of the two brothers). [3]
He is the younger (of the two brothers). [3a]
Hi, Omar and Ayman,
My answer above is the model answer, which I expect to find in a formal exam. Here's the comment of the editor of Longman on a similar question:
"It is safer on tests to use the comparative in a sentence such as this, but in informal usage both comparative and superlative are acceptable."
@ahmed_btm posted:Hi, Omar and Ayman,
My answer above is the model answer, which I expect to find in a formal exam. Here's the comment of the editor of Longman on a similar question:
"It is safer on tests to use the comparative in a sentence such as this, but in informal usage both comparative and superlative are acceptable."
My answer doesn't go against yours, Ahmed. Read what my answer carefully, please.
Hi, Ayman,
@ayman posted:My answer doesn't go against yours, Ahmed. Read what my answer carefully, please.
I understand. My answer was just for more clarification because, as you know, our exams usually have questions like this one, and I was afraid that someone might get puzzled here.
No worries, @ahmed_btm