When Most is Enough

When Most is Enough When Most is Enough When Most is Enough By Maeve Maddox It must be one of those in your face gestures of defiance. It cant be that they dont know better. Im referring to the way so many bloggers create headlines that place a most in front of an adjective that already has the superlative -est suffix: The internets Most Rudest and Obnoxious people Mumbai, India is the MOST RUDEST city in the world The Seven Most Awesomest Idol Moments This Season A Gawker Guide to the Most Awesomest Election Ever Sometimes least is used instead of most in order to compare in the opposite direction: 100 Least Awesomest Things ever Then there are the online novels: at that very moment the most awfullest, most terriblest, most unpleasantest thing imaginable happened! Such pervasive examples of incorrect usage cant be much help to readers for whom English is not the first language. English adjectives form their comparative/superlative forms in one of two ways: 1. by adding the suffixes -er and -est: dark/darker/darkest; simple/simpler/simplest; mean/meaner/meanest 2. by using the words more and most in front of the basic adjective: pleasant/more pleasant/most pleasant awesome/more awesome/most awesome I wont go into the various rules based on number of syllables and stressed or unstressed vowels. Its probably enough to know that adjectives that are short and/or easy to say, form their comparatives with -er and -est. Polysyllabic adjectives that sound clumsy with those endings form their comparatives with more and most. Sometimes the choice is a matter of individual preference. For example, one speaker may prefer handsome/more handsome/most handsome while another likes the sound of handsome/handsomer/handsomest. When in doubt, go with the more/most construction. Most awesomest is not an option for the writer who desires to write standard English. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Exquisite AdjectivesTaser or Tazer? Tazing or Tasering?Quiet or Quite?