Attending a school with over 800 students was her ________ nightmare
My answer is the worst, but correct answer (from this website) is worst.
I'm not exactly saying that my answer is completely wrong, but this sentence had me thinking about the before superlative adjective. So from school I know that I must put the before most, but what about case where I have legally-transformable (I don't know how to say, i mean without the most) superlative adjective?
The test is correct. "Attending a school with over 800 students was her worst nightmare." is proper grammar.
In most cases, when a superlative is used directly before a noun, it takes a definite article, that is "the" comes before the superlative.
For example:
- John makes the best barbecue.
- The Empire State was the tallest building in the world when it was built.
- Anne thinks that Chopin was the finest composer ever.
However, when a possessive is also applied to the noun, the article is normally omitted.
For example:
- Red is my best color.
- fall is my favorite season.
- Three minutes, sixteen seconds is her fastest time.
- Fear is their most effective technique.
The example sentence in the question is of this type:
Attending a school with over 800 students was her worst nightmare.
When a superlative is used later in the sentence than the noun that it modifies, the article may be omitted.
For example:
- Of all the buildings in the world, the Empire State was tallest.
- Of all the buildings in the world, the Empire State was the tallest. (Both are correct and have the same meaning.)
- There were many women at the ball, but Judith was the prettiest.
- There were many women at the ball, but Judith was prettiest. (Both are correct and have the same meaning.)
When the superlative is actually being used to compare the same thing at different times or conditions, the article will often be omitted. In this construction the superlative does not directly precede a noun
For example:
- He is wisest when he has not been drinking.
- Phar Lap was fastest on sunny days.
- Wine is tastiest on a clear palate.
In these cases the superlative is really functioning as a comparative.
When a superlative is used as an adverb, rather than an adjective, an article may be omitted.
For example:
- He speaks several languages, but speaks English most fluently.
- Of all the players she runs fastest.
- Joan approached fastest.
In certain fixed phrases, a superlative without an article has become standard, perhaps idiomatic.
- The report was classified Most Secret.
- Our cat was awarded best in class.
- Hashing passwords is a best practice.
- Her classmates voted her most likely to succeed.
fall is my favorite season. Is the word favorite superlative? Does it requires the in case of absence of possessive determiner? Actually, I can't even come up with a sentence without possessive determiner.
Commented
Aug 28, 2021 at 8:01
The lesson you were taught was incomplete.
In these constructions, superlatives should be preceded by the definite article (the) or a possessive determiner (my/your/his/her/its/our/their).
Both of these are grammatically correct:
Attending a school with over 800 students was the worst nightmare
Attending a school with over 800 students was her worst nightmare
But you cannot combine a definite (or indefinite) article with a possessive. Just like my the cat or the my cat is wrong, so is my the worst nightmare or the my worst nightmare.
