You are correct in saying is a comparison to, for example, going away. Should we stay here, go home, go bowling, or go to a movie? Some would say that the first sentence would be better when there are only two options. In fact, it would actually sound weird to say, "It is the best to stay here."
Answers 4
- For a more thorough explanation of why the two formats look the same, see JavaLatte’s answer and note that "the best" is a complement.
- In your example "experienced" is the past tense of the verb to experience, not describing someone as having experience of something.
- So, the version without the "the" carries both meanings (or sets of meanings).
- When it is the subject, inversion does not take place.
- If we add the word "of" – to make "one of" – then you got yourself a sentence (I am reasonably sure you just erroneously forgot the "of", but I figured its still a good point to make).
Your original is correct as-is, except you need to remove the question mark at the end because it’s not a question. My question is, what is the correct way to write this clause? I am not clear on the last bit of the sentence, "which one is the best". Which is correct, "I like you the best" or "I like you best"? This is correct even if Mr. Smith is still working as a teacher, as long as the speaker’s relationship to Mr. Smith has changed. In the context of a person, use "is" if the person is still in the role/relationship you are talking about, and "was" if they’re not in that role/relationship anymore.
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No, technically the use of "one" is incorrect, yet such a phrase is common in most American English speech. In your example "experienced" is the verb that is receiving best. Best here is used as an adverb as it provides the description of the experience of watching sport (verb) "at the place where the match is unfolding.".
Answers 2
Can somebody clear me on how to use this word as an adverb and the appropriate structure with it? To answer your first question, yes, both sentences are correct. In your sentence, which is the subject, so no inversion takes place. When the subject and the auxiliary verb are swapped over, it’s called inversion. I hope we can both agree this sentence is wrong because "good" is an adjective, and cannot be the subject of "is".
The second sentence, as you said, contains a superlative, "best." In English, unlike in some other languages such as Spanish, the superlative does not require a definite article. I’ve also been taught that "the best" is a superlative, but I can’t understand "best" in sentence 2. The same would apply if it were an adverbial. When it is the subject, inversion does not take place. "Ever" means "of all time", but the exact meaning changes with the tense.
The issue is I thought that with the superlative form of an adverb we should use the article "the" ("the most" or "the best", e.g.). If we insert the word the, we get a noun phrase, the best. As for the superlative nature, typically in English the meaning of superlative is slightly augmented by the use of determiners. If MS Interactive we add the word "of" – to make "one of" – then you got yourself a sentence (I am reasonably sure you just erroneously forgot the "of", but I figured its still a good point to make).
It really just depends upon context. However, they do have different meanings. I’ve always been taught the first one as it sounds like a comparative "It is better to stay here (than to go away)"
It may be confusing because sometimes, "experienced" is also used as an adjective (meaning expert) (link). A question word can function as subject, object, complement or adverbial. In that context, the phrase the best can also be used as if it were an adverb.