youngest,eldest and oldest

[moqaddas]

youngest(smallest in relative)
Sana is youngest of three sister.
if I want to say
Sana is youngest in my family or Sana is youngest of/in siblings.
Are these correct to say like this?
Same problem I am having with eldest(oldest in relatives) and oldest (old in age )If there is any mistake to get the meaning of them ,Please tell me regarding?

[Gillnetter]

youngest(smallest (No. Smallest refers to size, not age. Joe was the smallest man in the city and he was the oldest person there.)in relative)
Sana is youngest of three sister.
Sana is the youngest of three sisters (Since there is more than one sister, the word sister has to be in the plural form - sisters.)
if I want to say
Sana is youngest in my family or Sana is youngest of/in siblings.
Sana is the youngest in my family. Sana is the youngest of her siblings.
Are these correct to say like this?
Same problem I am having with eldest(oldest in relatives) and oldest (old in age )If there is any mistake to get the meaning of them ,Please tell me regarding? Joe is the oldest in his family and the oldest in the city.
You can use "eldest" or "oldest". It is more common to use "oldest" in the US.

Gil

[philo2009]

Interestingly, 'eldest', whether as an adjective or as an adjectival noun, is rather more common than 'oldest' in BrE (as is 'elder' vis-a-vis 'older') but refers exclusively to family members/relations. Thus we can say

His eldest sister died ten years ago.
My eldest (=eldest child) lives in Wales.
She's the eldest (=eldest person) in her family.

but not

*This is the eldest tree in England.

or

*He is the eldest man in the world.

(both of the above requiring 'oldest').

[fangyunying]

Gil

hello...i would like to ask about the below..
as i know, the word "small" also means "very young & not matured"
so how about if i say "he is the smallest pianist in the world" (meaning he is the youngest pianist in the world), is it correct? thank you!

[Gillnetter]

hello...i would like to ask about the below..
as i know, the word "small" also means "very young & not matured"
so how about if i say "he is the smallest pianist in the world" (meaning he is the youngest pianist in the world), is it correct? thank you!

No. It means that he is shorter than any other pianist. A is the tallest pianist at seven feet and B is the smallest at two feet.

[Gillnetter]

Interestingly, 'eldest', whether as an adjective or as an adjectival noun, is rather more common than 'oldest' in BrE (as is 'elder' vis-a-vis 'older') but refers exclusively to family members/relations. Thus we can say

His eldest sister died ten years ago.
My eldest (=eldest child) lives in Wales.
She's the eldest (=eldest person) in her family.

but not

*This is the eldest tree in England.

or

*He is the eldest man in the world.

(both of the above requiring 'oldest').

So, you could say that your sister is the eldest in your family but not that she is the eldest member of her church? Do you have church elders in your church?

[Barb_D]

hello...i would like to ask about the below..
as i know, the word "small" also means "very young & not matured"
so how about if i say "he is the smallest pianist in the world" (meaning he is the youngest pianist in the world), is it correct? thank you!

Welcome to the forums.

Please try to use proper English in here, including correct capitalization.

Your understanding of "small" does not match my understanding. My daughter had a friend who was very, very small due to a heart condition, but she was not particularly young despite being small, and she was as mature as any other child of her age. Small does NOT equal immature or not mature.

[5jj]

So, you could say that your sister is the eldest in your family but not that she is the eldest member of her church?
That is correct.

Do you have church elders in your church?
Some churches have elders - who may be comparatively young.

5

[fangyunying]

No. It means that he is shorter than any other pianist. A is the tallest pianist at seven feet and B is the smallest at two feet.

thanks. it's kinda confusing. as small can be defined as "very young, not matured", but thenwhen i add "est" (superlative) become "smallest" and the meaning of "smallest" is different after i add "est"

[5jj]

tThanks. it's kinda of confusing. as "small" can be defined as "very young, not matured", but thenwhen i I add "est" (superlative) it become "smallest" and the meaning of "smallest" is different after i I add "est"

'Small' does not normally mean 'very young, not matured' unless the context makes it very clear. See Barb_D's post.

When we say, 'travelling with small children can be a pain', we are probably thinking as much of the size as the age. It is always safer to use 'young' if you are thinking of the age.

Please try to use capital letters where appropriate.