most most + adjective

[heyt]

Hello,

I've been wondering what form of an adjective can be used after the superlative form,
for example can I say "She is the most most intelligent person I know", or "Its the best best painting I've ever seen".

Thank you,
heyt

[billmcd]

Hello,

I've been wondering what form of an adjective can be used after the superlative form,
for example can I say "She is the most most intelligent person I know", or "Its the best best painting I've ever seen".

Thank you,
heyt

No. but you could use the superlative form of another adjective as, for example, "...the kindest, most intelligent person etc."

[heyt]

Thank you!

heyt

[~Mav~]

...or "Its the best best painting I've ever seen".

*** NOT A TEACHER ***


Informally, you can say, "It's the bestest."
I've seen this word used by American girls.

[5jj]

I've seen this word used by American girls.

No comment.

[~Mav~]

No comment.

Brace yourself , but some people use the word, "badassest". (Although it's only grammatically incorrect; semantically, unlike "bestest", it's possible.) Some have gone so far as to have used both words in one sentence! The following sentence is from the Facebook page of Brown University (!) Student Television:

Follow the journey of making the biggest bestest badassest television station the world has even seen.

Apparently, formal English is not their asset. (Pun intended. )


PS: I am NOT endorsing the usage of those words. (Especially because I am not a native speaker.) In an attempt to answer the OP's question, I have merely provided two examples that do exist, and that I have read more than once. As for "bestest", I wouldn't be too rigorous. While I obviously wouldn't use it in academic writing, I can't see anything wrong with using it in a friendly conversation. :)

[Barb_D]

Typical 8-year-old monologue.

Lisa is my best friend, and Sarah and Madison are my other best friends, and Jessica is my best best friend, and Katie is my bestest friend.

[~Mav~]

Typical 8-year-old monologue.

Lisa is my best friend, and Sarah and Madison are my other best friends, and Jessica is my best best friend, and Katie is my bestest friend.

OMG! Then you and Katie are totally BFF's. (I watched a couple of episodes from the TV-shows "Pretty Little Liars" and "Gossip Girl", hence my "profound knowledge" on the subject. )


Seriously, if one of your friends asked you to give her advice, say, on an essay she's working on, and having seen your amendments and suggestions, in her amazement she told you, "Gosh, you're the bestest writer, Barb!", would you stand up and walk out on her? (I can even imagine that in this situation, knowing your commitment to proper English, she would intentionally say it tongue-in-cheek. )

[Barb_D]

I actually do say "bestest" frequently, but always tongue-in-cheek. If my coworker is going out and agrees to pick up lunch for me, I'll certainly tell her "You are the BESTEST!" (She is also in the communications field.)

Don't use it in essays -- of course not -- but you'll hear it. Once you get past the age of 8 or so, you do realize it's not standard (nor is having more than one "best" anything) but you do it because it's fun. The same way I use "ain't."

[TheParser]

[QUOTE=heyt;826944

[B]"Its the best best painting I've ever seen".[/B]


NOT A TEACHER


(1) If you are interested in making your superlative more emphatic, I think that many

native speakers would accept: It is the very best painting (that) I have ever seen.

(a) It would sound childish, of course, but I guess a really excited person could

exclaim: It's the very, very, very best painting that I've ever seen.