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Thread: the most XXX(adjective) of/among ...?

  1. #1
    pinkie9 is offline Member
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    Default the most XXX(adjective) of/among ...?

    1. Stone is the most durable of all building materials.
    2. Stone is the most durable among all building materials.

    Are they both correct? If so, when do you use each of "of" and "among"?

  2. #2
    bhaisahab's Avatar
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    Default Re: the most XXX(adjective) of/among ...?

    Quote Originally Posted by pinkie9 View Post
    1. Stone is the most durable of all building materials.
    2. Stone is the most durable among all building materials.

    Are they both correct? If so, when do you use each of "of" and "among"?
    I wouldn't use "among".
    dilodi83 and 5jj like this.

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    pinkie9 is offline Member
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    Threadstarter / Original Poster

    Default Re: the most XXX(adjective) of/among ...?

    Thank you.
    How about this?

    3. Beer is the most popular alcohol among Japanese.

    I think this is corect. Could anyone please tell me what the difference between Examples 1 and 3 is?

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    philo2009 is offline Senior Member
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    Default Re: the most XXX(adjective) of/among ...?

    Unless you regard Japanese people as a type of alcohol, I would have thought the difference was rather clear!!

    Barb_D and bhaisahab like this.

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    pinkie9 is offline Member
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    Threadstarter / Original Poster

    Default Re: the most XXX(adjective) of/among ...?

    Okay, I see. Thank you!

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    philo2009 is offline Senior Member
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    Default Re: the most XXX(adjective) of/among ...?

    You're welcome!


  7. #7
    Tdol is online now Editor, UsingEnglish.com
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    Default Re: the most XXX(adjective) of/among ...?

    I'd say Beer is the most popular alcoholic drink among Japanese.

  8. #8
    pinkie9 is offline Member
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    Default Re: the most XXX(adjective) of/among ...?

    Thank you.
    That example sentence was from "Eijiro on the Web". http://www.alc.co.jp/
    Maybe I shoudn't trust this dictionary site very much.

  9. #9
    Tdol is online now Editor, UsingEnglish.com
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    Default Re: the most XXX(adjective) of/among ...?

    It's not greatly important, but the alcohol is the same (ethanol) in all alcoholic drinks.

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    RobMasters is offline Junior Member
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    Default Re: the most XXX(adjective) of/among ...?

    Quote Originally Posted by Tdol View Post
    I'd say Beer is the most popular alcoholic drink among Japanese.
    I think you have to be more precise initially.

    "Beer is the most popular alcoholic drink among the Japanese people" ("Japanese"without a qualifier could refer to Japanese dogs or Japanese fish etc.)

    When you expand the sentence like this then using "among" sounds really clumsy - " . . .of the Japanese people" slips off the tongue more easily.

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