adverbs...

[ridvann]

Hello,

Can we either include or omit "the"; using "the" emphasizes that we are speaking of the single act that is most extreme? Is there any difference in the meaning?

-He rides his bike most frequently in the morning.
-He rides his bike the most frequently in the morning.

-It works best if you let it warm up first.
-It works the best if you let it warm up first.

-Who can run (the) fastest?
-England is coldest in winter. (not the coldest)
-My boss is most generous when we get a big order. (not the most generous)
-She works hardest when she's doing something for her family.

But: Superlative Adjectives - Use

When we compare one thing with itself, we do not use "the":

Is that correct? I couldn't get that. Why?

[5jj]

-He rides his bike most frequently in the morning.
-He rides his bike the most frequently in the morning.X

-It works best if you let it warm up first.
-It works the best if you let it warm up first.X

-England is coldest in winter. (not the coldest)
-My boss is most generous when we get a big order. (not the most generous)
-She works hardest when she's doing something for her family.

But: Superlative Adjectives - Use

When we compare one thing with itself, we do not use "the":

Is that correct? Yes. I couldn't get that. Why?
England is cold, Denmark is colder, Estonia is the coldest (country).
My room is cold in the evening, colder in the afternoon and coldest in the early morning. That is when it is at is coldest. It is nor necessarily colder than any other room, so it is not the coldest anything.

5

[ridvann]

Thanks for all the asnwers...

I have also read that "the" is sometimes dropped before superlative adverbs in an informal style.

Who can run fastest?
Who can run the fastest?

Are they OK?

[jimmy04]

England is cold, Denmark is colder, Estonia is the coldest (country).
My room is cold in the evening, colder in the afternoon and coldest in the early morning. That is when it is at is coldest. It is nor necessarily colder than any other room, so it is not the coldest anything.

Am I right when I say there is no need " the" if that is a comparison for itself?

Who can run fastest?
Who can run the fastest?

Both sounds not right.
As my though, it should be " who can be the fastest (runner)" or "who can run better"
Can anyone help me to explain?

[ridvann]

I don't know... :/

[5jj]

I have also read that "the" is sometimes dropped before superlative adverbs in an informal style.

Who can run fastest?
Who can run the fastest?

Yes