Gladdest & Happiest.

[hoangkha]

Hi!
That was one of the ................... days of my life.
A. gladdest
B. happiest
The key is B but I am wondering why A isn't chosen, please.

 

[Chicken Sandwich]

"Glad" has no comparative.

 

[birdeen's call]

"Glad" has no comparative.

"Gladdest" is the superlative form of "glad", not the comparative form. I believe "glad" has both forms, even if they're quite rare.

 

[Chicken Sandwich]

"Gladdest" is the superlative form of "glad", not the comparative form. I believe "glad" has both forms, even if they're quite rare.

Sorry, I wasn't paying attention .

So you're saying that there is a comparative form of "glad"? I haven't done a lot of research, I just quickly consulted Longman, and it says that there is no comparative, see glad - Definition from Longman English Dictionary Online.

The reason "gladdest" is incorrect, is probably because you cannot place it before a noun. See first definition of the link above. According to Longman, you cannot place it before a noun. That would be my guess.

Edit: Other sources indicate that there is a comparative form of "glad", see http://www.thefreedictionary.com/gladdest. Strange.

 

[hoangkha]

The reason "gladdest" is incorrect, is probably because you cannot place it before a noun. See first definition of the link above. According to Longman, you cannot place it before a noun. That would be my guess.

But
- glad news/tidings. (OALD)

 

[5jj]

But - glad news/tidings. (OALD)

The OALD adds a note before these two expressions: (old-fashioned) bringing joy; full of joy: glad news/tidings

 

[hoangkha]

I have just found this sentence.
- Earth's saddest day and gladdest day were 3 days apart.

 

[Reemy]

"I shall always be near you; in the gladdest days and in the darkest nights . . . "

Sullivan Ballou to "My very dear Sarah"

 

[Tdol]

Finding single/unusual examples only proves the possible existence of a form; you need to find a lot to prove that something is in common usage. Gladdest exists, but it is just not the word that collocates in the example. It's a case of collocation:

ANC:
Gladdest day- 0
Gladdest days- 1

Happiest day- 98
Happiest days- 48

BNC:
Gladdest day- 0
Gladdest days- 0

Happiest day- 13
Happiest days- 14