elder and older

[vannak]

could you please explain me how to use elder and older????????????

 

[Tdol]

Elder- only goes before a noun:
My elder sister :tick:
She is elder than me :cross:
Older- can do both:
My older sister :tick:
She is older than me :tick:

 

[gorilla]

Isn't elder a bit archaic?

 

[Tdol]

Not to me- it's often used for talking about siblings, etc.

 

[kahhong]

Is it correct if i use "This is my eldest sister"?




-kahhong

 

[lidka]

Is it correct if i use "This is my eldest sister"?
-kahhong

Hi Use elder - the eldest if you speak about memebers of family and other people use old- older - the oldest
She is my elder sister
This is Ithe eldest member of my family

I am older than Tom ( he is my huband)
This is the oldest woman i n the office

 

[kahhong]

Thanks, but im getting more confused, "This is my eldest sister" am i right?


Warmest Regards,


-kahhong

 

[Tdol]

This is my eldest sister.

This is perfectly correct as long as you have three sisters. ;-)

 

[Casiopea]

To nonamrna (post #1 here, https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/ask-teacher/45666-plz-hlep.html):

From elder - definition of elder by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.

Usage note​

In comparisons between two persons, elder means "older" but not necessarily "old": My elder sister is sixteen; my younger, twelve. (Eldest is used when three or more persons are compared: He is the eldest of four brothers.) In other contexts elder does denote relatively advanced age but with the added component of respect for a person's achievement, as in an elder statesman. If age alone is to be expressed, one should use older or elderly rather than elder: A survey of older Americans; an elderly waiter.·Unlike elder and its related forms, the adjectives old, older, and oldest are applied to things as well as to persons.​