Newsgroup: it.cultura.linguistica.inglese
Titolo: Taller or tallest?

This is the taller of the three houses in the street.
OR
This is the tallest of the three houses in the street.
 
I've seen both forms around the web, and though I think the second form is 
the right one, the first form is what I find the most.
Can anyone help me?
Thanks.
 
-- 
Antonio

):
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The comparative (the first form) is used between two items; the superlative 
(the second) among three or more.
 
This is the taller of those two houses, but that one is the tallest of all 
three houses on the street.
 
You're also likely to find sentences of this incorrect form frequently:
"This is the tallest of those two houses."
 
-- 
Joey from New York
Among those whom I like or admire, I can findï¿œno common denominator,
but among thoseï¿œwhom I love, I can: all of them make me laugh.
ï¿œ ï¿œ-- WH Auden
 


Yes, I can help. Ideally you should say "I find the first form more 
often." You are comparing two things, so you should use the comparative. 
When comparing three things, such as... oh, I don't know... maybe 
houses, you should use the superlative.
 
Having expressed the ideal, people do say "the taller of the three 
houses" or "the form I find most often." So, I guess it's a question of 
your idealology (I made up that word).

 frequently: "This is the tallest of those two houses."
 
Do you mean that native speakers do make mistakes in their own language?
 
-- 
Antonio

 of your idealology (I made up that word).
 
I got the message, thanks a lot! ;-)
 
-- 
Antonio

 (the second) among three or more.
 
How odd!
Compare:
The white house is taller than the other two ==> the white house is the 
tallest.
The white house is taller than the other ==> the white house is the taller.
 
Kiuhnm

 Alright!
 
Use this term at your own risk. Many English speakers do not consider 
"alright" to be a word. They maintain the use of "all right." "All 
ready" has become "already." "All together" has become "altogether." 
However, "alright" is still struggling for acceptance.

 The white house is taller than the other ==> the white house is the taller.
 
Just for observation, stimulation, and contemplation, to say "the 
taller" has a British air to my ear. Most Americans would avoid using 
the article with the adjective in a comparison.

 this is the tallest structure in the city
 
Where did you get such an idea? Or are you joking?
 
-- 
Joey from New York
Among those whom I like or admire, I can find no common denominator,
but among those whom I love, I can: all of them make me laugh.
   -- WH Auden
 

 :-)
 
 
I think they use feet to measure how tall a building is.
 
I guess that yards are more used for horizontal measures. 
 
 
-- 
Arguments are extremely vulgar, for everyone in good society
holds exactly the same opinion.
    -- O. Wilde
 

  "the form I find most often."
 
I don't see that there's anything anomalous about this expression, unless 
it's absolutely clear that you're referring to only two forms.
 
Maybe I misunderstood your point.


 Maybe I misunderstood your point.
 
I was referring to the comparison that Antonio made between two forms. 
He wrote the following.
 
 > I've seen both forms around the web, and though I think the second
 > form is the right one, the first form is what I find the most.
 
I let him know that some people would accept the use of "most," when 
comparing two forms as he did, but that it was preferable to use "more" 
in a comparison.
 
It seemed silly to me to advise him about about the use of comparisons 
and superlatives and then not point out that he was violating the very 
rule that he found violated by others. But, he should also know that 
this rule has softened somewhat in modern usage.
 
For example, it is very common to hear the advice that you "put your 
best foot forward" when people can only choose the better one of two 
feet. Or, you might hear the benediction "may the best man win" when 
only two men are in competition.

 in a comparison.
 
Ah, thanks. That clarifies it.
 
As for the stock phrases you quoted, vis-a-vis "the better/best man," I 
personally would adhere to the "rule," using "better" if only two men were 
involved, and "best" if more than two.
 
For "best foot forward," I consider that so much of a stock phrase that it's 
always "best foot." "Better foot" would sound silly.
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