In the following sentence which form of the adjective should be used?  There were three four rooms in the hotel, the smallest/the smaller of which served as the gym.  I think it should be the smallest because the comparison is being made between more than two things.
79291
In his book section 176, 3rd ed., Swan says:     Elder brother/sister are used when a person has only one   brother/sister who is older; eldest is used when there are more. An   elder son/daughter is the older of  two; an eldest son/daughter is the   oldest of two or more.   That was not clear enough; I don't see that . Does that mean you can only use it if you have only one sister that is older than you (you don't have two or more sisters who are older than you ), or you can only use it when you talk about the youngest sister (out of two or more) that is older than you?
96225
The first and second chapters are....   Or      The first and the second chapters are...   Which is the correct usage? Is it correct to use the for both the phrases or not?? Please explain to me.
80449
How do you know when to use singular or plural nouns if they're used as adjectives?  i.e.     32-bit computer vs 32-bits computer?      teacher union vs teachers union?      wedding planner vs weddings planner?      sport medicine vs sports medicine?      student council vs students council?   Which one is correct?
60220
I have seen this used with other words besides "large" and "small".  What other words can be used? Can this structure be used more generally with other adjectives?
14838
Which is the correct use of these two words, and in which context should one be used rather than the other?
78917
I'm writing a poem referring to humans as landlords of this planet.  Which is correct:  "they come to test this planet landlord's heart"  or  "they come to test this planet's landlord's heart"  I would use the first one for what I consider better style. Not sure it is correct.
73008
Possible Duplicate:     Which one is correct? I thought the latter would be correct but apparently the former is always used; why? Edit: Another (confusing) example:
119705
A and B both are very good;   A and B are both very good.   Both A and B are very good.   Both of A and B are very good.      Are there subtle differences between the four sentences above?
40451
Sentences are:   "The rainforests are in danger." "Rainforests are in danger."  So in this case, I think that they are both correct sentences...but:  "Guitars are musical instruments."  "The guitars are musical instruments."  In this case, we are still making generic statements about a plural noun, but the second one sounds bizarre. This for a student. I'm not sure WHY it's awkward. Why do we opt for "The guitar is a musical instrument."  Thanks in advance :)
120502
A colleague asked me which of these sentences is correct, or if they are both correct which is better to use.   Are you using the current template version? Do you use the current template version?   I recommended using the first sentence but only because it sounds better to me.  Is there anything grammatically wrong with the second sentence or does it convey a different meaning to the first sentence?
50990
I would write a couple of . I often read/hear a couple .  I assumed this was an American English thing (I'm British), and just a convenient shortening of the phrase for speaking. It's easier to say a couple minutes vs a couple of minutes.  On a side note, this doesn't seem to restrict the number of things to two, but just a small amount–less than a few, in my mind.
32145
I have a problem with the use of "the" after "and" where you would basically be connecting words. For example, which of the following is better:     The table and the chairs?   The table and chairs?   Or are both okay? What is the rule, and are there exceptions to it? Or is the rule just contextual and may vary between the sentences and meanings?
1211
Take the examples:   "One in ten children are dyslexic."  "One in ten children is dyslexic." "One in ten children has dyslexia." "One in ten children have dyslexia."   The "one" is singular so 2 and 3 should be correct. But the "one in ten" is a fraction" so 1 and 4 should be correct. And yet I think I usually say 1 and 3. Which is/are correct?!
9566
I remember being taught that the correct order of adjectives in English was something along the lines of "Opinion-Size-Age-Color-Material-Purpose."  However, it's been a long time and I'm pretty sure I've forgotten a few categories (I think there were eight or nine). Can anyone fill them in?
66659
Adjectives are placed before nouns. But sometimes I've seen (though I'm not sure if they are correct), things like:     The item placed there   I know that it may be a short way of saying "The item which is placed there".    Is the past participle "placed" considered as an adjective in that sentence? Can any past participle used in this way by ommiting the relative pronoun+subject of the relative clause? Is there any exception for the rule that adjectives must be placed before noun?
95843
Question: Is the first one redundant and proper, or is it redundant and not necessarily correct?  (1) He is a friend of Doug's. (2) He is a friend of Doug.
76361
What's the difference between these two phrases?