Hello,
I have encountered this sentence:
Nikolai’s English was much the worst.
Does it mean ‘Nikolai’s English was the worst by far.’?
Or should it be ‘Nikolai’s English was much worse. / Nikolai’s English was the worst.’?
oxfordadvancedlearnersdictio … ary/much_2
Thank you
The worst by far = much worse
I think that dictionary is so useful most of the time, but there seem to be a number of examples which proves its fallibility.
There seems to be something missing there. It looks as if the quote has been lifted from the original and the context which provided the comparison has gone too.
It is correct, but looks odd without further context. Here’s an example of how the sentence can be made to look ‘correct’:
Of all the children, Nikolai’s English was much the worst.
(Personally I would choose to use ‘by far’ rather than ‘much’ in that sentence.)
Used in isolation, your sentences are far more accurate.
Sorry MM - an ‘air miss’. My second today!
No, no – as usual, you complete me.
Thank you both,
Yes Bee, it was obvious to me when I asked the question that a comparison is being made between Nickolai’s English and someone else’s English. It is that word combination ‘much the worst’ that I find rather strange and I was unsure about.
Ah, Tom Cruise’s famous line in ‘Jerry Maguire’! 
Thanks again
Thanks, Bee – I’ve just enriched my vocabulary with yet another word: swoon = faint.
I had never noticed this construction before yesterday - much + superlative - so I tried to use it in a couple of sentences.
He has written some remarkable novels before but his latest one is much the best.
Most gymnasts gave very good performances but Nadia’s performance was much the most impressive.
Are they good?
Thank you
Hi,
Sorry for my butting in, but using “swoon” seemed to me a bit ambiguous in the context of the exchange /having consulted Oxford Dictionary/. Or it’ll be O.K. in informal English? No hints whatsoever, just linguistic interest.
Regards.
After thinking twice, came to a conclusion I would say “swoon” having in mind, say Julia Roberts. So, with Tom Cruse it’s all right. Sorry again.
Best regards.
Yes, but ‘swoon’ is often word in a very special sense of ‘faint’. It wouldn’t be a faint due to shock or surprise. It’s more a sense of going weak at the knees with pleasure:
The teenage girls swooned over the pop star.
She’s been swooning over that picture of him all morning.
He’s swooning around the place as if he’s love-sick.
She’s been swooning ever since he paid her that compliment.
The first one is.
“much the most” is much the most too much though ;D
Nadia’s performance was by far the most impressive.
That’s the right idea, Eugene, yes.
Mister Micawber is my Tom Cruise. (See my response to Cristina above for a few more examples.)
Thank you, Bee.
Just a silly joke of mine, Eugene. That snippet I quoted always reminds me of Tom Cruise. I hear he’s been mocked quite a bit for that sappy line (‘‘You complete me.’’), ever since he uttered those words in the movie ‘Jerry Maguire’.