Saturday, August 6, 2016

articles - a most talented writer - why not "the most talented writer"?


Example:



Just because he does not say very much is no reason to sell him short. Actually, he's a profound thinker and a most talented writer. People tend to underestimate him and not give him the credit he deserves because they think he's shy.



How do you understand it grammatically? If it means the same thing as the most talented writer, then what's the difference?



Answer



It does not mean the same thing. Most can be used as a superlative, but it can also be used to indicate that something or someone possesses a property very much instead of the most.


By calling him the most talented writer, the author would exclude the possibility of any other writer being better. That is quite an impossible claim to maintain and will probably only end up in endless and useless discussion!



A most talented writer means roughly the same as an incredibly talented writer.


I think this use of most may be a bit dated... examples I can think of are sentences like:



Thank you ever so much, Charlotte. It was a most pleasant evening!



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