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"Worse ever" or "worst ever"?

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  "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? ANTant@zimage.com (Ant) - 2016-01-02 11:31 -0600
    Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? Athel Cornish-Bowden <acornish@imm.cnrs.fr> - 2016-01-02 18:40 +0100
    Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? Stan Brown <the_stan_brown@fastmail.fm> - 2016-01-02 18:55 -0500
      Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? Athel Cornish-Bowden <acornish@imm.cnrs.fr> - 2016-01-03 14:29 +0100
        Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? "Peter Duncanson [BrE]" <mail@peterduncanson.net> - 2016-01-03 14:37 +0000
        Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? Jerry Friedman <jerry_friedman@yahoo.com> - 2016-01-03 07:36 -0800
          Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? Athel Cornish-Bowden <acornish@imm.cnrs.fr> - 2016-01-03 16:47 +0100
        Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? Stan Brown <the_stan_brown@fastmail.fm> - 2016-01-03 12:28 -0500
    Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? Harrison Hill <harrisonhill2345@gmail.com> - 2016-01-02 16:26 -0800
      Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? "Peter T. Daniels" <grammatim@verizon.net> - 2016-01-02 21:27 -0800
      Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? Micky <NONONOmisc07@bigfoot.com> - 2016-01-03 05:56 -0500
      Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? richard@cogsci.ed.ac.uk (Richard Tobin) - 2016-01-03 13:16 +0000
        Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? Athel Cornish-Bowden <acornish@imm.cnrs.fr> - 2016-01-03 16:47 +0100
          Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? CDB <bellemarecd@gmail.com> - 2016-01-03 14:09 -0500
            Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? "Peter T. Daniels" <grammatim@verizon.net> - 2016-01-03 13:38 -0800
    Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? Harrison Hill <harrisonhill2345@gmail.com> - 2016-01-03 14:13 -0800
      Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? "Peter T. Daniels" <grammatim@verizon.net> - 2016-01-03 14:29 -0800
        Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? Harrison Hill <harrisonhill2345@gmail.com> - 2016-01-03 14:44 -0800
          Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? GordonD <g.davie@btinternet.com> - 2016-01-04 16:08 +0000
            Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? Janet <nobody@home.org> - 2016-01-04 17:13 +0000
              Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? GordonD <g.davie@btinternet.com> - 2016-01-05 10:17 +0000
                Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? Janet <nobody@home.org> - 2016-01-05 12:39 +0000
            Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? Harrison Hill <harrisonhill2345@gmail.com> - 2016-01-04 14:17 -0800
              Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? Robin Bignall <docrobin@ntlworld.com> - 2016-01-04 23:20 +0000
                Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? Harrison Hill <harrisonhill2345@gmail.com> - 2016-01-04 15:52 -0800
                  Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? "Peter T. Daniels" <grammatim@verizon.net> - 2016-01-04 19:48 -0800
                  Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? Peter Moylan <peter@pmoylan.org.invalid> - 2016-01-05 16:47 +1100
                    Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? Janet <nobody@home.org> - 2016-01-05 12:37 +0000
      Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? Peter Moylan <peter@pmoylan.org.invalid> - 2016-01-04 09:50 +1100
        Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? Harrison Hill <harrisonhill2345@gmail.com> - 2016-01-03 14:59 -0800
          Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? "Peter T. Daniels" <grammatim@verizon.net> - 2016-01-03 19:34 -0800
            Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? Harrison Hill <harrisonhill2345@gmail.com> - 2016-01-04 01:40 -0800
              Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? "Peter T. Daniels" <grammatim@verizon.net> - 2016-01-04 04:25 -0800
              Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? Robin Bignall <docrobin@ntlworld.com> - 2016-01-04 23:22 +0000
            Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? Janet <nobody@home.org> - 2016-01-04 11:01 +0000
              Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? Jerry Friedman <jerry_friedman@yahoo.com> - 2016-01-04 07:32 -0800
                Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? Harrison Hill <harrisonhill2345@gmail.com> - 2016-01-04 14:24 -0800
                  Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? "Peter T. Daniels" <grammatim@verizon.net> - 2016-01-04 15:53 -0800
                    Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? Harrison Hill <harrisonhill2345@gmail.com> - 2016-01-04 16:11 -0800
                  Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? Peter Moylan <peter@pmoylan.org.invalid> - 2016-01-05 16:55 +1100
                    Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? Harrison Hill <harrisonhill2345@gmail.com> - 2016-01-05 04:54 -0800
                      Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? Harrison Hill <harrisonhill2345@gmail.com> - 2016-01-05 04:57 -0800
                        Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? "Peter T. Daniels" <grammatim@verizon.net> - 2016-01-05 07:27 -0800
                      Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? "Peter T. Daniels" <grammatim@verizon.net> - 2016-01-05 07:25 -0800
                        Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? Harrison Hill <harrisonhill2345@gmail.com> - 2016-01-05 08:22 -0800
                      Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? GordonD <g.davie@btinternet.com> - 2016-01-05 15:55 +0000
                        Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? Jerry Friedman <jerry_friedman@yahoo.com> - 2016-01-05 21:16 -0700
                  Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? Jerry Friedman <jerry_friedman@yahoo.com> - 2016-01-06 11:15 -0700
              Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? GordonD <g.davie@btinternet.com> - 2016-01-04 16:11 +0000
        Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? Athel Cornish-Bowden <acornish@imm.cnrs.fr> - 2016-01-04 08:11 +0100
          Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? GordonD <g.davie@btinternet.com> - 2016-01-04 16:13 +0000
            Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? Robin Bignall <docrobin@ntlworld.com> - 2016-01-04 23:26 +0000
              Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? Harrison Hill <harrisonhill2345@gmail.com> - 2016-01-04 16:30 -0800
                Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? Robin Bignall <docrobin@ntlworld.com> - 2016-01-05 23:53 +0000
                  Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? richard@cogsci.ed.ac.uk (Richard Tobin) - 2016-01-06 00:31 +0000
                    Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? Peter Moylan <peter@pmoylan.org.invalid> - 2016-01-06 14:15 +1100
                      Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? "Peter Duncanson [BrE]" <mail@peterduncanson.net> - 2016-01-06 12:19 +0000
                        Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? Robin Bignall <docrobin@ntlworld.com> - 2016-01-06 23:09 +0000
                          Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? "Peter Duncanson [BrE]" <mail@peterduncanson.net> - 2016-01-07 00:08 +0000
                  Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? "Peter Duncanson [BrE]" <mail@peterduncanson.net> - 2016-01-06 00:38 +0000
                    Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? Janet <nobody@home.org> - 2016-01-06 13:20 +0000
                      Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? Harrison Hill <harrisonhill2345@gmail.com> - 2016-01-06 08:40 -0800
                        Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? musika <mUs1Ka@NOSPAMexcite.com> - 2016-01-06 19:16 +0000
                          Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? Harrison Hill <harrisonhill2345@gmail.com> - 2016-01-06 11:31 -0800
                            Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? charles <charles@candehope.me.uk> - 2016-01-06 20:28 +0000
                              Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? Harrison Hill <harrisonhill2345@gmail.com> - 2016-01-06 13:20 -0800
                      Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? "Peter Duncanson [BrE]" <mail@peterduncanson.net> - 2016-01-06 19:31 +0000
                  Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? Lewis <g.kreme@gmail.com.dontsendmecopies> - 2016-01-06 00:44 +0000
                  Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? Peter Moylan <peter@pmoylan.org.invalid> - 2016-01-06 14:12 +1100
                    Re: "Worse ever" or "worst ever"? RH Draney <dadoctah@cox.net> - 2016-01-06 03:12 -0700
    "Worse thread ever" or "worst thread ever"? ANTant@zimage.com (Ant) - 2016-01-07 21:32 -0600
      Re: "Worse thread ever" or "worst thread ever"? Jerry Friedman <jerry_friedman@yahoo.com> - 2016-01-07 21:07 -0700

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#578618 — "Worse ever" or "worst ever"?

Which one is the correct spelling? Thank you in advance. :)
-- 
:) New Yr.
Note: A fixed width font (Courier, Monospace, etc.) is required to see this signature correctly.
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 / /\ /\ \                 Ant's Quality Foraged Links: http://aqfl.net
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#578619

On 2016-01-02 17:31:33 +0000, Ant said:

> Which one is the correct spelling? Thank you in advance. :)

Worst.

"Worse" would imply that only two possibilities were at issue, and that 
wouldn't make sense.


-- 
athel

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#578744

On Sat, 02 Jan 2016 11:31:33 -0600, Ant wrote:
> 
> Which one is the correct spelling? Thank you in advance. :)

Either, depending on context. "Worst ever" occurs in more contexts 
than "worse ever".

-- 
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
                                       http://BrownMath.com/
                                  http://OakRoadSystems.com/
"The difference between the /almost right/ word and the 
/right/ word is ... the difference between the lightning-bug
and the lightning."                             --Mark Twain

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#578825

On 2016-01-02 23:55:30 +0000, Stan Brown said:

> On Sat, 02 Jan 2016 11:31:33 -0600, Ant wrote:
>> 
>> Which one is the correct spelling? Thank you in advance. :)
> 
> Either, depending on context. "Worst ever" occurs in more contexts
> than "worse ever".

Hmm. Can you suggest a plausible context for "worse ever"?


-- 
athel

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#578837

On Sun, 3 Jan 2016 14:29:20 +0100, Athel Cornish-Bowden
<acornish@imm.cnrs.fr> wrote:

>On 2016-01-02 23:55:30 +0000, Stan Brown said:
>
>> On Sat, 02 Jan 2016 11:31:33 -0600, Ant wrote:
>>> 
>>> Which one is the correct spelling? Thank you in advance. :)
>> 
>> Either, depending on context. "Worst ever" occurs in more contexts
>> than "worse ever".
>
>Hmm. Can you suggest a plausible context for "worse ever"?

That's what I was wondering.

The problem with "worse ever" is that "worse is used to compare just two
things but the "ever" implies a number of things going back in time.

I can think of a context for "worse than ever". In a bad and
deteriorating situation the phrase "the situation is worse than ever"
would be unremarkable. In that phrase the worst previous state is,
implicitly, being compared with the present state: "(it is) worse than
ever" means "(it is) worse than the worst it has ever been".

 

-- 
Peter Duncanson, UK
(in alt.usage.english)

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#578851

On Sunday, January 3, 2016 at 8:29:26 AM UTC-5, Athel Cornish-Bowden wrote:
> On 2016-01-02 23:55:30 +0000, Stan Brown said:
> 
> > On Sat, 02 Jan 2016 11:31:33 -0600, Ant wrote:
> >> 
> >> Which one is the correct spelling? Thank you in advance. :)
> > 
> > Either, depending on context. "Worst ever" occurs in more contexts
> > than "worse ever".
> 
> Hmm. Can you suggest a plausible context for "worse ever"?

I've been doing worse ever since the tree fell on me.

Sorry, Ant, that's not an answer to your question.

By the way, "worst ever" seems to be popular these days, but before
a noun phrase ("the worst ever show") it's very informal, and there
are lots of alternatives ("the worst show I've ever seen", ("the
worst show in the history of American television").

-- 
Jerry Friedman

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#578855

On 2016-01-03 15:36:08 +0000, Jerry Friedman said:

> On Sunday, January 3, 2016 at 8:29:26 AM UTC-5, Athel Cornish-Bowden wrote:
>> On 2016-01-02 23:55:30 +0000, Stan Brown said:
>> 
>>> On Sat, 02 Jan 2016 11:31:33 -0600, Ant wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> Which one is the correct spelling? Thank you in advance. :)
>>> 
>>> Either, depending on context. "Worst ever" occurs in more contexts
>>> than "worse ever".
>> 
>> Hmm. Can you suggest a plausible context for "worse ever"?
> 
> I've been doing worse ever since the tree fell on me.

OK. I can't quarrel with that.
> 
> Sorry, Ant, that's not an answer to your question.
> 
> By the way, "worst ever" seems to be popular these days, but before
> a noun phrase ("the worst ever show") it's very informal, and there
> are lots of alternatives ("the worst show I've ever seen", ("the
> worst show in the history of American television").


-- 
athel

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#578886

On Sun, 3 Jan 2016 14:29:20 +0100, Athel Cornish-Bowden wrote:
> 
> On 2016-01-02 23:55:30 +0000, Stan Brown said:
> 
> > On Sat, 02 Jan 2016 11:31:33 -0600, Ant wrote:
> >> 
> >> Which one is the correct spelling? Thank you in advance. :)
> > 
> > Either, depending on context. "Worst ever" occurs in more contexts
> > than "worse ever".
> 
> Hmm. Can you suggest a plausible context for "worse ever"?

My psoriasis has been worse, ever since I switched to Shampoo X.

(I freely admit that it's somewhat contrived.)

-- 
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
                                       http://BrownMath.com/
                                  http://OakRoadSystems.com/
"The difference between the /almost right/ word and the 
/right/ word is ... the difference between the lightning-bug
and the lightning."                             --Mark Twain

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#578750

On Saturday, 2 January 2016 17:31:35 UTC, Ant  wrote:
> Which one is the correct spelling? Thank you in advance. :)
  
"Worse ever" occurs in "This winter is worse ever than before".
   
"Worst ever" is more likely. This is the worst Winter
ever = the worst ever Winter :)

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#578781

On Saturday, January 2, 2016 at 7:26:33 PM UTC-5, Harrison Hill wrote:
> On Saturday, 2 January 2016 17:31:35 UTC, Ant  wrote:

> > Which one is the correct spelling? Thank you in advance. :)
>   
> "Worse ever" occurs in "This winter is worse ever than before".

? Is that foreign for "worse than ever before"?

> "Worst ever" is more likely. This is the worst Winter
> ever = the worst ever Winter :)

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#578808

On Sat, 2 Jan 2016 16:26:29 -0800 (PST), Harrison Hill
<harrisonhill2345@gmail.com> wrote:

>On Saturday, 2 January 2016 17:31:35 UTC, Ant  wrote:
>> Which one is the correct spelling? Thank you in advance. :)
>  
>"Worse ever" occurs in "This winter is worse ever than before".

Isn't that supposed to be "This winter is worse than ever before"?

I'd never use "worse ever".  
>   
>"Worst ever" is more likely. This is the worst Winter
>ever = the worst ever Winter :)

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#578824

In article <56d9ff9f-9f51-45d6-9881-b7f8f543fc35@googlegroups.com>,
Harrison Hill  <harrisonhill2345@gmail.com> wrote:

>"Worse ever" occurs in "This winter is worse ever than before".

That's not a construction I've heard.

-- Richard

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#578856

On 2016-01-03 13:16:32 +0000, Richard Tobin said:

> In article <56d9ff9f-9f51-45d6-9881-b7f8f543fc35@googlegroups.com>,
> Harrison Hill  <harrisonhill2345@gmail.com> wrote:
> 
>> "Worse ever" occurs in "This winter is worse ever than before".
> 
> That's not a construction I've heard.

Nor I.


-- 
athel

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#578917

On 03/01/2016 10:47 AM, Athel Cornish-Bowden wrote:
> Richard Tobin said:
>> Harrison Hill  <harrisonhill2345@gmail.com> wrote:

>>> "Worse ever" occurs in "This winter is worse ever than before".

>> That's not a construction I've heard.

> Nor I.

Ditto, but I've been thinking about the colloquial use of "never" as an
emphatic negative ("you stole my football this morning!" "I never
did!"), and the limited use of "ever" as an emphatic positive ("This
winter is worse than before." Is it ever!").  The semantic transfer is
obvious.

Perhaps there are uses in some kinds of speech that convey simple emphasis.

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#578964

On Sunday, January 3, 2016 at 2:09:42 PM UTC-5, CDB wrote:
> On 03/01/2016 10:47 AM, Athel Cornish-Bowden wrote:
> > Richard Tobin said:
> >> Harrison Hill  <harrisonhill2345@gmail.com> wrote:

> >>> "Worse ever" occurs in "This winter is worse ever than before".
> >> That's not a construction I've heard.
> > Nor I.
> 
> Ditto, but I've been thinking about the colloquial use of "never" as an
> emphatic negative ("you stole my football this morning!" "I never
> did!"), and the limited use of "ever" as an emphatic positive ("This
> winter is worse than before." Is it ever!").  The semantic transfer is
> obvious.

The former wouldn't be found in AmE (actually I associate it with small 
English boys -- is it in *Lord of the Flies*? Narnia?), the latter is just fine.

> Perhaps there are uses in some kinds of speech that convey simple emphasis.

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#578969

On Saturday, 2 January 2016 17:31:35 UTC, Ant  wrote:
> Which one is the correct spelling? Thank you in advance. :)
   
There are dozens of English phrases where either word is right
(or wrong); some people will observe nuances, others won't.
   
Do you go "toward the coast" or "towards the coast"?
      
"Worse ever" is Good English, and doesn't mean "worst ever".
My "worse ever" Christmas is this one - less enjoyable
than the previous two or three. That doesn't mean that it
compares with the "worst ever".

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#578975

On Sunday, January 3, 2016 at 5:13:04 PM UTC-5, Harrison Hill wrote:
> On Saturday, 2 January 2016 17:31:35 UTC, Ant  wrote:
> > Which one is the correct spelling? Thank you in advance. :)
>    
> There are dozens of English phrases where either word is right
> (or wrong); some people will observe nuances, others won't.
>    
> Do you go "toward the coast" or "towards the coast"?
>       
> "Worse ever" is Good English, and doesn't mean "worst ever".
> My "worse ever" Christmas is this one - less enjoyable
> than the previous two or three. That doesn't mean that it
> compares with the "worst ever".

Once again, incomprehensible. Have you not read the replies to your initial 
mistaken claim?

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#578979

On Sunday, 3 January 2016 22:29:45 UTC, Peter T. Daniels  wrote:
> On Sunday, January 3, 2016 at 5:13:04 PM UTC-5, Harrison Hill wrote:
> > On Saturday, 2 January 2016 17:31:35 UTC, Ant  wrote:
> > > Which one is the correct spelling? Thank you in advance. :)
> >    
> > There are dozens of English phrases where either word is right
> > (or wrong); some people will observe nuances, others won't.
> >    
> > Do you go "toward the coast" or "towards the coast"?
> >       
> > "Worse ever" is Good English, and doesn't mean "worst ever".
> > My "worse ever" Christmas is this one - less enjoyable
> > than the previous two or three. That doesn't mean that it
> > compares with the "worst ever".
> 
> Once again, incomprehensible. Have you not read the replies to your initial 
> mistaken claim?
   
Incomprehensible in your dialect. I see Ethel saying:
   
<quote>
"Worse" would imply that only two possibilities were at issue, and
that wouldn't make sense.
</quote>
   
Why would you (or he) imagine that "worse" needs to compare two things
only? Things get worse, then they get better, then they get worse again.

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#579107

On 03/01/2016 22:44, Harrison Hill wrote:
> On Sunday, 3 January 2016 22:29:45 UTC, Peter T. Daniels  wrote:
>> On Sunday, January 3, 2016 at 5:13:04 PM UTC-5, Harrison Hill wrote:
>>> On Saturday, 2 January 2016 17:31:35 UTC, Ant  wrote:
>>>> Which one is the correct spelling? Thank you in advance. :)
>>>
>>> There are dozens of English phrases where either word is right
>>> (or wrong); some people will observe nuances, others won't.
>>>
>>> Do you go "toward the coast" or "towards the coast"?
>>>
>>> "Worse ever" is Good English, and doesn't mean "worst ever".
>>> My "worse ever" Christmas is this one - less enjoyable
>>> than the previous two or three. That doesn't mean that it
>>> compares with the "worst ever".
>>
>> Once again, incomprehensible. Have you not read the replies to your initial
>> mistaken claim?
>
> Incomprehensible in your dialect. I see Ethel saying:
>
> <quote>
> "Worse" would imply that only two possibilities were at issue, and
> that wouldn't make sense.
> </quote>
>
> Why would you (or he) imagine that "worse" needs to compare two things
> only? Things get worse, then they get better, then they get worse again.
>

It's like "taller" and "tallest". Arnold and Danny are twins; Arnold is
the taller of the two. If there was a third sibling, Arnold would be
the tallest.
-- 
Gordon Davie
Edinburgh, Scotland

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#579120

In article <devjo8F2rjjU1@mid.individual.net>, g.davie@btinternet.com 
says...
> 
> On 03/01/2016 22:44, Harrison Hill wrote:
> > On Sunday, 3 January 2016 22:29:45 UTC, Peter T. Daniels  wrote:
> >> On Sunday, January 3, 2016 at 5:13:04 PM UTC-5, Harrison Hill wrote:
> >>> On Saturday, 2 January 2016 17:31:35 UTC, Ant  wrote:
> >>>> Which one is the correct spelling? Thank you in advance. :)
> >>>
> >>> There are dozens of English phrases where either word is right
> >>> (or wrong); some people will observe nuances, others won't.
> >>>
> >>> Do you go "toward the coast" or "towards the coast"?
> >>>
> >>> "Worse ever" is Good English, and doesn't mean "worst ever".
> >>> My "worse ever" Christmas is this one - less enjoyable
> >>> than the previous two or three. That doesn't mean that it
> >>> compares with the "worst ever".
> >>
> >> Once again, incomprehensible. Have you not read the replies to your initial
> >> mistaken claim?
> >
> > Incomprehensible in your dialect. I see Ethel saying:
> >
> > <quote>
> > "Worse" would imply that only two possibilities were at issue, and
> > that wouldn't make sense.
> > </quote>
> >
> > Why would you (or he) imagine that "worse" needs to compare two things
> > only? Things get worse, then they get better, then they get worse again.
> >
> 
> It's like "taller" and "tallest". Arnold and Danny are twins; Arnold is
> the taller of the two. If there was a third sibling, Arnold would be
> the tallest.

    Not if the third sibling was taller than Arnold. 

   Janet

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