2020-09-14
180915-2 คำชวนสับสน ในการใช้ ชุด E – Elder – eldest – older – oldest
การใช้ภาษาอังกฤษ ที่ถือว่า ถูกต้อง ในที่นี้ เป็นไป ตามมาตรฐาน ของภาษา
การใช้ภาษาอังกฤษ ไม่กำหนดมาตฐาน ถือตามส่วนใหญ่ที่ใช้แต่ละท้องถิ่น
ความหมาย อาจยืดหยุ่น ขึ้นอยู่กับ ตำแหน่ง/หน้าที่ ในประโยค
Dictionary.com
ออกเสียง “ELDER” = ‘EL-der’
ออกเสียง “ELDEST” = ‘EL-dist’
ออกเสียง “OLDER” = ‘OHL-der’
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Usage Notes
What's the Difference Between 'Elder' and 'Older'?
What to Know
Elder and older but mean "more advanced in age."
But while "older" can describe things as well as people,
"elder" is reserved for people only.
"Elder" can also be used as a noun, as in "respect your elders," whereas "older" cannot.
Elder/eldest and older/oldest both mean "more/most advanced in age."
There's no controversy about these words,
but there are a few important differences you should know before you get any older.
'Elder' and 'eldest' are only used to refer to persons, whereas 'older' and 'oldest' are used to refer to both persons and things.
Elder and Eldest are for People
The main point stressed by many usage experts is that elder and eldest are used only of persons, while older and oldest can be used of both persons and things:
Additionally, some stress that elder and eldest should be reserved for seniority within a family:
Elder is Also a Noun
Perhaps due to their other senses,
it is thought that elder and eldest hold a suggestion of reverence that older and oldest do not.
Additionally, eld is a seldom-used nounthat means "old age" and long ago meant "old times" or "antiquity." But unlike old, you wouldn't ask how eld somebody is.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language
el′der·ship′ n.
Usage Note: In comparisons between two persons,
the adjective elder is simply a more formal term for "older"
and has no implication of advanced age: My elder sibling is fourteen; my younger is nine.
In other contexts it does denote relatively old age, but with the added component of respect for a person's position or achievement: an elder statesman; an elder member of the court.
If the simple fact of advanced or relatively advanced age is the point, older or elderly are usually more appropriate than elder: a survey of older Americans; an elderly waiter.
As with the adjective, the noun elder can be used comparatively without implying old age: He is my elder by three years.
It can also refer to an office in certain churches or, more broadly, to a position of authority or respect conferred byage and experience: an elder in the Presbyterian Church; a tribal elder.
The use of elder in the sense of "an elderly person" is uncommon in contemporary English, though it is widely used as an attributive in such phrases as elder care (or eldercare) and elder services. See Usage Note at old.
Collins COBUILD English Usage
Elder – eldest – older – oldest
1. 'elder'
The elder of two people is the one who was born first.
Posy was the elder of the two.
If you have a sister or brother who was born before you,
you can refer to them as your elder sister or brother.
He had none of his elder brother's charm.
2. 'eldest'
The eldest of a group of people,
especially the brothers and sisters in a family, is the one who was born first.
Gladys was the eldest of four children.
Her eldest son was killed in the First War.
3. 'older' and 'oldest'
Elder and eldest are slightly formal, and many people do not use them at all.
Instead of 'elder' and 'eldest' you can use older and oldest.
He's my older brother.
Six of their children were there, including the oldest, Luke.
You can use older and oldest in some ways in which you cannot use 'elder'.
For example, you can use older after be, get, or grow, and in front of than.
Try it when you are a little older.
We're all getting older.
As he grew older, his fascination with bees developed into an obsession.
Harriet was ten years older than I was.
You cannot use 'elder' in any of these ways.
You can also use older and oldest to talk about things.
On older houses there may be guarantees for treatment against woodworm.
It is the oldest of London squares.
It claims to be the oldest insurance company in the world.
You cannot use 'elder' or 'eldest' to talk about things.
