Introduction:
Old, older this is a comparative adjective. Oldest this is a superlative adjective. Elder this is a comparative adjective. Eldest this is a superlative adjective.
What is a comparative adjective?
Comparative adjectives compare things or people, so we compare one with the other. In this context, we are referring to a greater age.
What is a superlative adjective?
Superlative adjectives compare one thing or person with all other things or people in a group. In this context, we are talking about someone or something that has the greatest age.
OLDER:-
Comparative Adjective:-
Older can also be used to describe something that has existed for a long time.
For example:-
- Ram is older than all his friends.
Something that has existed from a long time.
For example:-
- My computer is older than Buddha’s computer.
In this example, we have a predicative adjective. The adjective follows a linking verb and modifies the subject of the sentence.
ELDER:-
Comparative Adjective:-
Elder is also a comparative adjective. However, we only use it when referring to a person, usually a family member. And it describes someone who has lived for a long time.
For example:-
- Ram is my elder brother.
As you can see in the sentence, elder comes directly before the noun. Therefore, it’s called an attributive adjective. We can’t say Ram is older than me. This is incorrect. Instead, we can use the adjective older, Ram is older than me. Here we have a predicative adjective because the adjective comes after the linking verb.
It’s important to note that elder is also a noun. As a noun, it refers to senior citizens or people that are older and more experienced within a community.
For example:-
- We should respect our elders.
OLDEST:-
Superlative adjective:-
Oldest is a superlative adjective. Again, we use oldest when referring to people or things.
For example:-
- My oldest brother is Ricky.
- He’s the oldest in the family.
When we’re talking about a thing.
For example:-
- That’s the oldest Ancient house I’ve seen.
ELDEST:-
Superlative adjective:-
Eldest is a superlative adjective. However, we only use eldest when we’re talking about a person. Generally family members.
For example:-
- My eldest brother is Ricky.
- He’s the eldest in the family.
Difference between older and elder:-
| OLDER | ELDER |
|---|---|
| It is a comparative degree of old | It is also a comparative degree of old |
| Older can also be used to describe something that has existed for a long time. | we only use it when referring to a person, usually a family member. |
| Can used with it’s own. | Can used only with a noun. |
| For example:- My phone is older than Ram’s phone. | For example:- Ram is my elder brother. |
