1. He works hardest.
2. He works the hardest.
(Are both correct?)
3. She is most beautiful.
4. She is very beautiful.
5. She is the most beautiful.
(Does #3 mean #4 or #5?)
6. She is the most beautiful woman.
7. She is most beautiful woman.
8. She is a most beautiful woman.
9. She is a very beautiful woman.
(is #7 correct? Does #8 mean #9?)
1 is incomplete. Comparative and superlative forms are used for comparisons, but there's no hint of comparison in 1.
2 is OK. It implies that he works harder than all the other people in his group (whatever that may be).
3 and 4 mean the same thing, yes.
5 and 6 imply that "she" is more beautiful than all the others in her group (beauty contestants? female students? or what?).
7 is incorrect usage.
8 and 9 mean the same thing, yes.
1. "He works hardest." - This sentence is grammatically correct and means that he works with greater effort than others. The use of the word "hardest" is the superlative form of the adjective "hard."
2. "He works the hardest." - This sentence is also correct and conveys the same meaning as the previous sentence. The article "the" is used before the superlative form to indicate the highest degree of comparison.
Both sentences are correct and convey the same meaning.
3. "She is most beautiful." - This sentence implies that she is the most beautiful among a specific group or context that has been previously mentioned or is understood from the context. The use of "most" here is the superlative form of the adjective "beautiful."
4. "She is very beautiful." - This sentence simply states that she is beautiful to a high degree. The word "very" intensifies the adjective "beautiful," but it does not necessarily imply a comparison to others.
5. "She is the most beautiful." - This sentence indicates that she is the most beautiful among all others. The use of the definite article "the" before the superlative form emphasizes that she is the absolute highest in beauty.
In this case, sentence #5 means more than sentence #4. Sentence #3 could refer to either #4 or #5 depending on the context. If there is no specific comparison or context, it is generally understood as being closest in meaning to #5.
6. "She is the most beautiful woman." - This sentence states that she is the most beautiful among all women.
7. "She is most beautiful woman." - This sentence is grammatically incorrect. It needs the article "the" before "most" to indicate the superlative form.
8. "She is a most beautiful woman." - This sentence is grammatically correct and means that she is a woman who is beautiful to a high degree. However, it does not necessarily imply a comparison to others.
9. "She is a very beautiful woman." - This sentence is grammatically correct and states that she is a woman who is beautiful to a high degree. The word "very" intensifies the adjective "beautiful".
Sentence #7 is incorrect because it lacks the article "the" before "most." Sentence #8 does not have the same meaning as #9. #8 simply emphasizes her beauty, while #9 intensifies her beauty to a high degree.