Welcome to the Grammar Minute, where we’re saving the English language sixty seconds at a
time! I’m Lauren Smyth, and when I was little, my mom (who was raised in the South) used to
tell me that I should be “the hostess with the mostest.” That usually meant providing tasty food
for my friends, and sharing my chocolate with them, which was very noble of me. But now that I
have reached the age of enlightenment, I know that “most” and “est” should never be used
together – not as one word, like “mostest,” but not as two words either.
Let me explain. I had chocolate. I had the tastiest chocolate. What I didn’t have was the “most
tastiest” chocolate. There are rules for deciding whether an adjective takes the “est” ending or the
additional word “most,” which are covered in a different episode. The main point here is: Do
NOT, under any circumstances, use both. It’s better to pick one and be wrong than to use both
and guarantee you’re wrong.
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