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Who gets up earlier?
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Vanessa, "earlier" is comparative and "earliEST" is a superlative.
I can ask my friend Bill the following question:
- Who gets up *earlier*, you or your wife? [comparative]
- In the morning my wife usually gets up earlier than I do.
But if I use the superlative "earliest," I need to include the article "THE." (e.g. "the best," "the fastest")
- Bill, who gets up THE earliest in your house? [superlative]
- My daughter gets up THE earliest.
I can ask my friend Bill the following question:
- Who gets up *earlier*, you or your wife? [comparative]
- In the morning my wife usually gets up earlier than I do.
But if I use the superlative "earliest," I need to include the article "THE." (e.g. "the best," "the fastest")
- Bill, who gets up THE earliest in your house? [superlative]
- My daughter gets up THE earliest.
I think it should be "Who gets up the earliest?". By the way I got up at 5:40 am today. Surely I'm the earliest. :)
Actually, "who gets up earliest" should be without "the"!
Articles can only accompany nouns (or adjectives, when the noun is implied). In your example, "earliest" works as an adverb, because you're using it to describe a verb... so no "the". You'll find many examples of this pattern in texts and online.
However, speakers are so used to adding "the" at every superlative, that only an editor (or fusspot like myself) would notice.
Articles can only accompany nouns (or adjectives, when the noun is implied). In your example, "earliest" works as an adverb, because you're using it to describe a verb... so no "the". You'll find many examples of this pattern in texts and online.
However, speakers are so used to adding "the" at every superlative, that only an editor (or fusspot like myself) would notice.
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