Search from various English teachers...
yujini
What is the function/meaning of “best” here in this context?
I understand now that even a happy marriage can be a vexation, that it’s a contract **best** renewed and renewed again, even quietly and privately-even alone.
Does it mean “it is best/ideal when the marriage is (metaphorically) renewed again and again.” or is it something else? Thanks in advance.
Jun 21, 2022 1:51 PM
Answers · 3
1
Your question is an excellent one. While it is straightforward to explain the meaning of the sentence, it is quite difficult to explain the sentence gramatically.
Austin and Lori have explained well the meaning. I will try to explain what I believe to be going on from a grammatical point of view.
"Best", is both an adjective and an adverb. For example,
"He is my best friend". (adjective)
"As a member of the team, he swims best". (adverb)
As an adverb, "best" is the superlative of "well", so you can say
"As a member of the team, he swims well"
to get a weaker statement. This cannot be done when "best" is used as an adjective. You cannot say "He is my well friend". You'd have to say "He is my good friend".
So here's the mystery: in your sentence, "best" is clearly an adverb. BUT WHAT DOES IT MODIFY? It is tempting to say that it modifies "renewed". I think that conclusion would be false. The contract is not renewed well or best.
We get a better idea what is going on if we rearrange the words like this:
"It is best a contract renewed and renewed again."
which has EXACTLY the same meaning as your original. When you write it this way, it becomes clear that "best" is an adverb modifying "is".
Thus the thing that is "best" is not the renewing, but rather the manner of being.
June 21, 2022
1
It basically means "should be" or "needs to be".
So, in this sentences: "that it’s a contract that should be renewed and renewed again" or "that it’s a contract that needs to be renewed and renewed again"
June 21, 2022
1
You’ve got it!
In this example, synonyms for best are: optimally, ideally
Every day you have a choice to be a good marriage partner and enjoy your marriage. You must renew your commitment daily.
June 21, 2022
Still haven’t found your answers?
Write down your questions and let the native speakers help you!
yujini
Language Skills
English, Korean
Learning Language
English
Articles You May Also Like

Same Word, Different Meaning: American, British, and South African English
24 likes · 17 Comments

How to Sound Confident in English (Even When You’re Nervous)
19 likes · 13 Comments

Marketing Vocabulary and Phrases for Business English Learners
16 likes · 6 Comments
More articles
