Recherche parmi différents professeurs en Anglais…
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.
21 juin 2022 13:51
Réponses · 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.
21 juin 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"
21 juin 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.
21 juin 2022
Vous n'avez pas encore trouvé vos réponses ?
Écrivez vos questions et profitez de l'aide des locuteurs natifs !
yujini
Compétences linguistiques
Anglais, Coréen
Langue étudiée
Anglais
Articles qui pourraient te plaire

Santa, St. Nicholas, or Father Christmas? How Christmas Varies Across English-Speaking Countries
3 j'aime · 0 Commentaires

Reflecting on Your Progress: Year-End Language Journal Prompts
2 j'aime · 1 Commentaires

Same Word, Different Meaning: American, British, and South African English
25 j'aime · 17 Commentaires
Plus d'articles
