| An Inferior Superlative |
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| Written by Speed Gibson |
| Sunday, 14 September 2008 22:56 |
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I happened to hear an Education Minnesota ad, speaking of how excited they are to begin the new school year. My eyebrows went up when they said they spoke of students achieving their fullest potential. It sounded awkward, as though it should be "most full" instead. Actually, they should have simply said "full potential." "Potential" is maximum ability or capacity. "Fullest" is therefore a double superlative, i.e., redundant, and therefore, less than perfect English. I was amazed to see how many hits "fullest potential" Google found, many from other professional organizations that should know better. Still, how could an organization supposedly dedicated to education get this wrong? With hundreds of English teacher members and plenty of cash to hire a proofreader, is there any excuse for this? Cross-posted and comments welcome at Speed Gibson. |
