Good English

[hiflier]

Bad is an adjective, worse is an adjective, but worst is a noun. So is it bad grammar to write 'the worst thing you could do'? Should I write 'the worse thing you could do' instead?

[fiction-factory]

What would it be if it were the opposite- best or better?

[fiction-factory]

"The best thing you could do2 is okay, so "the worst thing you could do " is fine

[fiction-factory]

worst can be a noun, an adjective or an adverb

[fiction-factory]

Tilly2 is around- she will be able to answer it better than I have.

[Tilly2]

Worse is a comparative, worst is a superlative.

[Tilly2]

This is worse than that but this is definitely the worst!

[Tilly2]

FF, you have a lot of faith in me. :-)

[fiction-factory]

Best answer for Tilly. Worst answer for me.

If you are comparing just two things you'd say better rather than best, Tilly, so would you say worse rather than worst.

[Tilly2]

Facebook is worse than Twitter but the worst is definitely Answerbank!

[jourdain2]

Baking Tilly here. Worse is comparative, worst is superlative - both adjectives (as is 'bad'). 'The worst thing you could do' is perfectly correct. Your alternative is appallingly bad grammar.

[Tilly2]

Baking, Jourdain? Ouch!

[jourdain2]

^^ 'Backing Tilly' .....blooming keyboard. I would never bake you, Tils. (perhaps with apples........mmmm)

[Tilly2]

Thanks, anyway. :-)

[Tilly2]

Apple and Tilly crumble sounds nice.

[Garaman]

'The worst thing you could do' is a standard phrase as is 'the best thing you could do', so no, it wouldn't be bad grammar. It might be used literally to mean the worst, but more normally it just precedes what the person perceives as a very bad move.

[jno]

ff, "worst" can also be a verb, meaning "best" (just to complicate matters).

"The worst thing you could do" is fine. Or just "The worst you could do". The first is an adjective, the second is a noun.

[fiction-factory]

Glad you meant "backing", Jourdain- my first thought was that you meant "barking Tilly"

[jourdain2]

Tilly - I've got rhubarb as well ----- this could get quite 'Heston'!

[Tilly2]

Woof!

[Tilly2]

Hiflier, 'The worst thing you could do', is the answer.

It's getting a bit complicated. :-)