elder, eldest 與 older, oldest的用法區別與比較

1. older與oldest

old通常的比較級和最高級分別是older, oldest。可用于人或物，可用作表語或定語，可與 than 連用。如：

He is older by five years than me. 他比我大5歲。

The next oldest building is the church. 第二古老的建筑物是那個教堂。

This is the oldest Chinese manuscript in existence. 這是現存的最早漢語手稿。

Many representatives of the older generation were there. 老一輩的各類人都在那里。

As one grows older one’s memory declines. 人的記憶力隨著年齡增長而衰退。

As she got older, she became more and more fond of comfort. 隨著年齡的增長，她更喜歡舒適的生活。

2. elder與eldest

主要用于家人之間表明長幼關系，通常只用于人而不用于物，只用作定語而不用作表語，也不與 than 連用。如：

His eldest boy is at university. 他的長子上大學了。

Jill is my eldest daughter. 吉爾是我的長女。

The estate went to the eldest son. 該地產歸長子繼承。

Their eldest girl’s getting married. 他們的長女就要結婚了。

The mother favored her eldest son. 母親偏袒大兒子。

His elder brother is more English than the English. 他哥哥比英國人更具有英國人的風度。

Her elder daughter, in whom she placed the greatest trust, failed to match her expectations. 她的長女，她對之無比信任，卻辜負了她的期望。

His eldest boy’s at school; the other is still at home. 他的大兒子在上學，另一個還呆在家里。

注：在美國英語中，也可用 older, oldest 表示長幼關系。如：

One day the oldest son had to go into the forest to cut firewood. 有一天大兒子到森林中去砍柴。

elder 與 eldest 的區別是：前者指兩者中年紀較大的, 而后者指三者或三者以上的年紀最大的。如：

one’s elder son 指兩個兒子中年紀較大的一個

one’s eldest son 指三個或三個以上的兒子中年紀最大的一個

3. elder和eldest用作名詞

elder和eldest作為形容詞，通常只能用作定語，不用作表語；但若不是用作形容詞(即其后不接名詞)而是用作名詞，則可以用作表語(此時通常有冠詞或物主代詞修飾)。如：

Which of them is the eldest? 他們中誰的年齡最大?

He was the elder of the two sons. 他是兩個兒子中較大的。