Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[Marlen]

Dear language experts,

Could you tell me the difference between

the best in the world and the best of the world ?


Thank you very much in advance.

Marlen

[MrPedantic]

Hello Marlen

Do you have a particular context in mind?

MrP

[Marlen]

Hello MrP,

No, I haven't. I thought that you could probably give me some examples of the different use of both.

1 example though Italian ice cream is the best in the world.

And my question is, when exactly do I use in and when of.

I'd be very grateful for further examples.

Thank you
Marlen

[MrPedantic]

Hello Marlen

This is the standard structure:

1. X is the [superlative] Y in the world.

It means "Of all the Ys that are in the world, X is the [superlative]".

e.g.

a) Thierry Henry is the best footballer in the world. ("Of all the footballers in the world, TH is the best.")
b) Venezuela is the strangest place in the world. ("Of all the places in the world, V. is the strangest.")
c) Lions are the laziest creatures in the world. ("Of all the creatures in the world, lions are the laziest.")

There is a variant:

2. [adjective] X is the [superlative] in the world.

e.g.

a) Italian ice cream is the best in the world.
b) Norwegian women are the strongest in the world.
c) French butter is the most expensive in the world.

"Best of the world" is a much less common phrase; you might encounter it in a context such as this, for example:

3. This book contains pictures of the best of the world's beauty spots.

which is another way of saying:

4. This book contains pictures of the best beauty spots in the world.

MrP

[Marlen]

Hi MrP,

Thank you very much for your comprehensive answer.

Kind regards,
Marlen