Why isn't the definite article used before “closest” in “Who are you closest to”?





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Why is there no definite article before "closest" in the question "Who are you closest to in your family?" My only assumption is that "to be close to someone" is a set phrase and it is used without an article.










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    Why is there no definite article before "closest" in the question "Who are you closest to in your family?" My only assumption is that "to be close to someone" is a set phrase and it is used without an article.










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      down vote

      favorite









      up vote
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      Why is there no definite article before "closest" in the question "Who are you closest to in your family?" My only assumption is that "to be close to someone" is a set phrase and it is used without an article.










      share|improve this question















      Why is there no definite article before "closest" in the question "Who are you closest to in your family?" My only assumption is that "to be close to someone" is a set phrase and it is used without an article.







      phrases adjectives definite-articles superlative-degree






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      edited 7 hours ago









      Laurel

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      Tatiana

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          3 Answers
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          Example sentence with article and superlative:




          Which hospital is the closest?




          Note that in this example there is no prepositional phrases, i.e., "~ to xxx". Were we to introduce such a phrase, we would remove the article:




          Which hospital is closest to this house?




          With article:




          Which hospital is the closest [hospital] to this house?




          You can see that it's overkill to put both in. It is not necessarily grammatically wrong to use both if you structure it as such, but it might be considered semantically inelegant.





          The "to" in your original example, note, is part of the verb phrase "to be close to", as you correctly pointed out. There is a separate prepositional phrase "in your family":




          Who are you closest to in your family?




          It appears that using that verb phrase with an article renders it ungrammatical, maybe. Certainly somewhat awkward:




          Who are you the closest to in your family?




          However, you can just use close intransitively and omit the reflexive prepositional phrase (e.g., We are close [to each other is implied]). In that case, you could use a definite article with the superlative:




          With whom are you the closest(, in your family)?







          share|improve this answer




























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            down vote













            The word Closest would indicate being the most close. You could modify close by saying; "We are very close." or "We are not very close.






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            Elliot is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.

























              up vote
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              Only nouns take articles. "Closest" is an adjective, not a noun. In the sentence "Who are you closest to in your family?", "closest" modifies "you", and "you" needs no article.



              Carly gives the example sentence "Which hospital is the closest?" This can be understood as being short for "Which hospital is the hospital that is closest?" In English, there are situation where a noun being modified by an adjective can be dropped, and the adjective can stand in for the noun, and that is happening here: the noun "hospital" in "closest hospital" is being dropped, leaving the adjective "closest" to act like a noun, and it is that capacity that it receives the article.






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                3 Answers
                3






                active

                oldest

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                3 Answers
                3






                active

                oldest

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                active

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                active

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                up vote
                3
                down vote













                Example sentence with article and superlative:




                Which hospital is the closest?




                Note that in this example there is no prepositional phrases, i.e., "~ to xxx". Were we to introduce such a phrase, we would remove the article:




                Which hospital is closest to this house?




                With article:




                Which hospital is the closest [hospital] to this house?




                You can see that it's overkill to put both in. It is not necessarily grammatically wrong to use both if you structure it as such, but it might be considered semantically inelegant.





                The "to" in your original example, note, is part of the verb phrase "to be close to", as you correctly pointed out. There is a separate prepositional phrase "in your family":




                Who are you closest to in your family?




                It appears that using that verb phrase with an article renders it ungrammatical, maybe. Certainly somewhat awkward:




                Who are you the closest to in your family?




                However, you can just use close intransitively and omit the reflexive prepositional phrase (e.g., We are close [to each other is implied]). In that case, you could use a definite article with the superlative:




                With whom are you the closest(, in your family)?







                share|improve this answer

























                  up vote
                  3
                  down vote













                  Example sentence with article and superlative:




                  Which hospital is the closest?




                  Note that in this example there is no prepositional phrases, i.e., "~ to xxx". Were we to introduce such a phrase, we would remove the article:




                  Which hospital is closest to this house?




                  With article:




                  Which hospital is the closest [hospital] to this house?




                  You can see that it's overkill to put both in. It is not necessarily grammatically wrong to use both if you structure it as such, but it might be considered semantically inelegant.





                  The "to" in your original example, note, is part of the verb phrase "to be close to", as you correctly pointed out. There is a separate prepositional phrase "in your family":




                  Who are you closest to in your family?




                  It appears that using that verb phrase with an article renders it ungrammatical, maybe. Certainly somewhat awkward:




                  Who are you the closest to in your family?




                  However, you can just use close intransitively and omit the reflexive prepositional phrase (e.g., We are close [to each other is implied]). In that case, you could use a definite article with the superlative:




                  With whom are you the closest(, in your family)?







                  share|improve this answer























                    up vote
                    3
                    down vote










                    up vote
                    3
                    down vote









                    Example sentence with article and superlative:




                    Which hospital is the closest?




                    Note that in this example there is no prepositional phrases, i.e., "~ to xxx". Were we to introduce such a phrase, we would remove the article:




                    Which hospital is closest to this house?




                    With article:




                    Which hospital is the closest [hospital] to this house?




                    You can see that it's overkill to put both in. It is not necessarily grammatically wrong to use both if you structure it as such, but it might be considered semantically inelegant.





                    The "to" in your original example, note, is part of the verb phrase "to be close to", as you correctly pointed out. There is a separate prepositional phrase "in your family":




                    Who are you closest to in your family?




                    It appears that using that verb phrase with an article renders it ungrammatical, maybe. Certainly somewhat awkward:




                    Who are you the closest to in your family?




                    However, you can just use close intransitively and omit the reflexive prepositional phrase (e.g., We are close [to each other is implied]). In that case, you could use a definite article with the superlative:




                    With whom are you the closest(, in your family)?







                    share|improve this answer












                    Example sentence with article and superlative:




                    Which hospital is the closest?




                    Note that in this example there is no prepositional phrases, i.e., "~ to xxx". Were we to introduce such a phrase, we would remove the article:




                    Which hospital is closest to this house?




                    With article:




                    Which hospital is the closest [hospital] to this house?




                    You can see that it's overkill to put both in. It is not necessarily grammatically wrong to use both if you structure it as such, but it might be considered semantically inelegant.





                    The "to" in your original example, note, is part of the verb phrase "to be close to", as you correctly pointed out. There is a separate prepositional phrase "in your family":




                    Who are you closest to in your family?




                    It appears that using that verb phrase with an article renders it ungrammatical, maybe. Certainly somewhat awkward:




                    Who are you the closest to in your family?




                    However, you can just use close intransitively and omit the reflexive prepositional phrase (e.g., We are close [to each other is implied]). In that case, you could use a definite article with the superlative:




                    With whom are you the closest(, in your family)?








                    share|improve this answer












                    share|improve this answer



                    share|improve this answer










                    answered 9 hours ago









                    Carly

                    1,396213




                    1,396213
























                        up vote
                        0
                        down vote













                        The word Closest would indicate being the most close. You could modify close by saying; "We are very close." or "We are not very close.






                        share|improve this answer








                        New contributor




                        Elliot is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                        Check out our Code of Conduct.






















                          up vote
                          0
                          down vote













                          The word Closest would indicate being the most close. You could modify close by saying; "We are very close." or "We are not very close.






                          share|improve this answer








                          New contributor




                          Elliot is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                          Check out our Code of Conduct.




















                            up vote
                            0
                            down vote










                            up vote
                            0
                            down vote









                            The word Closest would indicate being the most close. You could modify close by saying; "We are very close." or "We are not very close.






                            share|improve this answer








                            New contributor




                            Elliot is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                            Check out our Code of Conduct.









                            The word Closest would indicate being the most close. You could modify close by saying; "We are very close." or "We are not very close.







                            share|improve this answer








                            New contributor




                            Elliot is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                            Check out our Code of Conduct.









                            share|improve this answer



                            share|improve this answer






                            New contributor




                            Elliot is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                            Check out our Code of Conduct.









                            answered 9 hours ago









                            Elliot

                            1




                            1




                            New contributor




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                            New contributor





                            Elliot is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                            Check out our Code of Conduct.






                            Elliot is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                            Check out our Code of Conduct.






















                                up vote
                                -1
                                down vote













                                Only nouns take articles. "Closest" is an adjective, not a noun. In the sentence "Who are you closest to in your family?", "closest" modifies "you", and "you" needs no article.



                                Carly gives the example sentence "Which hospital is the closest?" This can be understood as being short for "Which hospital is the hospital that is closest?" In English, there are situation where a noun being modified by an adjective can be dropped, and the adjective can stand in for the noun, and that is happening here: the noun "hospital" in "closest hospital" is being dropped, leaving the adjective "closest" to act like a noun, and it is that capacity that it receives the article.






                                share|improve this answer

























                                  up vote
                                  -1
                                  down vote













                                  Only nouns take articles. "Closest" is an adjective, not a noun. In the sentence "Who are you closest to in your family?", "closest" modifies "you", and "you" needs no article.



                                  Carly gives the example sentence "Which hospital is the closest?" This can be understood as being short for "Which hospital is the hospital that is closest?" In English, there are situation where a noun being modified by an adjective can be dropped, and the adjective can stand in for the noun, and that is happening here: the noun "hospital" in "closest hospital" is being dropped, leaving the adjective "closest" to act like a noun, and it is that capacity that it receives the article.






                                  share|improve this answer























                                    up vote
                                    -1
                                    down vote










                                    up vote
                                    -1
                                    down vote









                                    Only nouns take articles. "Closest" is an adjective, not a noun. In the sentence "Who are you closest to in your family?", "closest" modifies "you", and "you" needs no article.



                                    Carly gives the example sentence "Which hospital is the closest?" This can be understood as being short for "Which hospital is the hospital that is closest?" In English, there are situation where a noun being modified by an adjective can be dropped, and the adjective can stand in for the noun, and that is happening here: the noun "hospital" in "closest hospital" is being dropped, leaving the adjective "closest" to act like a noun, and it is that capacity that it receives the article.






                                    share|improve this answer












                                    Only nouns take articles. "Closest" is an adjective, not a noun. In the sentence "Who are you closest to in your family?", "closest" modifies "you", and "you" needs no article.



                                    Carly gives the example sentence "Which hospital is the closest?" This can be understood as being short for "Which hospital is the hospital that is closest?" In English, there are situation where a noun being modified by an adjective can be dropped, and the adjective can stand in for the noun, and that is happening here: the noun "hospital" in "closest hospital" is being dropped, leaving the adjective "closest" to act like a noun, and it is that capacity that it receives the article.







                                    share|improve this answer












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                                    answered 9 hours ago









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