“Be Best” - is the grammar right?












1















On May 7th 2018, Melania Trump unveiled her new First Lady platform and the slogan for the campaign is Be Best. The aim would be to focus on physical, social and emotional health, she said. (source)



Is "Be Best" proper English? It just doesn't sound complete to me.



Be your best, be the best... sound much better, but does Be Best work?










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  • 1





    Sounds like it's a shortened form of "Be the best" or "Be your best"—either way it's a ham-fisted attempt, and is anybody outside the MAGA true believers cone of ignorance really surprised?

    – Robusto
    May 8 '18 at 14:37













  • MODERATOR WARNING: Answers go in the answer box. Comments that are not suggestions for improving the question will be deleted. Confine discussion to chat.

    – tchrist
    May 8 '18 at 14:46











  • @EddieB.True Please move your answer to the answer box. :)

    – tchrist
    May 8 '18 at 15:06











  • Hello, Janet. What do you mean here by "Is it 'proper'?"? You can put almost anything on a T-shirt, but you'll lose marks in say an essay for non-standard expressions.

    – Edwin Ashworth
    May 8 '18 at 15:59
















1















On May 7th 2018, Melania Trump unveiled her new First Lady platform and the slogan for the campaign is Be Best. The aim would be to focus on physical, social and emotional health, she said. (source)



Is "Be Best" proper English? It just doesn't sound complete to me.



Be your best, be the best... sound much better, but does Be Best work?










share|improve this question














Post is related to a rapidly changing event.










  • 1





    Sounds like it's a shortened form of "Be the best" or "Be your best"—either way it's a ham-fisted attempt, and is anybody outside the MAGA true believers cone of ignorance really surprised?

    – Robusto
    May 8 '18 at 14:37













  • MODERATOR WARNING: Answers go in the answer box. Comments that are not suggestions for improving the question will be deleted. Confine discussion to chat.

    – tchrist
    May 8 '18 at 14:46











  • @EddieB.True Please move your answer to the answer box. :)

    – tchrist
    May 8 '18 at 15:06











  • Hello, Janet. What do you mean here by "Is it 'proper'?"? You can put almost anything on a T-shirt, but you'll lose marks in say an essay for non-standard expressions.

    – Edwin Ashworth
    May 8 '18 at 15:59














1












1








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1






On May 7th 2018, Melania Trump unveiled her new First Lady platform and the slogan for the campaign is Be Best. The aim would be to focus on physical, social and emotional health, she said. (source)



Is "Be Best" proper English? It just doesn't sound complete to me.



Be your best, be the best... sound much better, but does Be Best work?










share|improve this question
















On May 7th 2018, Melania Trump unveiled her new First Lady platform and the slogan for the campaign is Be Best. The aim would be to focus on physical, social and emotional health, she said. (source)



Is "Be Best" proper English? It just doesn't sound complete to me.



Be your best, be the best... sound much better, but does Be Best work?







grammaticality expression-choice slogan trumpism






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













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edited May 10 '18 at 15:15









Mitch

52.1k15105217




52.1k15105217










asked May 8 '18 at 14:33









janetjanet

912




912



Post is related to a rapidly changing event.




Post is related to a rapidly changing event.









  • 1





    Sounds like it's a shortened form of "Be the best" or "Be your best"—either way it's a ham-fisted attempt, and is anybody outside the MAGA true believers cone of ignorance really surprised?

    – Robusto
    May 8 '18 at 14:37













  • MODERATOR WARNING: Answers go in the answer box. Comments that are not suggestions for improving the question will be deleted. Confine discussion to chat.

    – tchrist
    May 8 '18 at 14:46











  • @EddieB.True Please move your answer to the answer box. :)

    – tchrist
    May 8 '18 at 15:06











  • Hello, Janet. What do you mean here by "Is it 'proper'?"? You can put almost anything on a T-shirt, but you'll lose marks in say an essay for non-standard expressions.

    – Edwin Ashworth
    May 8 '18 at 15:59














  • 1





    Sounds like it's a shortened form of "Be the best" or "Be your best"—either way it's a ham-fisted attempt, and is anybody outside the MAGA true believers cone of ignorance really surprised?

    – Robusto
    May 8 '18 at 14:37













  • MODERATOR WARNING: Answers go in the answer box. Comments that are not suggestions for improving the question will be deleted. Confine discussion to chat.

    – tchrist
    May 8 '18 at 14:46











  • @EddieB.True Please move your answer to the answer box. :)

    – tchrist
    May 8 '18 at 15:06











  • Hello, Janet. What do you mean here by "Is it 'proper'?"? You can put almost anything on a T-shirt, but you'll lose marks in say an essay for non-standard expressions.

    – Edwin Ashworth
    May 8 '18 at 15:59








1




1





Sounds like it's a shortened form of "Be the best" or "Be your best"—either way it's a ham-fisted attempt, and is anybody outside the MAGA true believers cone of ignorance really surprised?

– Robusto
May 8 '18 at 14:37







Sounds like it's a shortened form of "Be the best" or "Be your best"—either way it's a ham-fisted attempt, and is anybody outside the MAGA true believers cone of ignorance really surprised?

– Robusto
May 8 '18 at 14:37















MODERATOR WARNING: Answers go in the answer box. Comments that are not suggestions for improving the question will be deleted. Confine discussion to chat.

– tchrist
May 8 '18 at 14:46





MODERATOR WARNING: Answers go in the answer box. Comments that are not suggestions for improving the question will be deleted. Confine discussion to chat.

– tchrist
May 8 '18 at 14:46













@EddieB.True Please move your answer to the answer box. :)

– tchrist
May 8 '18 at 15:06





@EddieB.True Please move your answer to the answer box. :)

– tchrist
May 8 '18 at 15:06













Hello, Janet. What do you mean here by "Is it 'proper'?"? You can put almost anything on a T-shirt, but you'll lose marks in say an essay for non-standard expressions.

– Edwin Ashworth
May 8 '18 at 15:59





Hello, Janet. What do you mean here by "Is it 'proper'?"? You can put almost anything on a T-shirt, but you'll lose marks in say an essay for non-standard expressions.

– Edwin Ashworth
May 8 '18 at 15:59










3 Answers
3






active

oldest

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My first thought was 'not any more than #BeBetter'; although, thinking it through a little further it would seem how 'be good' would be a sentence in an of itself; so, although it sounds weird, I'd have to side on 'be best' or 'be better' as complete statements as well when considering a verb 'be' and using "best or better" as nouns from the standpoint of a 'state of being' as it were compared to 'normal' usage as adjectives.



BTW, I posted this yesterday in the incorrect 'box', my apologies. EBT






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  • I agree that it's a sentence, but I thought best was an adverb in this case. As in, What do you like best? -- "I'll tell him to be good." "No, tell him to be best."

    – Bread
    May 10 '18 at 1:26











  • No doubt Bread. Typically one would put the article 'the' between "be" and "best"; however, in a world where 'textspeak' exists, normal or proper are rarely in play.

    – Eddie B. True
    May 10 '18 at 12:23



















0














Yes it is correct, but very awkward.



Title case would only be used for a slogan.



The sentence uses a non-determinant structure. As mentioned in a tweeted reply to a tweet that asked the same question recently




It's absolutely correct!.. The extract above uses a non-determinant
structure.







share|improve this answer



















  • 3





    Thank you for your answer. I don’t believe our asker was concerned about the use of uppercase, but rather about the grammar involved. Could you please explain what a “non-determinant structure” means, preferably with citations or references? Also, if you have other examples of this structure, that would help, too.

    – tchrist
    May 8 '18 at 15:05











  • There's a typo it's spelled non-determinate (only one "n") But I see that indeterminate is more common thoughtco.com/indeterminacy-language-term-1691054

    – Mari-Lou A
    May 8 '18 at 16:53








  • 1





    Who's the person who tweeted back? Is he a linguist? A professor? A well-known writer? What are his credentials? And you cite his reply as if he knows what he's talking about. Maybe he does but how do we know if you don't explain why you agree?

    – Mari-Lou A
    May 8 '18 at 17:02











  • if you want to know, go research him, i'm not your pa @Mari-LouA

    – Gary
    May 10 '18 at 19:42





















0














"Be Best" is incorrect. "Be Good", "Be Better", "Be the Best", and "Be Your Best" would have been correct, but "Be Best" is not, even when used as a slogan. In English, a superlative adjective must be preceded by the definite article or by a possessive pronoun. (See: https://www.ef.edu/english-resources/english-grammar/comparative-and-superlative/.)



If "best" is used as adverb, the definite article is omitted. For example:




Revenge is a dish best served cold.




(See: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/learner-english/best_2).

But this is not the case here.



Several articles have recently been written about this question. For example, see:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/may/08/be-best-melania-trump-initiative-grammatical-flaw






share|improve this answer








New contributor




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



















    protected by tchrist May 8 '18 at 15:05



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    3 Answers
    3






    active

    oldest

    votes








    3 Answers
    3






    active

    oldest

    votes









    active

    oldest

    votes






    active

    oldest

    votes









    2














    My first thought was 'not any more than #BeBetter'; although, thinking it through a little further it would seem how 'be good' would be a sentence in an of itself; so, although it sounds weird, I'd have to side on 'be best' or 'be better' as complete statements as well when considering a verb 'be' and using "best or better" as nouns from the standpoint of a 'state of being' as it were compared to 'normal' usage as adjectives.



    BTW, I posted this yesterday in the incorrect 'box', my apologies. EBT






    share|improve this answer
























    • I agree that it's a sentence, but I thought best was an adverb in this case. As in, What do you like best? -- "I'll tell him to be good." "No, tell him to be best."

      – Bread
      May 10 '18 at 1:26











    • No doubt Bread. Typically one would put the article 'the' between "be" and "best"; however, in a world where 'textspeak' exists, normal or proper are rarely in play.

      – Eddie B. True
      May 10 '18 at 12:23
















    2














    My first thought was 'not any more than #BeBetter'; although, thinking it through a little further it would seem how 'be good' would be a sentence in an of itself; so, although it sounds weird, I'd have to side on 'be best' or 'be better' as complete statements as well when considering a verb 'be' and using "best or better" as nouns from the standpoint of a 'state of being' as it were compared to 'normal' usage as adjectives.



    BTW, I posted this yesterday in the incorrect 'box', my apologies. EBT






    share|improve this answer
























    • I agree that it's a sentence, but I thought best was an adverb in this case. As in, What do you like best? -- "I'll tell him to be good." "No, tell him to be best."

      – Bread
      May 10 '18 at 1:26











    • No doubt Bread. Typically one would put the article 'the' between "be" and "best"; however, in a world where 'textspeak' exists, normal or proper are rarely in play.

      – Eddie B. True
      May 10 '18 at 12:23














    2












    2








    2







    My first thought was 'not any more than #BeBetter'; although, thinking it through a little further it would seem how 'be good' would be a sentence in an of itself; so, although it sounds weird, I'd have to side on 'be best' or 'be better' as complete statements as well when considering a verb 'be' and using "best or better" as nouns from the standpoint of a 'state of being' as it were compared to 'normal' usage as adjectives.



    BTW, I posted this yesterday in the incorrect 'box', my apologies. EBT






    share|improve this answer













    My first thought was 'not any more than #BeBetter'; although, thinking it through a little further it would seem how 'be good' would be a sentence in an of itself; so, although it sounds weird, I'd have to side on 'be best' or 'be better' as complete statements as well when considering a verb 'be' and using "best or better" as nouns from the standpoint of a 'state of being' as it were compared to 'normal' usage as adjectives.



    BTW, I posted this yesterday in the incorrect 'box', my apologies. EBT







    share|improve this answer












    share|improve this answer



    share|improve this answer










    answered May 9 '18 at 19:13









    Eddie B. TrueEddie B. True

    4459




    4459













    • I agree that it's a sentence, but I thought best was an adverb in this case. As in, What do you like best? -- "I'll tell him to be good." "No, tell him to be best."

      – Bread
      May 10 '18 at 1:26











    • No doubt Bread. Typically one would put the article 'the' between "be" and "best"; however, in a world where 'textspeak' exists, normal or proper are rarely in play.

      – Eddie B. True
      May 10 '18 at 12:23



















    • I agree that it's a sentence, but I thought best was an adverb in this case. As in, What do you like best? -- "I'll tell him to be good." "No, tell him to be best."

      – Bread
      May 10 '18 at 1:26











    • No doubt Bread. Typically one would put the article 'the' between "be" and "best"; however, in a world where 'textspeak' exists, normal or proper are rarely in play.

      – Eddie B. True
      May 10 '18 at 12:23

















    I agree that it's a sentence, but I thought best was an adverb in this case. As in, What do you like best? -- "I'll tell him to be good." "No, tell him to be best."

    – Bread
    May 10 '18 at 1:26





    I agree that it's a sentence, but I thought best was an adverb in this case. As in, What do you like best? -- "I'll tell him to be good." "No, tell him to be best."

    – Bread
    May 10 '18 at 1:26













    No doubt Bread. Typically one would put the article 'the' between "be" and "best"; however, in a world where 'textspeak' exists, normal or proper are rarely in play.

    – Eddie B. True
    May 10 '18 at 12:23





    No doubt Bread. Typically one would put the article 'the' between "be" and "best"; however, in a world where 'textspeak' exists, normal or proper are rarely in play.

    – Eddie B. True
    May 10 '18 at 12:23













    0














    Yes it is correct, but very awkward.



    Title case would only be used for a slogan.



    The sentence uses a non-determinant structure. As mentioned in a tweeted reply to a tweet that asked the same question recently




    It's absolutely correct!.. The extract above uses a non-determinant
    structure.







    share|improve this answer



















    • 3





      Thank you for your answer. I don’t believe our asker was concerned about the use of uppercase, but rather about the grammar involved. Could you please explain what a “non-determinant structure” means, preferably with citations or references? Also, if you have other examples of this structure, that would help, too.

      – tchrist
      May 8 '18 at 15:05











    • There's a typo it's spelled non-determinate (only one "n") But I see that indeterminate is more common thoughtco.com/indeterminacy-language-term-1691054

      – Mari-Lou A
      May 8 '18 at 16:53








    • 1





      Who's the person who tweeted back? Is he a linguist? A professor? A well-known writer? What are his credentials? And you cite his reply as if he knows what he's talking about. Maybe he does but how do we know if you don't explain why you agree?

      – Mari-Lou A
      May 8 '18 at 17:02











    • if you want to know, go research him, i'm not your pa @Mari-LouA

      – Gary
      May 10 '18 at 19:42


















    0














    Yes it is correct, but very awkward.



    Title case would only be used for a slogan.



    The sentence uses a non-determinant structure. As mentioned in a tweeted reply to a tweet that asked the same question recently




    It's absolutely correct!.. The extract above uses a non-determinant
    structure.







    share|improve this answer



















    • 3





      Thank you for your answer. I don’t believe our asker was concerned about the use of uppercase, but rather about the grammar involved. Could you please explain what a “non-determinant structure” means, preferably with citations or references? Also, if you have other examples of this structure, that would help, too.

      – tchrist
      May 8 '18 at 15:05











    • There's a typo it's spelled non-determinate (only one "n") But I see that indeterminate is more common thoughtco.com/indeterminacy-language-term-1691054

      – Mari-Lou A
      May 8 '18 at 16:53








    • 1





      Who's the person who tweeted back? Is he a linguist? A professor? A well-known writer? What are his credentials? And you cite his reply as if he knows what he's talking about. Maybe he does but how do we know if you don't explain why you agree?

      – Mari-Lou A
      May 8 '18 at 17:02











    • if you want to know, go research him, i'm not your pa @Mari-LouA

      – Gary
      May 10 '18 at 19:42
















    0












    0








    0







    Yes it is correct, but very awkward.



    Title case would only be used for a slogan.



    The sentence uses a non-determinant structure. As mentioned in a tweeted reply to a tweet that asked the same question recently




    It's absolutely correct!.. The extract above uses a non-determinant
    structure.







    share|improve this answer













    Yes it is correct, but very awkward.



    Title case would only be used for a slogan.



    The sentence uses a non-determinant structure. As mentioned in a tweeted reply to a tweet that asked the same question recently




    It's absolutely correct!.. The extract above uses a non-determinant
    structure.








    share|improve this answer












    share|improve this answer



    share|improve this answer










    answered May 8 '18 at 14:45









    GaryGary

    8,96811744




    8,96811744








    • 3





      Thank you for your answer. I don’t believe our asker was concerned about the use of uppercase, but rather about the grammar involved. Could you please explain what a “non-determinant structure” means, preferably with citations or references? Also, if you have other examples of this structure, that would help, too.

      – tchrist
      May 8 '18 at 15:05











    • There's a typo it's spelled non-determinate (only one "n") But I see that indeterminate is more common thoughtco.com/indeterminacy-language-term-1691054

      – Mari-Lou A
      May 8 '18 at 16:53








    • 1





      Who's the person who tweeted back? Is he a linguist? A professor? A well-known writer? What are his credentials? And you cite his reply as if he knows what he's talking about. Maybe he does but how do we know if you don't explain why you agree?

      – Mari-Lou A
      May 8 '18 at 17:02











    • if you want to know, go research him, i'm not your pa @Mari-LouA

      – Gary
      May 10 '18 at 19:42
















    • 3





      Thank you for your answer. I don’t believe our asker was concerned about the use of uppercase, but rather about the grammar involved. Could you please explain what a “non-determinant structure” means, preferably with citations or references? Also, if you have other examples of this structure, that would help, too.

      – tchrist
      May 8 '18 at 15:05











    • There's a typo it's spelled non-determinate (only one "n") But I see that indeterminate is more common thoughtco.com/indeterminacy-language-term-1691054

      – Mari-Lou A
      May 8 '18 at 16:53








    • 1





      Who's the person who tweeted back? Is he a linguist? A professor? A well-known writer? What are his credentials? And you cite his reply as if he knows what he's talking about. Maybe he does but how do we know if you don't explain why you agree?

      – Mari-Lou A
      May 8 '18 at 17:02











    • if you want to know, go research him, i'm not your pa @Mari-LouA

      – Gary
      May 10 '18 at 19:42










    3




    3





    Thank you for your answer. I don’t believe our asker was concerned about the use of uppercase, but rather about the grammar involved. Could you please explain what a “non-determinant structure” means, preferably with citations or references? Also, if you have other examples of this structure, that would help, too.

    – tchrist
    May 8 '18 at 15:05





    Thank you for your answer. I don’t believe our asker was concerned about the use of uppercase, but rather about the grammar involved. Could you please explain what a “non-determinant structure” means, preferably with citations or references? Also, if you have other examples of this structure, that would help, too.

    – tchrist
    May 8 '18 at 15:05













    There's a typo it's spelled non-determinate (only one "n") But I see that indeterminate is more common thoughtco.com/indeterminacy-language-term-1691054

    – Mari-Lou A
    May 8 '18 at 16:53







    There's a typo it's spelled non-determinate (only one "n") But I see that indeterminate is more common thoughtco.com/indeterminacy-language-term-1691054

    – Mari-Lou A
    May 8 '18 at 16:53






    1




    1





    Who's the person who tweeted back? Is he a linguist? A professor? A well-known writer? What are his credentials? And you cite his reply as if he knows what he's talking about. Maybe he does but how do we know if you don't explain why you agree?

    – Mari-Lou A
    May 8 '18 at 17:02





    Who's the person who tweeted back? Is he a linguist? A professor? A well-known writer? What are his credentials? And you cite his reply as if he knows what he's talking about. Maybe he does but how do we know if you don't explain why you agree?

    – Mari-Lou A
    May 8 '18 at 17:02













    if you want to know, go research him, i'm not your pa @Mari-LouA

    – Gary
    May 10 '18 at 19:42







    if you want to know, go research him, i'm not your pa @Mari-LouA

    – Gary
    May 10 '18 at 19:42













    0














    "Be Best" is incorrect. "Be Good", "Be Better", "Be the Best", and "Be Your Best" would have been correct, but "Be Best" is not, even when used as a slogan. In English, a superlative adjective must be preceded by the definite article or by a possessive pronoun. (See: https://www.ef.edu/english-resources/english-grammar/comparative-and-superlative/.)



    If "best" is used as adverb, the definite article is omitted. For example:




    Revenge is a dish best served cold.




    (See: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/learner-english/best_2).

    But this is not the case here.



    Several articles have recently been written about this question. For example, see:
    https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/may/08/be-best-melania-trump-initiative-grammatical-flaw






    share|improve this answer








    New contributor




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

























      0














      "Be Best" is incorrect. "Be Good", "Be Better", "Be the Best", and "Be Your Best" would have been correct, but "Be Best" is not, even when used as a slogan. In English, a superlative adjective must be preceded by the definite article or by a possessive pronoun. (See: https://www.ef.edu/english-resources/english-grammar/comparative-and-superlative/.)



      If "best" is used as adverb, the definite article is omitted. For example:




      Revenge is a dish best served cold.




      (See: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/learner-english/best_2).

      But this is not the case here.



      Several articles have recently been written about this question. For example, see:
      https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/may/08/be-best-melania-trump-initiative-grammatical-flaw






      share|improve this answer








      New contributor




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























        0












        0








        0







        "Be Best" is incorrect. "Be Good", "Be Better", "Be the Best", and "Be Your Best" would have been correct, but "Be Best" is not, even when used as a slogan. In English, a superlative adjective must be preceded by the definite article or by a possessive pronoun. (See: https://www.ef.edu/english-resources/english-grammar/comparative-and-superlative/.)



        If "best" is used as adverb, the definite article is omitted. For example:




        Revenge is a dish best served cold.




        (See: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/learner-english/best_2).

        But this is not the case here.



        Several articles have recently been written about this question. For example, see:
        https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/may/08/be-best-melania-trump-initiative-grammatical-flaw






        share|improve this answer








        New contributor




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










        "Be Best" is incorrect. "Be Good", "Be Better", "Be the Best", and "Be Your Best" would have been correct, but "Be Best" is not, even when used as a slogan. In English, a superlative adjective must be preceded by the definite article or by a possessive pronoun. (See: https://www.ef.edu/english-resources/english-grammar/comparative-and-superlative/.)



        If "best" is used as adverb, the definite article is omitted. For example:




        Revenge is a dish best served cold.




        (See: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/learner-english/best_2).

        But this is not the case here.



        Several articles have recently been written about this question. For example, see:
        https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/may/08/be-best-melania-trump-initiative-grammatical-flaw







        share|improve this answer








        New contributor




        hguler 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




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









        answered 23 mins ago









        hgulerhguler

        463




        463




        New contributor




        hguler is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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        New contributor





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






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            protected by tchrist May 8 '18 at 15:05



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