Older /oldest

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Older /oldest
Message from mohammad51 posted on 10-10-2018 at 10:49:56 (D | E | F)
Hello
I for long got this sentence online:
A. Jake is the older of the two brothers.
B. Jake is the oldest of the two brothers.
According to the page a = the correct answer.

I just wonder, then they are three brothers not two, and Jake = the older one of the rest.
If not two other than the one we compare with, then " Jake is older than his brother."

My question, to which extent we can correctly use the comparative degree then we use the superlative?
Two persons other than the one we compare with?
I know with four persons we use the superlative.

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Edited by lucile83 on 10-10-2018 11:33

Re: Older /oldest from lucile83, posted on 10-10-2018 at 22:06:12 (D | E)
Hello,
A. Jake is the older of the two brothers. ...yes, correct because there are 2 brothers
B. Jake is the oldest of the two brothers. ...no

When there are 3 or more brothers = the oldest
Jake is older than his brother....it is the basic comparative when you compare 2 people

Re: Older /oldest from gerondif, posted on 11-10-2018 at 22:09:23 (D | E)
Hello
I used to be taught that I could use elder when he was the older of two brothers or sisters.

Elder, eldest or older, oldest?
de English Grammar Today
Elder and eldest mean the same as older and oldest. We only use the adjectives elder and eldest before a noun (as attributive adjectives), and usually when talking about relationships within a family:

Let me introduce Siga. She’s my elder sister.

Not: … She’s my sister. She’s elder.

It’s Catherine’s eightieth birthday on Thursday and she is now the eldest member of the family.

We also use elder and eldest as nouns:

Jack is the eldest of four brothers.

Older and oldest are used in similar ways:

My older sister is coming to stay with us at the weekend.

Matt is the oldest of our children and Simon is the youngest.

Older and oldest can be used to refer to the age of things more generally:

The town hall is by far the oldest building in the whole region.

Not: The town hall is by far the eldest building …

We can use older and oldest after a linking verb (as predicative adjectives):

I think her grandfather must be older than her grandmother.

Not: I think her grandfather must be elder than …

Re: Older /oldest from lucile83, posted on 11-10-2018 at 23:03:57 (D | E)
Hello,
The main point stressed by many usage experts is that elder and eldest are used only of persons, while older and oldest can be used of both persons and things. ...Link

Re: Older /oldest from mohammad51, posted on 13-10-2018 at 12:35:51 (D | E)
Hello
Thank you both lucile83 and gerondif
I feel happy when you answer my questions.

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