Expression "Worst of all" with article?

[Conchita]

[Yankee]

Hi Conchita

How about these? What's your take?

(1) Tom did the best on the exam.
(2) Tom does best on exams when he is not tired.

Can 'the' be omitted from (1)?
Can/should 'the' be added to (2)?

[Conchita]

[Conchita]

Yet another dialectal variation: I'd say 'at the exam'.

[Yankee]

[Yankee]

[Snezana]

Dear Amy&Conchita,

Have you thought of adjective vs. adverb superlatives?
I found something on the subject, so please let me know what you think.
This is (a part of) what Mr Swan has to say:

Michael Swan, Practical English Usage, 2nd edition 1995

page 125

138 comparison (4): using comparatives and superlatives, Subsection 12,
the with superlatives

....

THE is sometimes dropped before superlative adverbs in an informal
style.

Who can run (the) fastest?

THE cannot be dropped when a superlative in predicative position is
used with a defining expression.

This dictionary is the best I could find.
NOT: This dictionary is best I could find.

She was the quickest of all the staff.

The is not used with superlatives in predicative position or with
superlative adverbs, when we compare the same person or thing in
different situations. Compare:

He's nicest when he's had a few drinks. (NOT: He's the nicest when...)

I've got a lot of friends, but he's (the) nicest.

She works hardest when she's doing something for her family. (NOT: She
works the hardest when... (a woman's work is being compared in
different situations.)

She works (the) hardest: her husband doesn't know what work is. (A
woman is being compared with a man -- the is possible.)

So, in our case: It was worst of all in the winter as it was usually dark then.
We have "something" that occurs in (at least) two or more seasons, and it gets worst in the winter. This means that we can apply Mr Swan's rule:
The is not used with with superlative adverbs, when we compare the same person or thing in different situations
This "something" is the same "phenomenon" in different situation i.e. season.

Let me know what you think.

Snezana

[Yankee]

Hi Snezana

Thanks for posting information from Michael Swan's book about this topic.
I've also got his book, but unfortunately it is in storage at the moment.

I usually agree with what Swan writes, but I think it should be noted that his book is occasionally more relevant to British English than it is to American English.

[Snezana]

Amy,

I agree with you regarding Swan's grammar and its relevance to British and American English. You would know that, as a native speaker of American English.

As for my usage of GET(S), maybe I should have used BECOME(S). I wonder if it would be correct. Maybe one can become "something" that is final phase of a certain state, so it could be used with superlative form (as worst is a final phase of bad).
As you said earlier, I'm just thinking out loud!

Regards, Snezana

[Yankee]

Hi Snezana

To me, become would indicate the same thing as get -- a change from one state to another.

Yes, I suppose get(s) or become(s) might work with a superlative in some contexts. If one or more changes of state have already been specifically mentioned (with the same sort of change), then I suppose you could use 'get' or 'become' and the superlative for the final, ultimate change.

But, for the reason I've already mentioned, get and become tend to sound awkward with the superlative.