"Oldest" and "Eldest" - What's the difference?

Hey, guys. I'm Alex. Thanks for clicking, and welcome to this lesson on oldest and eldest.

This is a user-requested lesson from Indrini in Indonesia, and she requested this lesson

on Facebook for us. So, Indrini, this is for you and other English speakers who have the

same question.

So the basic difference between oldest and eldest is we can only use "eldest" to talk

about people, okay? And we can use "oldest" to talk about people or things. So let's write

this quick rule down here. Basically, "eldest" equals "people," and "oldest" equals "people"

and things. Now, again, they both talk about age, right, and superlative age. So, for example,

"My eldest brother is Mario," or "My oldest brother is Mario." There is no difference

in the meaning of this sentence. You're talking about your brother, Mario. You're saying that

he is the eldest or the oldest in your family. He is the person who has had the most birthdays,

obviously.

Here, "Her eldest sibling" or "Her oldest sibling" is 63 years old. So, again, we're

talking about a person, right? If you don't know, "sibling" means brother or sister, right?

Brothers and sisters together. So, if I have one brother, one sister, I have two siblings.

So, "Her eldest sibling" is 63 years old or "Her oldest sibling" is 63 years old. Both

are correct.

Now, here, we have, "He's the oldest man alive." Now, we're talking about a superlative here,

right? He's the oldest man alive. We also have, "Gina lives in the oldest part of town,"

which is also a superlative statement with "the oldest, the oldest." So, another rule

with "oldest" is we can use it with a person, right? Here, we have "man." We can use it

with a thing. We have "town," right? The oldest part of town. But, it's also used in absolutes,

okay? So, like, superlatives, superlatives. So, we would never say, "He's the eldest man

alive." For absolutes, for superlatives, you have to use "oldest." So, again, "oldest"

for people and things, and "absolutes." Okay? So, "Gina lives in the oldest part of town."

It is the oldest part of town, right? And, as you know, we don't say "the eldest part

of town" because the town is not a person. It's a thing.

Okay, guys. So, quick review. "Eldest" -- only use it with people. "Oldest" -- you can use

it with people and things, and you can use it to talk about absolutes or superlatives,

which use "the" before. If you want to test your understanding of "oldest" and "eldest,"

you can check out the quiz on www.engvid.com. Good luck, guys, and see you next time.