My Favorite

One of my students wrote about her favorite things by describing them as her "best favorite." I thought this was a very cute error because it seemed like she really wanted to show how much she loved her favorite things.

We never describe anything we love as our "best favorite." The word "favorite" refers to what a person loves most among many things that he/she loves. For example, I love books in general but some books are my favorites, in other words, I love them more than others. The word "best" can also mean something similar, which is why we have the expression "best friend." A person has many friends, but he/she might have one or two that he/she is closer too. These very close friends are considered "best friends." To put "best" and "favorite" together is repetitive.

So, if you love one thing more than another, you can describe it as your "favorite." If you want to talk about a close friend, you can refer to him/her as your "best friend."

Enjoy the week!