[speedgibson] Speed Gibson: An Inferior Superlative

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Posted by Speed Gibson:
An Inferior Superlative
http://speedgibson.powerblogs.com/posts/1221322657.shtml


   I happened to hear an Education Minnesota ad, speaking of how excited
   they are to begin the new school year. My eyebrows went up when they
   said they spoke of students achieving their fullest potential. It
   sounded awkward, as though it should be "most full" instead. Actually,
   they should have simply said "full potential."
   "Potential" is maximum ability or capacity. "Fullest" is therefore a
   double superlative, i.e., redundant, and therefore, less than perfect
   English. I was amazed to see how many hits "fullest potential" Google
   found, many from other professional organizations that should know
   better.
   Still, how could an organization supposedly dedicated to education get
   this wrong? With hundreds of English teacher members and plenty of
   cash to hire a proofreader, is there any excuse for this?