51. Elder and eldest

 51. Elder and eldest 

• Incorrect: He is elder than me. 

• Correct: He is older than me. 

• Incorrect: He is the eldest man in the village.

 • Correct: He is the oldest man in the village. Elder and eldest can be used to talk about the order of birth of the members of a family. Note that they are only used before nouns. 

After a verb we use older or oldest. • My elder/older brother is a writer. • His eldest/oldest son is in the Army. • He is older than me. (NOT He is elder than me. 

Elder and eldest can’t be used in the predicative (after a verb) position.)