Superlative adjectives

Use of superlative adjectives

We use superlative adjectives to compare one thing in a group with all of the other things in the group.

We use “the” before the superlative adjective because we are referring to one specific person or thing.

Example:

Mark is the tallest person in the family.

How to modify a superlative

Method 1

“one of the” + superlative + plural noun

Example:
Great Britain is one of the richest countries in the world.

Meaning:
There are several very rich countries in the world. Great Britain is an example of those very rich countries.

Method 2

“some of the” + superlative + plural noun

Example:
New York, London and Tokyo are some of the most expensive cities in the world.

Meaning:
There are several very expensive cities in the world. New York, London and Tokyo are examples of those cities.

Method 3

We can also modify a superlative with an ordinal number. An ordinal number tells us the order of a group of things. We call the “normal” numbers cardinal numbers.

Number	Cardinal number	Ordinal number
1	one	first
2	two	second
3	three	third
4	four	fourth
5	five	fifth

Look at the picture below. You can see that the members of the family are all of different heights.

Mark is the tallest person in the family.

After Mark, there is an order from the tallest to the shortest.

We use the following structure:

“the” + ordinal number + superlative

Examples:
David is the second tallest person in the family.
Jane is the third tallest person in the family.

Method 4

We can also replace “the” with a possessive.

Form:
possessive + superlative

Examples:
Physics is her hardest exam.
Jane is my best friend.
Maths is Mark’s hardest exam.

Form of superlative adjectives

The form of a superlative depends on the number of syllables in the original adjective. See below for the grammar rules.

One-syllable adjectives

For most one-syllable adjectives:

We add -est

Adjective	Superlative adjective
hard	hardest
tall	tallest
short	shortest
small	smallest

Example:

Mercury is the smallest planet in the solar system.

For one-syllable adjectives ending in “e”:

We add -st

Adjective	Superlative adjective
fine	finest
nice	nicest
rare	rarest

Example:
Jane is the nicest person in the office.

For one-syllable adjectives ending in a consonant, vowel and consonant:

We double the last consonant and add -est

Adjective	Superlative adjective
big	bigger
fat	fatter
hot	hotter
thin	thinner

Example:
Spain is the hottest country in Europe.

Two-syllable adjectives

For most two-syllable adjectives:

We use “most” + adjective

Adjective	Superlative adjective
careful	most careful
famous	most famous
peaceful	most peaceful
pleasant	most pleasant
useful	most useful

Example:
This is the most peaceful view that I have ever seen.

Two-syllable adjectives ending in “y”:

We change the “y” to “i” and add -est

Adjective	Superlative adjective
busy	busiest
easy	easiest
funny	funniest
happy	happiest

Example:
Saturday is the busiest day of the week for shopping.

Two-syllable adjectives ending in “er”, “le” or “ow”:

We usually add -est

Adjective	Superlative adjective
clever	cleverest
gentle	gentlest
narrow	narrowest

Example:
David is the cleverest boy in the class.

Longer adjectives

Adjectives with three or more syllables:

We always use “most” + adjective

Adjective	Superlative adjective
complicated	most complicated
enjoyable	most enjoyable
interesting	most interesting

Example:
This is the most interesting book that I have ever read.

Irregular superlative adjectives

Some superlative adjectives are irregular:

Adjective	superlative adjective
bad	worst
good	best

Examples:
He wants to be the best football player in the world.
In my opinion, she is the worst actress in Hollywood.

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