Formation of Superlative Adjectives | Use of Superlative Adjectives
Superlative Adjectives

A superlative adjective expresses the extreme or highest degree of a quality. We use a superlative adjective to describe the extreme quality of one thing in a group of things.

In the example below, "biggest" is the superlative form of the adjective "big":
A B C

B is the biggest.

In this lesson we will look first at how we make superlative adjectives, and then at how we use them:

• Formation of Superlative Adjectives
• Use of Superlative Adjectives

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We can use superlative adjectives when talking about three or more things (not two things).

Formation of Superlative Adjectives

As with comparative adjectives, there are two ways to form a superlative adjective:

    * short adjectives: add "-est"
    * long adjectives: use "most"

We also usually add 'the' at the beginning.

Short adjectives

1-syllable adjectives    old, fast
2-syllable adjectives ending in -y    happy, easy
Normal rule: add "-est"    old > the oldest
Variation: if the adjective ends in -e, just add -st    late > the latest
Variation: if the adjective ends in consonant, vowel, consonant, double the last consonant    big > the biggest
Variation: if the adjective ends in -y, change the y to i    happy > the happiest

Long adjectives

2-syllable adjectives not ending in -y    modern, pleasant
all adjectives of 3 or more syllables    expensive, intellectual
Normal rule: use "most"    modern > the most modern
expensive > the most expensive
 
Grammar Tip: With some 2-syllable adjectives, we can use '-est' or 'most':

    * quiet > the quietest/most quiet
    * clever > the cleverest/most clever
    * narrow > the narrowest/most narrow
    * simple > the simplest/most simple

Exception

The following adjectives have irregular forms:

    * good > the best
    * bad > the worst
    * far > the furthest

Use of Superlative Adjectives

We use a superlative adjective to describe one thing in a group of three or more things. Look at these examples:

    * John is 1m75. David is 1m80. Chris is 1m85. Chris is the tallest.
    * Canada, China and Russia are big countries. But Russia is the biggest.
    * Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world.

If we talk about the three planets Earth, Mars and Jupiter, we can use superlative adjectives as shown in the table below:

Earth / Mars / Jupiter     
Dia-
meter (km)    12,760    6,790    142,800    Jupiter is the biggest.
Dis-
tance from Sun (million km)    150    228    778    Jupiter is the most distant from the Sun.
Length of day (hours)    24    25    10    Jupiter has the shortest day.
Moons    1    2    16    Jupiter has the most moons.
Surface temp.
(degrees Celcius)    22    -23    -150    Jupiter is the coldest.
 
Grammar Tip: When we compare one thing with itself, we do not use "the":

    * England is coldest in winter. (not the coldest)
    * My boss is most generous when we get a big order. (not the most generous)