We use superlative adjectives to describe an extreme version of one thing only. We do not use superlatives to compare two things. We add the word “the” and then: When the adjective is a short word (usually 1 syllable), the following rules apply to modify adjectives into their superlative form:
Most commonly, we add the, then add -est to the end of the adjective:
E.g: Yesterday was the coldest day of the year so far.
My son is the youngest member of our family.
When the adjective ends in e, we add the, then add -st to the end of the adjective:
E.g: My house is the largest one in the neighborhood.
He is the strangest person I have ever met.
When the adjective ends with a consonant-vowel-consonant, we add the, usually double the last consonant, then add -est to the end of the adjective:
E.g: This is the biggest meal I’ve had in a long time. Today is the hottest day of summer so far.
When the adjective ends in y, we add the, then remove the y and add -iest:
E.g: You are the luckiest person I know.
Which language do you think is the easiest to learn?
When the adjective is a long word (3 syllables or more), we add the and use the words “most” or “least” followed by the original adjective:
E.g: My father is the most intelligent person I’ve ever met. This is the most enjoyable English class I have taken.
Any time an adjective ends in -ing, we always add the and use the words “most” or “least” followed by the original adjective:
E.g: This is the most interesting play I have ever seen. This is the most boring museum I’ve ever been to.
There are certain 2-syllable adjectives that follow the short-word rule and some that follow the long-word rule when using an adjective in its superlative form. There are no guidelines for these 2-syllable words, but as you become more comfortable with superlative adjectives through use, you will begin to hear when certain words sound wrong with -est and others sound wrong with the words most or least. Below are some common examples:
- est > easy, tidy, happy and funny.
- most or least > careful, gentle, modern and humid.
There are three common irregular adjectives whose comparative forms we need to memorize:
good > the best
bad > the worst
far > the farthest/furthest
fun > the most fun
Let’s practice:
Write the superlative form of the following adjectives:
1. Which is ___________________________ (long) river in the world?
2. Is Everest ___________________________ (high) mountain in the world
3. Where does ___________________________ (poisonous) spider in the world live?
4. Which is ___________________________ (heavy) animal in the world?
5. I think that Tokyo is ___________________________ (large) city in the world.
6. James is definitely ___________________________ (rich) guy in school.
7. I think that math is ___________________________ (difficult) subject of all.
8. That was ___________________________ (easy) test that I have ever taken.
9. That was ___________________________ (sad) film that I have ever seen!
10. Which is ___________________________ (dry) desert on the planet?
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