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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