Study these examples:
What is
the longest river in the world?
What was
the most enjoyable holiday you've ever had?
Longest and most enjoyable are superlative forms.
The superlative form is -est or most .. .. In general, we use -est for short words and most ... for longer words. The rules are the same as those for the comparative - see Unit 105.
- long → longest
- hot → hottest
- easy → easiest
- hard → hardest
but- most famous
- most boring
- most difficult
- most expensive
A few adjectives are irregular:
- good → best
- bad → worst
- far → furthest/farthest
For spelling, see Appendix 6.
We normally use
the before a superlative (
the longest /
the most famous etc.):
- Yesterday was the hottest day of the year.
- The movie was really boring. It's the most boring movie I've ever seen.
- She is a really nice person - one of the nicest people I know.
- Why does he always come to see me at the worst possible time?
Compare superlative and comparative:
- This hotel is the cheapest in town. (superlative)
It's cheaper than all the others in town. (comparative) - He's the most patient person I've ever met.
He's much more patient than I am.
Oldest and eldest
The superlative of
old is
oldest:
- That church is the oldest building in the town. (not the eldest)
We use
eldest (
or oldest) when we are talking about people in a family:
- My eldest son is 13 years old. (or My oldest son)
- Are you the eldest in your family? (or the oldest)
After superlatives we normally use
in with places:
- What's the longest river in the world? (not of the world)
- We had a nice room. It was one of the best in the hotel. (not of the hotel)
We also use in for organisations and groups of people (a class / a company etc.):
- Who is the youngest student in the class? (not of the class)
For a period of time, we normally use
of:
- Yesterday was the hottest day of the year.
- What was the happiest day of your life?
We often use the
present perfect (I
have done) after a superlative (see also Unit 8A):
- What's the most important decision you've ever had to make?
- That was the best holiday I've had for a long time.
108.1 Complete the sentences. Use a superlative (-est or most ... ) + a preposition (of or in).
108.2 Complete the sentences. Use a superlative (-est or most ... ) or a comparative (-er or more ... ).
108.3 What do you say in these situations? Use a superlative + ever. Use the words in brackets (in the correct form).
