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 |
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. |
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