1. What are superlatives?

Superlatives are used to talk about ‘the most (adjective)‘ in a group.
This means the biggest, shortest, smallest, etc..

2. How to make superlatives?

Superlatives start with adjectives.

There are two main ways to make superlatives:

• x (be) the (adjective + est)
• x (be) the (most + adjective)

Which structure to choose depends on how long the adjective is.

3. One syllable adjectives

For adjectives that are one syllable, use ‘the …est’.

Sometimes small changes must be made to suit the adjective ending.

Adjective ending	Example adjective	Superlative ending	Example superlative	Example sentence
–	short	the …est	the shortest	My sister is the shortest person in my family.
e	large	the …est	the largest	Nico got the largest piece of cake.
single vowel + single consonant	fat	single vowel + double consonant	the fattest	I am the fattest person in my office.

4. Examples for one syllable adjectives

Adjective	the adj. …est	Example sentence
tall	the tallest	Gary is the tallest student in the class.
fast	the fastest	Lily is the fastest swimmer I have ever seen.
sweet	the sweetest	You make the sweetest dessert.
large	the largest	The blue whale is the largest animal in the world.
nice	the nicest	Your wife is the nicest person I know.
fat	the fattest	Tim is the fattest person in the office.
hot	the hottest	We went to the beach on the hottest day of the year.

Good and bad

The superlative for ‘good’ is ‘the best’.
The superlative for ‘bad’ is ‘the worst’.

Adjective	Superlative	Example sentence
good	the best	Maggie is the best worker in the company.
bad	the worst	Graeme is the worst football player I have ever seen.

5. Two syllable adjectives

For adjectives that are two syllables, both ‘the …est’ and ‘the most …’ are used.

Which one is used is based on rules:

Adjective ending	Example adjective	Superlative	Example superlative	Example sentence
–	simple	the …est	the simplest	I got the simplest question on the exam wrong.
y	dirty	the …iest	the dirtiest	Julia’s hands are always the dirtiest in the class.
…ing	boring	the most …	the most boring	Hillary finds physics the most boring subject at school.
…en	wooden	the most …	the most wooden	His acting is the most wooden I have ever seen.
…ed	tired	the most …	the most tired	This is the most tired we have seen the boss.
…ous	famous	the most …	the most famous	Lily is the most famous person in my family: she was once on a soap opera.
…ious	pious	the most …	the most pious	You are the most pious, yet most hypocritical person, I know.
…ful	cheerful	the most …	the most cheerful	My dog is the most cheerful animal in the world.

6. Examples for two syllable adjectives

Adjective	Superlative	Example sentence
stupid	the stupidest	He is the stupidest boyfriend she has ever had.
shallow	the shallowest	The ocean is shallowest near the shore.
spicy	the spiciest	Dave’s chilli is the spiciest in the world.
pretty	the prettiest	Nicola is the prettiest girl in the class.
lovely	the loveliest	This is the loveliest part of the country.
wooden	the most wooden	Pippa is the most wooden actor in Hollywood.
tired	the most tired	I feel the most tired on Wednesday.
wicked	the most wicked	The man in that house is the most wicked on the street.
pompous	the most pompous	You are the most pompous person I know.
playful	the most playful	Dogs are the most playful pet.

7. Three or more syllable adjectives

Superlatives for adjectives with three or more syllables use ‘the most …’.

8. Examples for three syllable adjectives

Adjective	Comparison	Example
interesting	the most interesting	This is the most interesting book that the author has ever written.
delicious	the most delicious	Your father cooks the most delicious pasta.
dangerous	the most dangerous	Hope Street is the most dangerous street in the city.
colourful	the most colourful	Wow. That is the most colourful jacket I have ever seen.

9. Dropping ‘the’

If using a possessive pronoun, ‘the’ can be dropped:

Possessive pronoun	Superlative	Example sentence
My	worst	My worst nightmare is being alone.
His	greatest	His greatest achievement was winning the high school tennis tournament when he was 13.
The company’s	most productive	The company’s most productive employee is Wallace.

In many cases, the possessive pronoun can also be dropped.

Group	Superlative
my test scores	my best	My chemistry score was best.
the times Juan moves	his quickest	Juan is quickest in the morning.
all the places Harris visits in his daily routine	his most comfortable	Harris is most comfortable watching TV on the sofa.

10. Ordinals and superlatives

Ordinals are numbers such as 1st (first), 2nd (second), 3rd (third), 4th (fourth).

They can be used in superlative sentences.

Penny is the second tallest student in her class.	That house is the second most expensive house on the street.
The Ford was the third fastest car in the race.	My family are the fourth richest in the UK.

11. Negative superlatives

Superlatives can be negatives.

To make a negative superlative, use ‘the least …”.

He is the least handsome of the three.	That was the least enjoyable holiday I have ever had.
She is the least quiet student in the class.	People often say pigs are the least intelligent animal, but really they are one of the most intelligent.

12. Exercises

1. Answer these questions:

(i) Who is the tallest person in your family?
(ii) Who is/was the best teacher at your school?
(iii) What was the best holiday you have ever had? And what was the worst?

2. Use ordinals and superlatives to describe people you know (for example, who is the shortest person you know, and who is the second shortest)

3. Use a negative superlative to describe something bad (for example: ‘he is the least thin person in the class’)