What a Superlative Adjective Is
A superlative picks out one person or thing as number one in a group of three or more: the tallest in the class, the most beautiful in the country. The adjective takes -est or comes after most, and the goes in front.
THE + SHORT ADJECTIVE + -ESTtall → the tallest
The whole class is the group, and one student comes first.
Phong is the tallest student in my class.
Phong is taller than every other student in the class.
THE MOST + LONG ADJECTIVEbeautiful → the most beautiful
This is the most beautiful beach in Vietnam.
Beautiful is a long adjective, so it takes the most rather than -est.
IRREGULARgood → the best
That was the best day of my life.
Good has its own superlative: the best, not the goodest.
A superlative needs two things: the in front, and -est or most on the adjective.
TRY IT
- Question 1
"The blue whale is animal in the world."
- Question 2
"Hà is person in our office."
The three forms
SHORT ADJECTIVE
theadj + -est(noun)
It's the oldest house in the street.
One syllable, or two syllables ending in -y: add -est, the same way you add -er.
LONG ADJECTIVE
the mostadj(noun)
The red sofa was the most comfortable one in the shop.
Most adjectives of two syllables or more (not ending in -y): keep the adjective and put the most in front.
IRREGULAR
thebest / worst(noun)
Saturday is the best day for the market.
good → the best · bad → the worst · far → the farthest or the furthest.
-EST AT A GLANCE
- longlongest
- safesafest
- hothottest
- easyeasiest
add -est · ends in -e → add only -st · one syllable ending in one vowel + one consonant → double the consonant (not w: newest) · consonant + y → -iest
After my, your, our and similar words, there is no the: my best friend, our biggest problem.
in my class · in the world · in Vietnam — of all · of the three · of the year · of my life
TRY IT
- Question 1
"The small café is place for breakfast."
- Question 2
"Tết is holiday in Vietnam."
- Question 3
"Lunch was great, but the dessert was part."
When you need a superlative
Records and facts
The Mekong is the longest river in Southeast Asia.
Mountains, rivers, cities and animals that come first in a country or the world.
Signal words: the biggest · the oldest · the highest
Praising a friend
You're the best. Thank you so much!
Said to people close to you when you are very happy or very grateful.
Signal words: the best · the kindest · the funniest
Choosing in a shop
I want the cheapest one, please.
The shop has many, and you pick the cheapest or the smallest.
Signal words: the cheapest · the smallest · the most comfortable
Telling a story
It was the scariest moment of the trip.
Talking about a day or a trip in the past.
Signal words: the worst day · the best trip · of my life
Superlative vs. comparative
For two things, use the comparative with than. To pick one out of three or more, use the superlative with the.
| COMPARATIVE · TWO THINGS | SUPERLATIVE · THREE OR MORE | |
|---|---|---|
| short adjective | Khoa is taller than Duy. | Khoa is the tallest of the three. |
| long adjective | Physics is more difficult than biology. | Physics is the most difficult of all my subjects. |
| irregular | The bus is better than the train. | The bus is the best of all. |
| the words around it | … than + the other person or thing | the … + in / of + the whole group |
TRY IT
- Question 1
"In the city centre, a bike is a car."
- Question 2
"This is photo in the album. Look at your face!"
Common mistakes
Incorrect:She is tallest girl in the school.
Correct:She is the tallest girl in the school.
A superlative needs the in front of it.
Incorrect:It is the most biggest city in the north.
Correct:It is the biggest city in the north.
Biggest already means most big, so adding most says it twice.
Incorrect:He is the most tall player in the club.
Correct:He is the tallest player in the club.
Tall has one syllable, so it takes -est; the most is for long adjectives.
Incorrect:This is the goodest phở in town.
Correct:This is the best phở in town.
Good is irregular, so its superlative is the best.
Incorrect:Lan is the smartest student of my class.
Correct:Lan is the smartest student in my class.
With a place or a group such as a class, a school or a city, a superlative takes in.
Incorrect:Of the three bags, this one is cheaper.
Correct:Of the three bags, this one is the cheapest.
There are three bags, so the sentence needs the superlative.
Incorrect:My the best friend lives in Đà Nẵng.
Correct:My best friend lives in Đà Nẵng.
After my, there is no the.
Quick check · 7 questions
Choose the correct words:
Winter is the coldest season in Hà Nội.
- A. the coldest — Correct
- B. coldest
- C. the colder
Answer: A. the coldest
One season out of four is number one, so use the superlative with the. The colder is a comparative, for two things.
Choose the correct form:
Of all the apps on my phone, this one is the most useful.
- A. the most useful — Correct
- B. the usefulest
- C. the more useful
Answer: A. the most useful
Useful has two syllables (use-ful) and does not end in -y, so the adjective stays the same and the most goes in front.
Choose the correct spelling:
Russia is the biggest country in the world.
- A. the biggest — Correct
- B. the bigest
- C. the most big
Answer: A. the biggest
Big has one syllable and ends in one vowel and one consonant (i + g), so the g doubles before -est, as in bigger.
Choose the correct form:
I lost my wallet and my phone. It was the worst day of the trip.
- A. the worst — Correct
- B. the baddest
- C. the worse
Answer: A. the worst
Bad is irregular: its comparative is worse and its superlative is the worst.
Which sentence is correct?
He was the youngest in the team.
- A. He was the most youngest in the team.
- B. He was the youngest in the team. — Correct
- C. He was the most young in the team.
Answer: B. He was the youngest in the team.
Youngest already means "most young", so adding most says it twice. Young is a short adjective, so the most young is wrong too.
Choose the correct word:
Tâm is the kindest of all my friends.
- A. of — Correct
- B. in
Answer: A. of
After a superlative, of goes with a plural noun for the people in the group: of all my friends, of the three. In goes with a place or a group such as a class, a family or a city.
Choose the correct words:
Between the two T-shirts, the white one is cheaper.
- A. cheaper — Correct
- B. the cheapest
Answer: A. cheaper
Two things take the comparative. The superlative picks one out of three or more.
See whether it really stuck.
Start the quiz · 12 questions
