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Unit 108 · Adjectives and adverbs

Superlative (the longest / the most enjoyable etc.)

Study

A

Look at 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.

long → longest
hot → hottest
easy → easiest
hard → hardest
but **most** famous **most** boring
**most** enjoyable **most** difficult

A few superlative forms are irregular:

good → best
bad → worst
far → furthest or farthest

The rules are the same as those for the comparative – see Unit 105. For spelling, see Appendix 6.

B

We normally use the (or my / your etc.) with a superlative:

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Yesterday was the hottest day of the year.

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The Louvre in Paris is one of the most famous museums in the world.

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She is really nice – one of the nicest people I know.

›

What's the best movie you've ever seen, and what's the worst?

›

How old is your youngest child?

Compare the superlative and the comparative:

›

This hotel is the cheapest in town. (superlative)

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It's cheaper than all the others in town. (comparative)

›

He's the most patient person I've ever met.

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He's much more patient than I am.

C

oldest and eldest

The superlative of old is oldest:

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That church is the oldest building in the town. (not the eldest)

We use eldest only when we talk about people in a family (you can also use oldest):

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Their eldest son is 13 years old. (or Their oldest son)

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Are you the eldest in your family? (or the oldest)

D

After superlatives we normally use in with places:

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What's the longest river in the world? (not of the world)

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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.):

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Who is the youngest student in the class? (not of the class)

For a period of time (day, year etc.), we normally use of:

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Yesterday was the hottest day of the year.

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What was the happiest day of your life?

E

We often use the present perfect (I have done) after a superlative (see also Unit 8A):

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What's the most important decision you've ever made?

›

That was the best holiday I've had for a long time.

→ Comparative (cheaper / more expensive etc.) ➜ Units 105–107 · elder ➜ Unit 106E

Exercises (4)

0/4 exercises checked
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108.1

Complete the sentences. Use the superlative forms (-est or most …) of the words in the box.

badcheapgoodhonestpopularshorttall
  1. 1
    We didn't have much money, so we stayed at hotel in the town.example
  2. 2
    This building is 250 metres high, but it's not in the city.
  3. 3
    It was an awful day. It was day of my life.
  4. 4
    What is sport in your country?
  5. 5
    I like the morning. For me it's part of the day.
  6. 6
    Sarah always tells the truth. She's one of people I know.
  7. 7
    A straight line is distance between two points.
108.2

Complete the sentences. Use a superlative (-est or most …) or a comparative (-er or more …).

  1. 1
    We stayed at hotel in the town. (cheap)example
  2. 2
    Our hotel was than all the others in the town. (cheap)example
  3. 3
    I wasn't feeling well yesterday, but I feel a bit today. (good)
  4. 4
    What's thing you've ever bought? (expensive)
  5. 5
    I prefer this chair to the other one. It's . (comfortable)
  6. 6
    Amy and Ben have three daughters. is 14 years old. (old)
  7. 7
    Who is the person you know? (old)
  8. 8
    What's way to get to the station? (quick)
  9. 9
    Which is – the bus or the train? (quick)
  10. 10
    I can remember when I was three years old. It's memory. (early)
  11. 11
    Everest is mountain in the world. It is than any other mountain. (high)
  12. 12
    a: This knife isn't very sharp. Do you have a one? B: No, it's one I have. (sharp)
108.3

Complete the sentences. Use a superlative (-est or most …) + a preposition (of or in).

  1. 1
    It's a very good room. It's the hotel.example
  2. 2
    Brazil is a very large country. It's South America.
  3. 3
    It was a very happy day. It was my life.
  4. 4
    This is a very valuable painting. It's the museum.
  5. 5
    Spring is a very busy time for me. It's the year.
  6. 6
    In the following sentences use one of + a superlative + a preposition. It's a very good room. It's the hotel.example
  7. 7
    He's a very rich man. He's the country.
  8. 8
    She's a very good student. She's the class.
  9. 9
    It was a very bad experience. It was my life.
  10. 10
    It's a very famous university. It's the world.
108.4

What do you say in these situations? Use a superlative + ever.

  1. 1
    You've just been to the cinema. The movie was extremely boring. You tell your friend: (boring / movie / ever / see)
    That's .example
  2. 2
    Someone has just told you a joke which you think is very funny. You say: (funny / joke / ever / hear)
    That's .
  3. 3
    You're drinking coffee with a friend. It's really good coffee. You say: (good / coffee / ever / taste)
    This .
  4. 4
    You have just run ten kilometres. You've never run further than this. You say: (far / ever / run)
    That .
  5. 5
    You gave up your job. Now you think this was a very bad mistake. You say: (bad / mistake / ever / make)
    It .
  6. 6
    Your friend meets a lot of people, some of them famous. You ask your friend: (famous / person / ever / meet?)
    Who ?