Lesson 15 & 16

Lesson 15 & 16

Going Places

Superlatives

Definition

We use a superlative to say that a thing or person is the most of a group. When we use a superlative adjective ('the tallest student') before the noun, we generally use it with 'the'. This is because there's only one (or one group) of the thing we are talking about.

Form

• Words of one syllable ending in 'e'. Add -st to the end of the word. wide - widest

• Words of one syllable, with one vowel and one consonant at the end. Double the consonant and add -est to the end of the word. big - biggest

• Words of two syllables, ending in 'y'. Change 'y' to 'i', and add -est to the end of the word. happy - happiest

• Words of one syllable, with more than one vowel or more than one consonant at the end. Add - est to the end of the word. high - highest

• Words of two syllables or more, not ending in 'y'. Place 'the most' before the adjective. beautiful - the most beautiful

Example

• There is one student who is the tallest in the class, and because it's clear to the listener which one we mean, we usually use 'the'

• She's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen.

• It's the best café in London.

• John and Lisa are the most intelligent students here.

• This bowl is the biggest one.