Superlatives

Superlatives

Lengua Extranjera IV

Mtro. Gonzalo Olivares Oropeza

Superlatives

If you want to compare more than two things to show which has the least or greatest degree of the quality.

Superlatives

• A superlative is the form of an adjective or an adverb used to compare three or more things.

• The superlative form of an adjective is used to show something has a quality to the greatest or least degree.

• The superlative form of an adverb is used to show something has performed an action to the greatest or least degree.

Superlatives

• 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.

• 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 Puebla.

• John and Lisa are the most intelligent students of school.

How to form superlatives adjectives?

Using the syllable rules.

Irregular adjectives

One syllable adjectives.

• big: the biggest

• small: the smallest.

• fat: the fattest

• tall: the tallest

• short: the shortest

• If the word ends in single consonant + vowel + single consonant, you must DOUBLE the last consonant.

Open Ended

Write a sentence in superlative using one of these adjectives:

OLD / FAST / HARD / BIG / FAT / TALL

p.e:

Gonzalo is the tallest teacher from high school.

Maths is the hardest subject to study.

Two or more syllables adjectives

• We use most to make superlatives for most two-syllable adjectives and for all adjectives with three or more syllables:

• Careful: the most careful

• Expensive: the most expensive

• Modern: the most modern

• Intelligent: the most intelligent.

• Beautiful: the most beautiful

• Famous: the most famous

Open Ended

Write a sentence in superlative using one of these adjectives:

MODERN / EXPENSIVE / DIFFICULT / INTELLIGENT / INTERESTING / COLORFUL

p.e:

The new iPhone is the most expensive cellphone, it doesn't worth it.

Tesla Model 3 is the most modern vehicle, it has a lot of gadgets.

Summarizing

Short adjectives

• One-syllable adjectives: old/fast

• Two-syllable adjectives ending in -y: happy/easy

• 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 a 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

• Two-syllable adjectives not ending in -y: modern, pleasant.

• All adjectives of 3 or more syllables: expensive, intelligent.

• RULE: use the "most"

• modern → the most modern

  expensive → the most expensive