Formation of Superlative AdjectivesAs with comparative adjectives, there are two ways to form a superlative adjective: - short adjectives: add "-est"
- long adjectives: use "most"
We also usually add 'the' at the beginning. | Short adjectives | | 1-syllable adjectives | old, fast | | 2-syllable adjectives ending in -y | happy, easy | | Normal 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 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 | | 2-syllable adjectives not ending in -y | modern, pleasant | | all adjectives of 3 or more syllables | expensive, intellectual | | Normal rule: use "most" | modern > the most modern
expensive > the most expensive |
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With some 2-syllable adjectives, we can use '-est' or 'most':
- quiet > the quietest/most quiet
- clever > the cleverest/most clever
- narrow > the narrowest/most narrow
- simple > the simplest/most simple
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Exception
The following adjectives have irregular forms: - good > the best
- bad > the worst
- far > the furthest
Use of Superlative Adjectives » |
