Last month on the CISL Blog, we looked at how to compare two things using Comparatives. This month, we are focusing on how to compare three things by using Superlatives. Superlatives are the words we use to talk about how one thing compares to two or more things.
We can make Superlatives several ways, depending on how many syllables we have in the adjective we are using.
One Syllable Adjectives:
Add “the” before the adjective, and add -est to the end of the adjective.
Examples:
- I am the oldest girl in my family.
- She is the tallest girl in our class.
- We are the strongest on our team.
Two Syllable Adjectives:
Do not change the adjective. Add “the most” before the adjective.
Examples:
- You are the most caring person I know.
- He is the most boring person!
Two Syllable Adjectives ending in “y”:
Add “the” before the adjective, subtract the “y,” and add -iest” to the end of the adjective.
Examples:
- You are the happiest person I know.
- What is the easiest language to learn?
Notes on Superlatives:
- Make sure that you are using an adjective. Some words, like “quickly,” are adverbs. You cannot use the rules for Superlatives with them. Other adverbs, like fast, can be changed to faster or fastest. Check your dictionary if you are unsure.
- Some adjectives are irregular and do not use these rules. Here are some examples:
- Good –> Better –> Best
- Bad –> Worse –> Worst
- Old –> Older –> Eldest (for people)
For our lesson on Comparatives, click here.
For our lesson on comparing two things with “as . . . as” expressions, click here.
Cover photo from Shutterstock.