Superlatives
How to form superlative adjectives with -est and most, why they take the, and how to say where or among whom something is the best.
When you use it
Use a superlative when you pick one item out of three or more and place it at the top or the bottom of a scale: the tallest in the class, the cheapest on the menu, the most difficult question. A comparative sets two things side by side; a superlative looks at the whole group. Superlatives are often followed by in + place, of + group or period, or a clause in the present perfect (the best film I have ever seen).
How it is formed
The rules mirror the comparative: short adjectives take -est, long ones take most. The superlative nearly always comes after the.
| Adjective type | Rule | Base | Superlative |
|---|---|---|---|
| One syllable | the + -est | tall, cheap, old | the tallest, the cheapest, the oldest |
| One syllable ending in -e | the + -st | nice, large | the nicest, the largest |
| One vowel + one consonant | double the consonant, -est | big, hot, sad | the biggest, the hottest, the saddest |
| Two syllables ending in -y | -y becomes -iest | happy, busy, easy | the happiest, the busiest, the easiest |
| Two or more syllables | the most + adjective | expensive, beautiful, important | the most expensive, the most beautiful |
| Irregular | good, bad, far | the best, the worst, the farthest / furthest |
For the lowest point of the scale use the least: the least expensive option.
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| the + superlative + in + place or group | the tallest building in the city; the best player in the team |
| the + superlative + of + period or plural | the coldest day of the year; the oldest of the three |
| the + superlative + present perfect | the best meal I have ever had |
| one of the + superlative + plural noun | one of the cheapest restaurants in town |
| possessive instead of the | my oldest friend; Tom's best idea |
In is used with places and with groups seen as a unit (in the world, in my family, in the class). Of is used with periods of time and with the members of a group (of the year, of all, of the three). Ever strengthens a superlative in the present-perfect pattern: the worst day I have ever had.
Examples
- Tom is the tallest in his class.
- This is the cheapest phone in the shop.
- Kyiv is the biggest city in Ukraine.
- That was the happiest day of my life.
- Anna bought the most expensive coat in the shop.
- It is the best coffee I have ever had.
- Yesterday was the coldest day of the year.
- This is the worst film of the three.
Notice what follows each superlative: in before a group or a place, of before a period or a set of three, and a present-perfect clause after the best coffee.
Common mistakes
- ✗ Tom is tallest boy in the class.
✓ Tom is the tallest boy in the class.
Ukrainian and Russian have no article, so the is easy to drop. A superlative points to one specific item, and English marks that with the. It is only left out when a possessive replaces it: my best friend. - ✗ the most big / ✗ the most cheapest
✓ the biggest / the cheapest
Slavic superlatives are built with a prefix or a separate word («найбільший / самый большой»), so a separate word feels natural. In English short adjectives take -est and never combine it with most. - ✗ the tallest building of the city / ✗ the best student from the group
✓ the tallest building in the city / the best student in the group
Russian uses «в городе» but «из группы»; English uses in for a place or a group seen as a whole, and of for a period or a set of individuals: the best of all. - ✗ It is the most good idea.
✓ It is the best idea.
Good, bad, far keep their irregular forms in the superlative: best, worst, farthest. - ✗ He is the taller of the three brothers.
✓ He is the tallest of the three brothers.
With two things the comparative is enough (the taller of the two); with three or more, English requires the superlative. Russian «выше всех» hides this boundary because the same form works for any group size.
Try it
- August is ___ (hot) month of the year here.
- This is ___ (interesting) book I have read this year.
- Anna is ___ (young) person in the office.
- That was ___ (bad) meal we have ever had.
- Which is ___ (far) planet from the sun?