Ch 5 · Lesson 9English · Chapter 5 · Lesson 9 · Grammar primer
Superlatives: the oldest, the most careful, the best
One out of a group: the + -est for short words, the most for long ones. And the four that change the whole word: good, better, best.
The short version
A superlative takes the: the biggest
.
Why?Hide
A superlative picks one out of three or more, so it takes the: the biggest, the oldest, the most careful. Short words add -est; long words take the most. For only two things, careful English uses the comparative: the taller of the two.
Superlatives: the oldest, the most careful
A superlative picks one out of three or more. Before it comes the.
..hottest .
| Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|
younger | youngest |
| |
easier | easiest |
| |
After a superlative, English often uses in for a place or a group, and of for a number or a time:
youngestyoungest
For two things, careful English uses the comparative: the taller of the two sisters.
Good, better, best: the irregulars
Four common adjectives change the whole word. Learn them as sets.
| Adjective | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| | |
| worst | |
further | furthest | |
| least |
.worst .
Little here means not much: less time. For size, use small, smaller.
Further and farther are both correct for distance. British English says further more often.
Better is already a comparative, so it never takes more: my English is better, not more better.
Going further: Comparatives: older, more careful and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
Practice
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