8.2.1: Superlative of Adjectives and Adverbs
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)The Superlative of Adjectives and Adverbs
The superlative is the form of an adjective or adverb that is used to show that someone or something has more of a particular quality than anyone or anything else.
Forming the Superlative
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THE -EST |
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We use the before nouns that are unique, one of a kind. That is to say, it is clear which one we are talking about. One-syllable adjectives or adverbs are marked with the -est suffix. (See Most / -est ). |
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He is the best actor of all. (good - best) |
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She is the prettiest actress of all. (-est) |
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This movie was the saddest movie of all. (-est) |
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THE MOST |
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The modifier most is placed before adjectives or adverbs of more-than-one syllable. Most expresses the greatest quantity, amount, or degree of something. |
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He is the most skilled actor of all. |
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She is the most beautiful actress of all. (most) |
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The movie was the most tragic of all. (most) |
Comparative and Superlative Forms with Adjectives and Adverbs of One Syllable:
tall taller than the tallest
old older than the oldest
quick quicker than the quickest
slow slower than the slowest
rich richer than the richest
kind kinder than the kindest
flat flatter then the flattest
Examples:
My son André is the tallest person in my family.
Bill Gates is the richest person in America.
My sister is the kindest person that I know.
My wife is the fastest cook of all the women I know.
With adjectives and adverbs that end in Y (only sometimes with LY):
busy busier than the busiest
lazy lazier than the laziest
crazy crazier than the craziest
heavy heavier than the heaviest
happy happier than the happiest
pretty prettier than the prettiest
friendly friendlier than the friendliest
early earlier than the earliest
healthy healthier than the healthiest
Examples:
My son Alex is the heaviest person in my family.
I wake up the earliest in my family.
I think that dogs are the friendliest animal of all the other animals.
Seattle is one of the prettiest cities in America when it isn’t raining.
With adjectives and adverbs that have two or more syllables:
careful more careful than the most careful
carefully more carefully than the most carefully
successful more successful than the most successful
successfully more successfully than the most successfully
quick quicker than the quickest
*quickly more quickly than the most quickly
smooth smoother than the smoothest
*smoothly more smoothly than the most smoothly
easy easier than the easiest
*easily more easily than the most easily
beautiful more beautiful than the most beautiful
beautifully more beautifully than the most beautifully
expensive more expensive than the most expensive
expensively more expensively than the most expensively
strange stranger than the strangest
*strangely more strangely than the most strangely
* In common usage, many people use the est form with short adverbs as well as with short adjectives. In formal grammar, however, it is better to use the most ----ly form.
*My father was the most friendly man that I have ever known.
*My father was the friendliest man that I have ever known.
Joan Baez sang the most beautifully of all the women singers I listened to as a young man.
I studied the most diligently of anyone else in my family as a young boy.
My friend Roger speaks French the most fluently of all my other American friends.
Irregular Superlatives
| far | further than/ farther than* | the furthest/ the farthest* |
| fast | faster than** | the fastest** |
| hard | harder than** | the hardest** |
| late | later than** | the latest** |
(* Generally speaking, the farthest and the furthest have the same meaning. Sometimes I will say the farthest and other times I will say the furthest. However, only the furthest can be used to mean many more of something, especially nouns that can’t really be measured such as education, wisdom, sense of justice, sense of right from wrong, etc.)
(**The words fast, hard, and late are both adjectives AND adverbs of manner. "Fastly" is not a word in English; hardly means almost none of something; and lately means recently or in the past few days.)
Exercise 1:
Give the comparative and the superlative of the following adjectives and adverbs.
Simple Form Comparative Form Superlative Form
1. rich ------------------------- ------------------------
2. simple ------------------------- ------------------------
3. carefully ------------------------- ------------------------
4. hard ------------------------- ------------------------
5. thoughtful ------------------------- ------------------------
6. obediently ------------------------- ------------------------
7. ugly ------------------------- ------------------------
8. ambitious ------------------------- ------------------------
9. carelessly ------------------------- ------------------------
10. round ------------------------- ------------------------
11. angrily ------------------------- ------------------------
12. small ------------------------- ------------------------
Exercise 2:
Complete the following sentences by using superlative adjectives.
1. Rhode Island is (small) ________________________ state in the United States.
2. Alaska is (large)______________________ state in the United States.
3. Seattle is (big) _______________________ city in Washington.
4. Fruit and vegetables are (healthy) __________________________ food to eat.
5. The Nile River is (long) _________________________ river in the world.
6. China is (populous) _______________________ country in the world.
7. My garden is (pretty) _______________________ garden in my neighborhood.
8. My grandmother is (good) ____________________ cook I have ever met.
9. My father was (patient) ____________________ person I have ever met. .
10. Lake Superior is (large) ____________________________________lake in the United States.
11. Mount Everest is (high)_____________________mountain in the world.
12. English is (important)__________________________ language in the world.13. January is (cold) ------------------------- month of the year.
Exercise 3:
Complete the following sentences by using superlative adverbs.
1. The new student wrote (slowly) _______________________________of all the students.
2. My friend ran (fast)______________________________ in the race and won a big prize.
3. My mother worked (hard) ______________________________of all her brothers and sisters.
4. My wife drives (slowly) ____________________________________ in our family.
5. President Obama spoke (eloquently)______________________________________ of any president since Kennedy.
6. Teenage boys drive (dangerously) ________________________________________of all other drivers in the United States.
7. The lazy student did his homework (carelessly) ________________________________________ of all the students.
8. The little girl was playing (quietly) _____________________________ of all the children.
9. Some people on buses in America act (rudely) _____________________________ of bus riders anywhere else in the world.
10. The holder of the winning ticket reacted (happy) _____________________________ of all the people waiting for the numbers to be announced.