Superlative (the longest / the most enjoyable)

Look at these examples:

What is the longest river in the world?
What was the most enjoyable holiday you’ve ever had?
Longest and most enjoyable are superlative forms.

The superlative form is -est or most … . In general, we use -est for short words and most … for
longer words.

 long → longest     hot → hottest     easy → easiest    hard → hardest

 but  most famous    most boring    most enjoyable    most difficult

A few superlative forms are irregular:

good → best   bad → worst   far → furthest or farthest

The rules are the same as those for the comparative.

We normally use the (or my/your etc.) with a superlative:

• Yesterday was the hottest day of the year.

• The Louvre in Paris is one of the most famous museums in the world

• She is really nice – one of the nicest people I know.

• What’s the best movie you’ve ever seen, and what’s the worst?

• How old is your youngest child?

Compare the superlative and the comparative:

• This hotel is the cheapest in town. (superlative)

• It’s cheaper than all the others in town. (comparative)

• He’s the most patient person I’ve ever met.

• He’s much more patient than I am.

oldest and eldest

The superlative of old is oldest:

• That church is the oldest building in the town. (not the eldest)

We use eldest only when we talk about people in a family (you can also use oldest):

• Their eldest son is 13 years old. (or Their oldest son)

• Are you the eldest in your family? (or the oldest)

After superlatives we normally use in with places:

• What’s the longest river in the world? (not of the world)

• We had a nice room. It was one of the best in the hotel. (not of the hotel)

We also use in for organisations and groups of people (a class / a company etc.):

• Who is the youngest student in the class? (not of the class)

For a period of time (day, year etc.), we normally use of:

• Yesterday was the hottest day of the year.

• What was the happiest day of your life?

We often use the present perfect (I have done) after a superlative:

• What’s the most important decision you’ve ever made?

• That was the best holiday I’ve had for a long time.

Try this exercise to test your grammar.

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