Study 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 difficult, most expensive
These adjectives are irregular: good -> best, bad -> worst, far -> furthest
We normally use the before a superlative (the longest/the most famous etc.):
* Yesterday was the hottest day of the year.
* That film was really boring. It was the most boring film I've ever seen.
* She is a really nice person - one of the nicest people I know.
* Why does he always come to see me at the worst possible moment? Compare:
* This hotel is the cheapest in town. (superlative)
* This hotel is cheaper than all the others in town. (comparative)
Oldest and eldest
The superlative of old is oldest:
* That church is the oldest building in the town. (not 'the eldest')
We use eldest (or oldest) when we are talking about people in a family:
* My eldest son is 13 years old. (or My oldest son . )
* Are you the eldest in your family? (or . the oldest.
After superlatives we use in with places (towns, buildings etc.):
* What is the longest river in the world? (not 'of the world')
* We had a lovely room. It was one of the nicest in the hotel. (not 'of the hotel')
We also use in for organisations and groups of people (a class/team/company etc.):
* Who is the best student in the class? (not 'of the class')
We normally use of for a period of time:
* What was the happiest day of your life?
* Yesterday was the hottest day of the year.
We often use the present perfect (I have done) after a superlative (see also Unit 8A):
* What's the best film you've ever seen?
* That was the most delicious meal I've had for a long time.
Sometimes we use most + adjective to mean 'very':
* The book you lent me was most interesting. (= very interesting)
* Thank you for the money. It was most generous of you. (= very generous)
EXERCISES
107.1 Complete the sentences. Use a superlative (~est or most ... ) + a preposition.
1 It's a very nice room. It _is the nicest room in_ the hotel.
2. It's a very cheap restaurant. It's --- the town.
3. It was a very happy day. It was --- my life.
4. She's a very intelligent student. She --- the class.
5. It's a very valuable painting. It --- the gallery.
6. Spring is a very busy time for me. It --- the year.
In the following sentences use one of + a superlative + a preposition.
7 It's a very nice room. It _is one of the nicest rooms in_ the hotel.
8. He's a very rich man. He's one --- the world.
9. It's a very old castle. It --- Britain.
10. She's a very good player. She --- the team.
11. It was a very bad experience. It --- my life.
12. He's a very dangerous criminal. He --- the country.
107.2 Complete the sentences. Use a superlative (~est or most ...) or a comparative (~er or more ...).
1. We stayed at _the cheapest_ hotel in the town. (cheap)
2. Our hotel was _cheaper_ than all the others in the town. (cheap)
3. The United States is very large but Canada is ---. (large)
4. What's --- river in the world? (long)
5. He was a bit depressed yesterday but he looks --- today. (happy)
6. It was an awful day. It was --- day of my life. (bad)
7. What is --- sport in your country? (popular)
8. Everest is --- mountain in the world. It is than any other mountain. (high)
9. We had a great holiday. It was one of the --- holidays we've ever had. (enjoyable)
10. I prefer this chair to the other one. It's ---. (comfortable)
11. What's --- way of getting from here to the station? (quick)
12. Mr and Mrs Brown have got three daughters --- is 14 years old. (old)
107.3 What do you say in these situations? Use a superlative + ... ever ... Use the words given in brackets (in the correct form).
1. You've just been to the cinema. The film was extremely boring. You tell your friend: (boring/film/see) _That's the most boring film I've ever seen._
2. Your friend has just told you a joke, which you think is very funny. You say: (funny/joke/hear) That's ---.
3. You're drinking coffee with a friend. It's really good coffee. You say: (good/coffee/taste) This ---.
4. You are talking to a friend about Mary. Mary is very patient. You tell your friend about her:
(patient/person/meet) She ---.
5. You have just run ten kilometres. You've never run further than this. You say to your friend: (far/run) That ---.
6. You decided to give up your job. Now you think this was a bad mistake. You say to your friend: (bad/mistake/make) It ---.
7. Your friend meets a lot of people, some of them famous. You ask your friend: (famous/person/meet?) Who --- ?
107.1
2 It's the cheapest restaurant in the town.
3 It was the happiest day of my life.
4 She is the most intelligent student in the class.
5 It is the most valuable painting in the gallery.
6 It is the busiest time of the year.
8 He's one of the richest men in the world.
9 It is one of the oldest castles in Britain.
10 She is one of the best players in the team.
11 It was one of the worst experiences o my life.
12 He is one of the most dangerous criminals in the country.
107.2
3 larger 4 the longest
5 happier 6 the worst
7 the most popular
8 the highest ... higher
9 most enjoyable
10 more comfortable
11 the quickest
12 The oldest or The eldest
107.3
2 That's the funniest joke I've ever heard.
3 This is the best coffee I've ever tasted.
4 She is the most patient person I've ever met.
5 That's the furthest (or farthest) I've ever run.
6 It is/was the worst mistake I've ever made.
7 Who is the most famous person you Ive ever met?
