superlatives

A superlative picks one person or thing out of a group: it is bigger, better or more interesting than all the others. The comes before it.

Short adjectives: the -est

The spelling changes the same way as with -er: old – the oldest, nice – the nicest, big – the biggest, easy – the easiest.

Long adjectives: the most

The least is the opposite: the least expensive.

Irregular forms

good – the best, bad – the worst, far – the furthest.

With my, your, her and the other possessive words, there's no the.

In or of

After a superlative, use in for places and groups (in the world, in my family) and of for times and for a number of things (of the year, of the three).

Common mistakes

• × the most big → the biggest
• × the most best → the best
• × He's the taller in the class. → He's the tallest in the class.
• × She is best student. → She is the best student.
• × the tallest of the world → the tallest in the world