Page 228 - English Grammar in Use

Unit
108 Superlative (the longest / the most enjoyable etc.)

A 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 – see Unit 105.
For spelling, see Appendix 6.

B 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.

C 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)

D 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?

E We often use the present perfect (I have done) after a superlative (see also Unit 8A):
What’s the most important decision you’ve ever made?
That was the best holiday I’ve had for a long time.

216 Comparative (cheaper / more expensive etc.) ➜ Units 105–107 elder ➜ Unit 106E