Published at February 17, 2025

Course on Superlatives - TOEIC® Preparation

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In English, the superlative indicates that an element is "the most" or "the least" within a group. For example, when describing a person as being "the tallest" or "the least tall" among a group of people.

Example of superiority:
- John is the tallest student in the class.
Example of inferiority:
- This is the least expensive restaurant in town.

1. Forming the superlative with short adjectives

Short adjectives are those with one syllable or two syllables ending in "-y". To form the superlative:

Add "est" to the end of the adjective.
Place "the" before the superlative.
For an adjective ending in a single vowel followed by a consonant, double the consonant before adding "est".
For an adjective ending in y, replace the "y" with "i" before adding "est".

tall → the tallest
- Mark is the tallest player on the team.
big → the biggest (double “g”)
- This is the biggest house in the neighborhood.
happy → the happiest (the “y” becomes “i”)
- She is the happiest person I know.

2. Forming the superlative with long adjectives

Long adjectives have two syllables (except those ending in -y) or more. To form their superlative, simply use "the most" (for "the most") or "the least" (for "the least") before the adjective, without modifying it.

interesting → the most interesting
- This is the most interesting book I have ever read.
difficult → the most difficult
- It was the most difficult exam of my life.
expensive → the least expensive
- That is the least expensive hotel in the city.

3. Forming the superlative with irregular adjectives and adverbs

Irregular adjectives and adverbs follow different rules in the superlative, with their own forms.

A. Irregular adjectives

Some adjectives do not follow the “-est” or "the most" rule, but adopt a completely different form. These exceptions are common in the language, so it is crucial to know them well.

Adjective	Comparative	Superlative
good	better	the best
bad	worse	the worst
far	farther / further	the farthest / the furthest
little	less	the least
much/many	more	the most

This is the best restaurant in town.
That was the worst decision he ever made.
This is the least expensive option.

What is the difference between farther and further?

Both words can be used to talk about physical distance, but "further" is also used in a more abstract (figurative) sense.

Alaska is the farthest place I have ever visited.
We need to discuss this matter further.

In a purely spatial context, "farthest" is generally preferred, although both terms are interchangeable in most situations.

B. Adverbs in the superlative

Adverbs can also express the superlative. Short adverbs follow the same rule as short adjectives (-est), while long adverbs use "the most" (or "the least").

fast → the fastest
- Of all the competitors, she swam the fastest and won the gold medal.
serious → the most seriously
- Among all the students, she studies the most seriously before exams.

4. Nuances to know

A. "One of the + superlative"

To indicate that an element is among the best, use "one of the" before the superlative.

He is one of the smartest students in the class.
This is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.

B. Adding “very” for emphasis

To give more strength to the superlative, you can add "very" before "the".

This is the very best decision we can make.
She is at the very top of the mountain.

C. Superlative and “ever”

To give more strength to a unique or exceptional experience, add "ever" at the end of the sentence.

This is the best cake I have ever eaten.
That was the worst movie I have ever seen.

D. Situations where “the” is omitted in the superlative

There are several cases where "the" is omitted before a superlative:

With a possessive pronoun (my, your, his, her, our, their):
- ❌ This is the my best idea.
  ✅ This is my best idea.
- She is his closest friend.
In certain fixed expressions:
- ❌ Do the your best!
  ✅ Do your best!
- He came last in the race.
With the genitive ('s):
- ❌ That is the Julia’s best painting.
  ✅ That is Julia’s best painting.
- ❌ This is the the company’s biggest project yet.
  ✅ This is the company’s biggest project yet.
When "most" means "very" instead of "the most":
- ✅ It was a most exciting experience. ❌ It was the most exciting experience.
- ✅ She is a most talented musician. ❌ She is the most talented musician.

In these cases, "the" becomes unnecessary because another element (possessive pronoun, genitive, or specific sense of most) already plays its role as a determiner.

Conclusion

The superlative is essential for expressing an extreme degree of a quality in English. The rules are simple: -est for short adjectives, "the most" or "the least" for long adjectives, with some essential irregular forms. There are notable exceptions: with possessives (my best idea), the genitive (Julia's best work), and fixed expressions (Do your best!).

In the TOEIC®, the superlative is very present in grammar and reading comprehension questions, particularly for comparisons of products, services, or performances.