Superlative adjectives express extremes in comparisons. They can be formed by adding “est” or “most” to the adjective, with strict spelling rules. In formal writing, they should only be used when comparing specific facts.
Often called simply superlative, a superlative adjective states an extreme in a comparison. Many superlatives add “est” to the end of the adjective, sometimes changing the internal spelling as well. Some superlatives, on the other hand, are formed by adding the word “most” and creating an adjective phrase. A superlative adjective usually indicates the suprem, but occasionally the infinitive, of a comparison involving three or more nouns. If the specific objects of comparison are not stated explicitly, the superlative adjective is assumed to be the suprem for every object in the general category of comparison.
Like other adjectives, superlative adjectives describe nouns, but they do so in a comparative context. For example, in the sentence “That car is the fastest I’ve driven,” the word “faster” is the superlative adjective. Indicates a comparison of the car shown to any other car driven by the speaker.
Although many superlatives are created by adding “est” to the end of the adjective, there are strict grammatical rules that govern their spelling. Words ending in a short vowel and then a consonant, such as “great,” double their final constant before applying the suffix: “greater.” This change is necessary to keep the short “i” sound of the vowel in the original word since adding another vowel directly after the “g” would change the “i” to a long sound. Different adjectives have completely different spellings in their superlative form and simply need to be remembered. For example, the superlative for “good” is “better,” while the superlative for “far” is “further” and “bad” is “worse.”
Also, words that are two or more syllables and end in “y” require a spelling change from “y” to “i” before the suffix can be added. For example, “funny” becomes “more fun”. If the multisyllable word does not end in “y”, however, there is no spelling change and the phrase “most” is added at the beginning. For example, “funny” becomes “funniest”. One of the most common mistakes among English speakers is confusing which adjectives require the suffix with the initial sentence or using both with one adjective: “the funniest”.
In formal and academic writing, superlative adjectives should only be used when comparing specific facts. Using a superlative adjective in general terms weakens arguments in formal rhetoric. For example, in the sentence “that was the best book,” the statement implies that the book was the best of all books ever created. Since the writer cannot know every book of creation, the argument lacks validity.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
