Superlative facts for kids
A superlative is a special kind of adjective in grammar. It describes a noun that shows the most of a certain quality. Think of it as saying something has more of a quality than anything else in its group.
For example:
- The coldest day means it was colder than all other days.
- The craziest person is crazier than anyone else.
- The fluffiest cloud is the one with the most fluff.
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What Are Superlatives?
Superlatives help us compare three or more things and pick out the one that stands out the most. They tell us which item has the highest or lowest amount of a particular quality.
Imagine you have three friends: one is tall, another is taller, and the third is the tallest. "Tallest" is the superlative form because it describes the friend who is at the very top of the "tall" scale among the group.
How to Form Superlatives
In English, we usually make superlatives in a few ways.
Adding -EST
For most short adjectives, you simply add -est to the end.
- cold becomes coldest
- fast becomes fastest
- small becomes smallest
If an adjective ends in the letter "y," you often change the "y" to an "i" before adding -est.
- crazy becomes craziest
- happy becomes happiest
- funny becomes funniest
Using "Most"
For longer adjectives, especially those with two or more syllables, we usually put the word most before the adjective instead of adding -est.
- You say most interesting, not "interestingest."
- You say most beautiful, not "beautifulest."
- You say most difficult, not "difficultest."
This rule is often used for adjectives that end in "-ing," like "interesting," "fascinating," or "disgusting."
Irregular Superlatives
Some adjectives have special, "irregular" superlative forms. They don't follow the usual rules.
- good becomes best (not "goodest")
- bad becomes worst (not "badest")
- far becomes farthest (not "farest")
- little (meaning amount) becomes least
- much or many becomes most
It's important to learn these irregular forms because they are used very often!
Examples of Superlatives
Here are more examples of how superlatives are used:
- The highest mountain in the world is Mount Everest.
- That was the funniest joke I've ever heard.
- She is the most talented singer in the class.
- This is the oldest building in our town.
- He made the worst mistake of his life.
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See also
In Spanish: Grado (gramática) para niños
