Long adjectives

2-syllable adjectives not ending in -y modern, pleasant all adjectives of 3 or more syllables expensive, intellectual

Normal rule: use 'most'

modern > the most modern
expensive > the most expensive

Tip With some 2-syllable adjectives, we can use '-est' or 'most':

• quiet > the quietest/most quiet

• clever > the cleverest/most clever

• narrow > the narrowest/most narrow

• simple > the simplest/most simple

Exception! The following adjectives have irregular forms:

• good > the best

• bad > the worst

• far > the furthest

Use of Superlative Adjectives

We use a superlative adjective to describe 1 thing in a group of 3 or more things.

Look at these examples:

• John is 1m75. David is 1m80. Chris is 1m85. Chris is the tallest.

• America, China and Russia are big countries. But Russia is the biggest.

• Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world.

If we talk about the three planets Earth, Mars and Jupiter, we can use superlatives like this:

	Earth	Mars	Jupiter
Diameter (km)	12,760	6,790	142,800	Jupiter is the biggest.
Distance from Sun (million km)	150	228	778	Jupiter is the most distant from the Sun.
Length of day (hours)	24	25	10	Jupiter has the shortest day.
Moons	1	2	16	Jupiter has the most moons.
Surface temperature (°C)	22	-23	-150	Jupiter is the coldest.

When we compare one thing with itself, we do not use "the":

• England is coldest in winter. (not the coldest)

• My boss is most generous when we get a big order. (not the most generous)

Comparison of Adverbs