{"id":6892,"date":"2019-01-03T12:28:23","date_gmt":"2019-01-03T17:28:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/?p=6892"},"modified":"2019-01-03T12:28:23","modified_gmt":"2019-01-03T17:28:23","slug":"english-superlatives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/english-superlatives\/","title":{"rendered":"English Superlatives"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo courtesy of Pixabay, CCO<\/p><\/div>\n

Pictured: The Grand Canyon. But, really, it\u2019s the grandest canyon, don\u2019t you think?<\/p>\n

In English, if you want to describe something, you use an adjective<\/strong>. There essentially are three types of adjectives \u2013 simple, comparative<\/strong>, and superlative<\/strong>. The most basic examples would be big, bigger, biggest. I ate a big sandwich, my sister ate a bigger sandwich, but my brother ate the biggest sandwich. In this case, bigger is an adjective which compares<\/em> itself to the first simple example. However, biggest is superior<\/em> to the other two examples.<\/p>\n

Since the biggest is best, this blog is about superlatives.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s review the ways we form superlatives.<\/p>\n

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  1. Single syllable adjectives: add -est<\/em> to the adjective<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    brief\/briefest, dark\/darkest, great\/greatest, sweet\/sweetest<\/p>\n

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    1. Adjectives ending in e: add -st <\/em>to the adjective<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      brave\/bravest, large\/largest, loose\/loosest<\/p>\n

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      1. Adjectives ending in y: remove the y, add -iest<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        happy\/happiest, healthy\/healthiest, lazy\/laziest<\/p>\n

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        1. Adjectives ending in a vowel and consonant combination: double the final consonant, then add -est<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          dim\/dimmest, hot\/hottest, thin\/thinnest,<\/p>\n

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          1. Two or more syllable adjectives: add most<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            admirable\/ most admirable, durable\/most durable, excitable\/most excitable<\/p>\n

            However, this is American English that we\u2019re talking about, so nothing is ever simple. You can follow all the rules that you want, but we Americans use superlatives like dogs eat kibble. The competitive nature of many Americans produces a need to make everything better, bigger, greater, grander than anyone or anything else. Every effort must be made to outdo and outperform whatever came before.<\/p>\n

            Have you ever heard of The Guinness World Records<\/strong>? It is a book which serves as the international authority on achievements in almost any category that you could name. The world\u2019s largest pizza, the world\u2019s longest fingernails, and the world\u2019s largest tea party are just some of the world records that individuals and organizations compete for. And while not all of those who seek a world record are American, many are. To be a world record holder elevates your status (at least in your own mind) and gets your name in print. You are superlative in some distinct way!<\/p>\n

            Therefore, in English, you will find more synonyms for superlative than maybe any other language. Some examples include<\/p>\n