The biggest, the most

  • A2 · Elementary
  • Grammar lesson
  • 60 min
  • superlatives

Superlatives: the -est, the most, the best and the worst, with in or of after them (the biggest city in the Yukon, the longest days of the year). From a true text about Canada's Yukon to a guide to the student's own country.

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the biggestthe mostthe busiest

What's in the lesson

  1. 1Warm-up
  2. 2In this lesson
  3. 3Reading: the YukonReading comprehension
  4. 4What does it mean?Grammar exercise
  5. 5Find the superlativesGrammar exercise
  6. 6SuperlativesGrammar rule
  7. 7How do we make it?Grammar exercise
  8. 8Which is right?Grammar exercise
  9. 9A café reviewGrammar exercise
  10. 10Questions for your teacherGrammar exercise
  11. 11Say it naturallySpeaking practice
  12. 12A guide to your countrySpeaking practice
  13. 13About youGrammar exercise
  14. 14Wrap-up

Homework

  1. 1Homework: Berit's familyGrammar exercise
  2. 2Homework: find the mistakeGrammar exercise
  3. 3Homework: build the sentencesGrammar exercise
  4. 4Homework: my best and worst tripsDiscussion

Two slides from the lesson

Warm-up

A few questions about you before we start.

  1. Which is the biggest city in your country? Do you like it?
  2. What is the coldest month of the year in your city?
  3. Who is the youngest person in your family?

Grammar rule

Superlatives

the + -est, the most + adjective

AdjectiveSuperlative
one syllable: cold, longthe coldest, the longest
ending in -e: large, safethe largest, the safest (+ -st)
one syllable, one vowel + one consonant: big, flatthe biggest, the flattest (double the last letter, but not w: the newest)
consonant + y: busy, earlythe busiest, the earliest (y → i)
most other words with two or more syllables: famous, beautifulthe most famous, the most beautiful
irregular: good, bad, farthe best, the worst, the farthest

A superlative compares one thing with all the others in a group (three or more): My phone is newer than my laptop, but my TV is the newest thing in the house. For two things, use a comparative (newer than).

the, in, of

  • Before a superlative, use the, or a word like my, your, Canada's: the smallest room, my best friend, Canada's biggest lake.
  • in + a place or a group: the tallest tree in the park, the newest person in the office.
  • of + a time, a number or all: the hottest week of the summer, the smallest of the three, the fastest of all.
  • by far makes the difference big: This is by far the warmest room. This is the warmest room by far.
Watch out: not the most big or the most biggest, but the biggest; not the goodest or the baddest, but the best and the worst; and don't forget the: not It's longest bridge, but It's the longest bridge. A few two-syllable adjectives can take both forms (the quietest or the most quiet; also simple, friendly).

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