This document provides a summary of superlative adjectives through examples of comparing places around the world. It begins with a trivia quiz asking about the highest, tallest, longest, driest, most populated, happiest, and most mysterious places. It then explains the three forms for creating superlative adjectives and provides rules and exceptions. Examples are used to compare the Amazon River as the longest river, Mount Everest as the highest mountain, and Disneyland as the happiest place on earth. Readers are then asked to practice changing adjectives to their superlative form and to create their own sentences using the superlatives.

1. 8 Adjectives:
Superlatives
Around the World
in Superlatives
Focus on Grammar 3
Part VI, Unit 25
By Ruth Luman, Gabriele Steiner, and BJ Wells
Copyright © 2006. Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

2. A Superlatives Trivia Quiz
• What is the highest mountain in the world?
Hang on! You’ll
• get the answers
Where is the tallest waterfall located?
later!
• What is the longest river?
• What is the driest place on earth?
• What is the most populated nation?
• What is often called the happiest place on earth?
• What is one of the most mysterious places?

3. Superlative Adjectives
Use superlative adjectives to compare one person,
place, or thing with other people, places, or things in a
group.
The The
Amazon Yangtze
River River
The Amazon River The Nile River The Yangtze River
The Nile River
The Nile River is the longest river in the world.

4. Form 1
For short adjectives (one syllable and two syllables
ending in –y), use the + adjective + -est.
happy
Disneyland high
Mount Everest
is often called is
the happiest the highest
place on earth. mountain.
the happiest the highest

5. Be Careful!
There are often spelling changes when you add –est.
dry big
The pyramids
The Atacama Desert
in Egypt are
in Chile is
the biggest
the driest desert.
the driest tombs.
the biggest

6. Be Careful!
Some adjectives have irregular superlative forms.
good bad
Wow!! This is the This is the worst camera.
best
place to see the Eiffel
Tower!

7. Form 2
For long adjectives (two or more syllables), use
the most / the least + adjective.
inhabited
Some scientists say mysterious
Some archaeologists
that the Brazilian say that Easter Island
rain forest is is one of
the least inhabited the most mysterious
placeleast inhabited
the on earth. the most mysterious
places in the world.

8. Form 3
For some adjectives, like pleasant, lively,
lovely, or quiet, use either the… -est or the
most / the least.
The weather in the GrandThe weather in Greece in May
The weather in Greece in May
Canyon in July was was the most pleasant.
was the pleasantest.
the least pleasant.

9. Change the adjectives into
Practice 1 superlative forms.
Example: large  the largest
• friendly  the friendliest or the most friendly
• hot the hottest Now, create
your own
• crowded  the most crowded sentences
with these
• expensive  the most expensive superlatives.
• far  the farthest
• nice  the nicest
• early  the earliest

10. Expressions 1
We often use the superlative with other words and
expressions, including in and of (in the world, of
all).
Angel Falls in
China is
Argentina is
the most populated
the tallest waterfall
nation in the world.
of all (waterfalls).

11. Expressions 2
We often use the superlative with ever + the
present perfect.
Machu Picchu has the
most amazing ruins
that I’ve ever seen!
ever + present
perfect

12. Talk with a partner and
Practice 2 complete the sentences
with your own ideas.
Example: The most interesting place I’ve ever seen is…
• The most popular tourist site in my country is…
The most interesting
place I’ve ever seen is…
• The nicest place to stay in my country is…
the Taj Mahal in India.
• The most dangerous place of all places is…
• I think the oldest ruins in the world are…
• The best food I’ve ever eaten is…
• The prettiest place I’ve ever been to is…

13. References
Copyright © 2006 Pearson Education and
its licensors. All rights reserved.