superlative

superlative

1. We use a superlative to say that a thing or person is the most of a group. When we use a superlative adjective ('the tallest student') before the noun, we generally use it with 'the'. This is because there's only one (or one group) of the thing we are talking about. There is one student who is the tallest in the class, and because it's clear to the listener which one we mean, we usually use 'the':

   • She's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen.
   • It's the best café in London.
   • John and Lisa are the most intelligent students here.
   • This bowl is the biggest one.
   • Remember, we don't use 'the' when there is a possessive:
     • He's my best student.
     • That's our most important goal.
   • Try an exercise about superlatives with 'the' here.
     • With superlative adverbs, we can also choose to use 'the' or 'no article'.
       • Luke reads (the) fastest.
       • I like vanilla ice cream (the) best.
       • She can speak six languages, but she speaks Spanish (the) most confidently