UNIT 108. Superlatives (the longest/ the most enjoyable etc.) ENGLISH GRAMMAR IN USE FOR INTERMEDIATE

ENGLISH GRAMMAR IN USE FOR INTERMEDIATE

UNIT 108. Superlatives (the longest/ the most enjoyable etc.)

A	Study these examples: What is the longest river in the world? What was the most enjoyable holiday you've ever had? Longest and most enjoyable are superlative forms. The superlative form is -est or most .... In general, we use -est for short words and most ... for longer words. The rules are the same as those for the comparative- see Unit 105. long→  longest hot → hottest easy → easiest hard → hardest but most famous most boring most difficult most expensive A few adjectives are irregular: good →best bad → worst far→   furthest/ farthest For spelling, see Appendix 6.
B	We normally use the before a superlative (the longest /the most famous etc.): √ Yesterday was the hottest day of the year. The movie was really boring. It's the most boring movie I've ever seen. She is a really nice person- one of the nicest people I know. Why does he always come to see me at the worst possible time? √ √ √ Compare superlative and comparative: √ This hotel is the cheapest in town. (superlative) It's cheaper than all the others in town. (comparative) √ He's the most patient person I've ever met. He's much more patient than I am.
C	Oldest and eldest The superlative of old is oldest: √ That church is the oldest building in the town. (not the eldest) We use eldest (or oldest) when we are talking about people in a family: √ My eldest son is 13 years old. (or My oldest son) Are you the eldest in your family? (or the oldest) √
D	After superlatives we normally use in with places: √ What's the longest river in the world? (not of the world) We had a nice room. It was one of the best in the hotel. (not of the hotel) √ We also use in for organisations and groups of people (a class / a company et c.): √ Who is the youngest student in the class? (not of the class) For a period of time we normally use of: √ Yesterday was the hottest day of the year. What was the happiest day of your life? √
E	We often use the present perfect (I have done) after a superlative (see also Unit BA): √ What's the most important decision you've ever had to make? That was the best holiday I've had for a long time. √

EXERCISES

108.1	Complete the sentences. Use a superlative (-est or most ... )+ a preposition (of or in). 1 It’s a very good room. It's _____ the best room in _____ the hotel. 2 It's a very cheap restaurant. It's ______________________ the town. It was a very happy day. It was ______________________ my life. She's a very intelligent student. She's ______________________ the class. It's a very valuable painting. It's ______________________ the gallery. Spring is a very busy time for me. It’s ______________________ the year. 3 4 5 6 In the following sentences use one of+ a superlative+ a preposition. 7 It’s a very good room. It’s _____ one of the best rooms in ______________ the hotel. 8 He's a very rich man. He's one ______________________ the country. It's a very big castle. It's ______________________ Europe. She's a very good player. She's ______________________ the team. It was a very bad experience. It was ______________________ my life. It's a very famous university. It's ______________________ the world. 9 10 11 12
108.2	Complete the sentences. Use a superlative (-est or most ... ) or a comparative (-er or more ...). 1 We stayed at ___ the cheapest _______ hotel in the town. (cheap) 2 Our hotel was _____ cheaper _____ than all the others in the town. (cheap) 3 The United States is very large, but Canada is ______________________. (large) What's ______________________ _country in the world? (small) I wasn't feeling well yesterday, but I feel a bit ______________________ today. (good) It was an awful day. It was ______________________ day of my life. (bad) What is ______________________ sport in your country? (popular) 4 5 6 7 8 Everest is ______________________ mountain in the world. It is ______________________ than any other mountain. (high) 9 This building is over 250 metres high, but it's not ______________________ in the city. (tall) 10 I prefer this chair to the other one. It's ______________________. (comfortable) What's ______________________ way to get to the station? (quick) Which is ______________________ the bus or the train? (quick) What's ______________________ thing you've ever bought? (expensive) Sue and Kevin have got three daughters. ______________________ is 14 years old. (old) 11 12 13 14
108.3	What do you say in these situations? Use a superlative+ ever. Use the words in brackets (in the correct form). 1 You've just been to the cinema. The movie was extremely boring. You tell your friend: (boring /movie /see) That's _______the most boring movie I’ve ever seen. __________________. 2 Your friend has just told you a joke, which you think is very funny. You say: (funny /joke /hear) That's ________________________________________________________. 3 You're drinking coffee with a friend. It's really good coffee. You say: (good /coffee /taste) This ________________________________________________________. 4 You are talking to a friend about Sarah. Sarah is very generous. You tell your friend about her: (generous /person /meet) She ________________________________________________________. 5 You have just run ten kilometres. You've never run further than this. You say to your friend: (far /run) That ________________________________________________________. 6 You decided to give up your job. Now you think this was a bad mistake. You say to your friend: (bad I mistake I make) It ________________________________________________________. 7 Your friend meets a lot of people, some of them famous. You ask your friend: (famous /person /meet?) Who ________________________________________________________.

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