Superlative Adjectives
Superlative adjectives are used to emphasize the quality of a noun to the highest degree within a group. The superlative form of most adjectives is formed by adding -est to the base form of short adjectives (adjectives that have 1 or 2 syllables) i.e. (tall, tallest, small, smallest, broad, broadest, round, roundest, etc.), however there are exceptions. A syllable is a distinct vowel sound a word makes when it is pronounced. The definite article -the is frequently used whenever we use a superlative adjective, however when a superlative is used with a possessive adjective (my, his, her, your, their, our, or its) or an -'s to indicate possession we do not use the definite article -the.
Note: There are many short adjectives that use the word -most instead of ending in -est to form their comparative form, especially adjectives that end in the letter -e, these exceptions must be memorized.
Short adjectives - Formation Exceptions
If a one or two syllable adjective ends in the letter -e i.e. (safe, huge, fine, large, etc.) we simply add -st to them instead of -est i.e. (safest, hugest, finest, largest, etc.)
If a one or two syllable adjective ends in a vowel + consonant i.e. (sad, big, wet, etc.) we double the consonant and add -est i.e. (saddest, biggest, wettest, etc.)
If a two syllable adjective ends in a consonant + y i.e. (noisy, lazy, happy, etc.) we remove the -y and add -iest i.e. (noisiest, laziest, happiest, etc.)
Short adjective examples
Ex: I am the youngest student in the class.
Ex: Mark is the smartest person in our group.
Ex: I will wear my nicest shoes to the wedding.
Ex: The oldest comic book in my collection was published in 1964.
Short adjectives that use the adverb -most
There exist short adjectives of 1 or 2 syllables that use the adverb -most to form their superlative form instead of adding -est to their base form. These adjectives are exceptions that must be memorized. Some adjectives can also use either form i.e. (gentlest, most gentle, quietest, most quiet, simplest, most simple), these exceptions must also be memorized. Short adjectives that end in -ful i.e. (stressful, helpful, useful) and short past participle adjectives i.e. (lost, bored) use the adverb -most to form their superlative forms.
Long adjectives (adjectives that have 3 or more syllables) use the adverb -most to form their superlative forms i.e. (intelligent, most intelligent, confident, most confident, difficult, most difficult, mysterious, most mysterious).
Long adjective examples
Ex: Charles is the most ambitious executive in the company.
Ex: My brother is the most adventurous member of my family.
Ex: Thriller was Michael Jackson's most successful album.
Ex: Window XP was the most popular Windows operating system of all time.
Irregular adjectives
Some adjectives are irregular, their comparative and superlative forms do not follow the convention of adding -er and -est or use -more and -most, instead these adjectives change unpredictably and must be memorized.
Irregular superlative adjectives examples
Ex: Star Wars is one of the best science fiction movies ever made.
Ex: College was the furthest point he ever reached.
Ex: Greed is my worst trait.
Absolute adjectives
Absolute adjectives are adjectives that cannot vary in degree of intensity, these adjectives are also called non-gradable adjectives. Absolute adjectives represent states that cannot be intensified or compared, which means they do not have comparative or superlative states i.e. (dead, alive, unique, final, perfect, married, circular, etc.). For example, a noun cannot be more alive than another or be the most alive of a group, a noun can only be alive. Although these adjectives do not have comparative or superlative forms, adverbs and adverb phrases such as almost, nearly, just about, virtually, etc. can be used to say their state was close to being achieved. English students must recognize when an adjective is absolute and should avoid using them in comparative or superlative forms.
Superlative adjectives - used as adverbs
Examples - Using comparative adjectives (informal)
Ex: Mark runs the fastest on the team.
Ex: She speaks the most eloquently of anyone I have met.
Ex: He writes the least clearly of anyone his group.
Ex: I draw the best in my family.
Superlative adjectives - ordinal number (above first) + superlative
We can rank the trait a noun within a group using ordinal numbers.
Ex: He is the second youngest member of our group.
Ex: Colombia is the third largest exporter of coffee in the world.
Ex: Brazil is the fifth biggest country on earth.
Ex: He was voted the sixth greatest actor of all time.
Note: This is not a complete list of all absolute adjectives, however it includes many of the most common ones.