What Is the
Superlative?
We use the superlative form of an adverb when the total group of comparison includes three or more items,
and you are describing the one that possesses a superior (or inferior) quality.
How do you form the superlative form of an adverb?
We will discuss regular adverbs and irregular adverbs.
1. To the adverb form, add "the most ~ ".
Notice that you do not need to include the entire comparison; you need only include it if the comparison is unclear.
|
| base form --> |
the most + adverb (of) |
| quick --> |
We left quickly. |
|
|
| comparative |
We left
more quickly than
we had arrived. |
|
|
|
superlative |
We left the most quickly
of any of the guests. |
|
|
We left the most quickly. |
| |
|
| base form |
|
| serious --> |
He was seriously injured. |
|
|
|
comparative |
He was more seriously injured
than the others were. |
| |
He was injured more seriously than the others
were. |
|
|
|
superlative |
He was the most seriously injured
of all the guests. |
| |
Of all the guests, he was injured the most seriously. |
|
He
was injured the most seriously. |
|
2. Exceptions
|
| Exceptions |
|
|
good --> |
We did well. |
| comparative |
We did better than
we had done before. |
|
superlative |
(the) best |
| |
Our class scored the best of all. |
|
We took three tests but on this test our class scored the best
of all. |
|
|
| bad --> |
We did badly on the test. |
| comparative |
We did worse on this test
than we had done in the first one. |
|
superlative |
(the) worst |
| |
Our class scored the worst of all the classes. |
| |
Our class scored
the worst. |
|
Join us next week for our next lesson, "Unit Quiz: Comparitive and
Superlative Forms of Adverbs".
So from the ESL Help Desk, thanks for dropping by for this lesson and remember to email us your questions
about English grammar by way of
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