Superlatives!

The word "the oldest" is an example of a superlative. What is a superlative?

Think of three old people: Bob is 89, Mary is 94, Laura is 102.

Bob is old.	"Old" is an adjective.
Mary is older than Bob.	"Older" is a comparative form.
Laura is the oldest.	"The oldest" is a superlative. In this case we are comparing Laura to all the others.

DON'T FORGET TO USE "THE" BEFORE A SUPERLATIVE!

There are two ways to make superlatives. Adjectives of one syllable, such as low, big, small etc., end with -est: the lowest, the biggest, the smallest, and so on.

Adjectives which have three or more syllables, such as intelligent, beautiful, difficult, do not take -est. To form the superlative for adjectives with three syllables you must use "most": the most intelligent, the most beautiful, the most difficult.

But what about adjectives with two syllables? If the word ends in 'y' such as happy, dirty etc, then the adjective takes the -est form. For example, "I am the happiest man in the world!" If the adjective with two syllables does not end in 'y', the superlative takes the "most ..." form. For example, stupid, then we must say: "That is the most stupid question I have ever heard!"

As with most English grammar rules, there are exceptions, but if you follow the rules above you should be right 99 per cent of the time.