Do you know what a superlative is? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on superlatives, including its definition, usage, example sentences, and more!
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Kevin
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December 3, 2021
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What are superlatives?
According to Your Dictionary, in English grammar superlatives, or superlative adjectives and comparatives, or comparative adjectives, are used to compare one noun to another noun, or to compare three or more nouns. We often think of these as “er” and “est” adjectives for regular verbs, but for irregular verbs, we might also call them “more” and “most” adjectives or “less” and “least” adjectives. In a superlative list, the adjectives might be “big, bigger, biggest” with biggest being the highest degree of comparison. If the adjective ends in “y” you must first swap that for an “i” before adding -est. If the adjective has a consonant + single vowel + consonant spelling, the final consonant is doubled before adding the ending. The superlative form or superlative degree would be considered the “most” or “est.” Superlative statements can be used to a positive degree or negative degree. Superlative is four syllables – su-per-lat-ive, and the pronunciation of superlative is suːˈpɜːlətɪv.
According to Merriam-Webster, this word comes from the Middle English superlatif. This stems from Anglo-French and Old French superlatif and from the Late Latin superlativus/Late Latin superlātīvus, from the Latin superlatus/Latin superlātus which is the past participle of superferre, from super and latus, as well as the past participle of ferre, and īvus/īve. Something that is superlative has reached its highest stage of development, highest level, high degree of quality and more.
Many different languages also contain words that mean superlatives. You may notice that some of these translations of superlatives look and sound similar to one another. These are called cognates, which are words and phrases in different languages that likely have the same root or language of origin, causing them to sound the same. The below list of translations of superlatives is provided by Word Sense.
- Novial: superlative
- Old English: oferstígendlic
- Slovene: presežnik (masc.), superlativ (masc.)
- Mandarin: 最高級, 最高级 (zuìgāojí)
- Polish: stopień najwyższy (m-in)
- Swedish: superlativ (neut.)
- Korean: 최상급 (choi-sang-geup,最上級)
- Serbo-Croatian: sȕperlatīv (masc.)
- Russian: супе́рлятив (masc.)
- Danish: superlativ
- Norman: supèrlatif (masc.)
- Portuguese: superlativo (masc.)
- Ancient Greek: ὑπερθετικός (masc.)
- Armenian: գերադրական
- French: superlatif (masc.)
- Persian: صفت برترین (sefat-e bartarin)
- Czech: superlativ (masc.)
- Greek: (degree) υπερθετικός (masc.); υπερθετικό (neut.)
- Norwegian: superlativ (masc.)
- Breton: derez-uhelañ (masc.)
- Finnish: superlatiivi, yliaste
- Hungarian: felsőfok
- Scottish Gaelic: feabhasach (masc.)
- Arabic: دَرَجَة فَائِقَة
- Dutch: superlatief (masc.)
- Spanish: superlativo (masc.)
- German: Superlativ (masc.)
- Italian: superlativo (masc.)
What are examples of superlatives?
Superlatives can be used in many different contexts in the English language. Trying to use a word or literary technique in a sentence is one of the best ways to memorize what it is, but you can also try making flashcards or quizzes that test your knowledge. Try using this term of the day in a sentence today! Below are a couple of examples of superlatives from Your Dictionary that can help get you started incorporating this tool into your everyday use.
- The Pacific Ocean is deeper than the Arctic Ocean.
- That was the best movie ever.
- It’s farther from New York to Austin than it is from New York to Nashville.
- At graduation, he was voted most likely to win the Hunger Games.
- He had the best shoulder in LA as a pitcher.
- Acme is the biggest supermarket in town.
- The PDF file was the highest quality.
- It was the best film of the year.
- The Kansas City Chiefs made a comeback with superlative quarterback Patrick Mahomes after months of isolation – they will win the next Super Bowl.
- My house is bigger than yours.
- Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world.
- The Earth is larger than the moon.
- Sam is the most handsome boy in the whole school.
- The runt of the litter is the smallest.
- I can’t find my most comfortable jeans.
- A pint is less than a quart.
- Jerry is the least worried about the game.
- Your grade is worse than mine.
- She is the most likely to win a Nobel Prize.
- Michael Jordan’s records mean he is most likely to be in the hall of fame.
- She is my best friend. I would live on a deserted island with her.
- My date was the biggest catfish I’ve ever met.
- You are more polite than Joey.
- This is the most interesting book I have ever read.
- She is the smartest girl in our class.
- My brother is taller than I am, but he is older too.
- Jupiter is the biggest planet in our solar system.
- Learning Japanese is more difficult than learning Italian.
- I am the shortest person in my family.
- A rose is more beautiful than a daisy.
- He bought the best car with his lottery fortune.
- They voted on biggest prankster, biggest drama king, best person, biggest flirts, and biggest gossip to put the int yearbooks as yearbook superlatives.
- She is the best dancer in my hometown, and has superior technique. She is going to win a world record.
- He won a Grammy for best entertainer.
- He was the worst driver in any state I’d ever seen, from Alaska to Florida.
- The politician has the best laugh during the debates.
- In high school, I won Best Smile, Best Eyes, Best Sneeze, Best Nickname, and Most Likely to Win an Olympic Medal.
Overall, a superlative is something that is used to compare three or more nouns to show something that is the highest stage of development, highest level, or a high degree of quality. Try using a superlative today!
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