2.3 Superlative adjectives

Language detective

We use superlative adjectives to compare things. • Short adjectives: the +adjective + -est: Lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world. • Short adjectives ending in -e add -st: Tamu Massif is the largest volcano in the world. • Adjectives ending in -y add -iest: The Atacama Desert is the driest place on Earth. • Short adjectives with consonant – vowel – consonant spelling (e.g. big, hot, fat, thin, etc.): China is the biggest country in East Asia. • Long adjectives: most + adjective: Italy is one of the most beautiful countries in Europe. • Some adjectives are irregular, e.g. good – best; bad – worst; many/much – most. In my country, the best weather is in May. In August, we had the worst storm for five years.

Focus 1 Circle the correct words in the sentences. a Pluto is the icyest / iciest planet in the solar system. b Mercury is the nearest / most near planet to the Sun. c The Northern Lights are the more beautiful / most beautiful natural event in Europe. d Mercury is the most small / smallest planet in the solar system. e Jupiter is the bigest / biggest planet in the solar system. f Earth is the fifth largest / large planet in the solar system. g The desert is the most good / best place to see constellations at night.

Practice 2 How are these places special?

Complete the sentences with a superlative adjective.

a Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world. (high) b The River Nile is river in the world. (long) c The Great Barrier Reef is reef in the

Get it right!

world. (beautiful) d The Atacama Desert is one of and places on Earth. (hot) (dry) 3 Read and complete the text about three planets.

Write the words from the box in superlative form.

Don’t forget to use the correct spelling. hot – hottest tidy – tidiest big–biggest

long big fast large colourful small

Jupiter is the 1 largest planet of all the planets. It is 318 times bigger than Earth! Jupiter has a ‘Great Red Spot’, which is a gas storm that has lasted hundreds of years! It is the 2 storm in the solar system. Neptune is the fourth 3 planet. It has a ‘Great Spot’ too, but it is dark instead of red. Neptune’s spot is the 4 ; it is much smaller than Jupiter’s spot. But Neptune’s winds are the 5 in the solar system. They travel at 2,000 km per hour! Which is the 6 planet in the solar system? That’s Saturn, of course, with its yellow colour and many bright rings.

Challenge  4 Write about one of the topics using superlative adjectives in your notebook.

Use the information in Activities 1–3, and Lesson 2.2 in the Learner’s Book, to help you.

Planets in the solar system Natural landscapes in your country • Choose some examples of your topic and research some interesting facts. • Compare the facts and choose suitable ones for superlative sentences. 25