|
ESL Forum:
Techniques and methods
in Language Teaching
Games, activities
and teaching ideas
Grammar and
Linguistics
Teaching material
Concerning
worksheets
Concerning
powerpoints
Concerning online
exercises
Make suggestions,
report errors
Ask for help
Message board
|
ESL forum >
Ask for help > hi sweet memebers
hi sweet memebers
|
youness
|
hi sweet memebers
|
|
Adjective has three levels ( positive or negative, comperative and superlative)
and we always use ( The ) with superlative
EX. The best ........, the tallest.........., the most handsome.........
My question( when we can �t use the with superlative.
Thanks in advance |
6 Dec 2011
|
|
|
|
MoodyMoody
|
|
Superlatives are used when you are comparing three or more things or people. We use the -est suffix for one-syllable adjectives or for two-syllable adjectives ending in y. Examples: I �m the shortest person in my family or The trees in my state are the prettiest in October. For other two-syllable adjectives or longer adjectives we use the most. Example: It �s the most wonderful time of the year (which is a line from a popular non-religious Christmas song).
If you are only comparing two things, use the comparative form instead, with -er and more instead of -est and the most.
There are, fortunately, not very many irregular comparatives and superlatives in English. The only ones that come to mind are good/better/best, bad/worse/worst, far/farther or further/farthest or furthest, and old/older or elder/oldest or eldest. |
6 Dec 2011
|
|
|
|
|
libertybelle
|
To add to Moody:
We call them the 3 degrees of adjectives:
Tall - adjective
taller - comparative
tallest - superlative
Don �t forget beautiful - more beautiful - most beautiful!
|
6 Dec 2011
|
|
|
Daisee
|
|
I think your actual question is whether �the � is always used.
The answer is no even though it is difficult to find this written anywhere. The difference is when a possessive pronoun is used to specify ownership.
To illustrate:
It is his biggest achievement / it is the biggest achievement
It is her best quality / it is the best quality
It was our worst day / it was the worst day
Is this what you wanted to know?
|
7 Dec 2011
|
|
|
renko6
|
Hi !
Your question was : when don �t we use THE with superlatives ?
I agree with Daisee.
We don �t use THE before SUPERLATIVE when a possessive pronoun is before the superlative
Example : She is my best friend.
and we don �t use THE before SUPERLATIVE WITHOUT NOUN, when we are comparing somebody or something with him/her/itself.
Example:
The wolves are most dangerous when they are hungry.
(you don �t have NOUN after SUPERLATIVE)
England is best in spring.
I �m happiest when I �m at home.
He �s nicest when he �s had a few drinks.
Hope I could help you.
Have a nice day ,
Renia 
|
7 Dec 2011
|
|
|
yume05
|
|
Renko6, just a quick correction-most dangerous instead of more dangerous. |
7 Dec 2011
|
|
|
|
|
yume05
|
|
@renko6, aww thanks. You taught me some new rules. I mean, I guess I knew that, but I wouldn �t have been able to think of any examples like that off the top of my head. The problem of being a native speaker is you don �t always know examples quickly or the rules at all. I didn �t know what a gerund was until I was in high school and randomly saw it in someone �s English book, years after I stopped learning grammar. Problem with native speakers, at least where I �m from, we only learn grammar in elementary school and after that it �s straight to English literature or something. So, all the technical stuff, we know it, but we don �t know it. lol I �ve learned a lot of grammar I never knew the rules for since I became an ESL teacher. |
7 Dec 2011
|
|
|
Daisee
|
|
I�ve been looking through the college �s books today and I found some actual sources:
Collins Cobuild Intermediate English Grammar p 70/72
Omit �the� after a link verb e.g. I was happiest when I was on my own
Tokyo is Japan�s largest city = The largest city in Japan is Tokyo
Steve is Mikes eldest son = The eldest son of Mike is Steve
Grammar for IELTS p 91
We can replace �the� with a possessive e.g. my best friend, his greatest achievement
|
7 Dec 2011
|
|
|
but in Poland is the middle of the night and I �m a bit sleepy.