How to Spot Superlative Adjectives
The "superlative" means that you're describing something that has the most of a particular quality out of a group of three or more objects. The biggest apple in a basket, and the darkest orange, contain examples of superlative adjectives, since the words "biggest" and "darkest" describe nouns, which is what adjective do.
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Instructions
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Look for the -est. Almost all superlative adjectives come with this suffix. From the tallest mountain to the smallest mouse, you can usually find the superlative adjective with those three letters at the end of a word.
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See the superlative form of words ending in -y. The "easiest" task, or the "happiest" student--these are examples where changing the comparative (between two objects) to the superlatives (between three or more objects) means changing the y to an -iest. This is another form of superlative adjective.
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Find longer superlative adjectives using the word "most." For words over two or more syllables, we change the form of this kind of adjective, taking away the suffix and replacing it with the word "most" in front of it, for example: most beautiful, most excellent, most inconsiderate or most heart-wrenching.
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Consider the context. If you're ever in doubt about a superlative adjective, just see if it describes an object as compared to two or more other objects. If so, it qualifies.
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Tips & Warnings
Don't confuse the -est with -ist. This can be tricky for those learning English. You might hear a word like "capitalist" or "orthodontist" and think it ends in -est when it actually uses an -ist suffix. The -ist suffix does not make an adjective, but a noun. Usually, it represents something a person does or believes.
Don't ever fall for the trap of over-charging longer superlative adjectives. Depending on where you live within the U.S., this might be common procedure, but it is not commonly accepted English. Phrases like "most beautifullest," "most greatest" or "most sickest" are not proper usage, so don't include them in formal writing.
