The patterns for forming regular and irregular superlatives of adjectives are explained in the Reference Section.
Note that superlative adjectives are nearly always preceded by the, because you are talking about something definite. Occasionally, when superlatives are used after a linking verb, the is omitted (see paragraph 2.117).
2.113 Adjectives with most in front of them are not always superlatives. Most can also mean very.
This book was most interesting.
My grandfather was a most extraordinary man.
Words like very and rather are called submodifying adverbs. These are explained in paragraphs 2.140 to 2.156.
used in front of a noun
2.114 Superlatives can be used as modifiers in front of a noun.
He was the cleverest man I ever knew.
It was the most exciting summer of their lives.
She came out of the thickest part of the crowd.
Now we come to the most important thing.
…the oldest rock paintings in North America.
…the most eminent scientists in Britain.
Note that superlatives are also used as modifiers in front of one.
No one ever used the smallest one.
used after a linking verb
2.115 Superlatives are also used after a linking verb.
He was the youngest.
The sergeant was the tallest.
The use of adjectives after linking verbs is explained in paragraphs 3.132 to 3.137.
structures used after superlatives
2.116 You can use a superlative on its own if it is clear what is being compared. For example, if you say Paul was the tallest, you are referring to a group of people that has already been identified.
If you need to refer to the point of the comparison, you use a phrase or clause that consists of
Henry was the biggest of them.
The third requirement is the most important of all.
These cakes are probably the best in the world.
Note that if the superlative is placed in front of a noun, the preposition comes after the noun.
…the best hotel for families.
I’m in the worst business in the world.
It’s the best I’m likely to get.
The waiting room was the worst I had seen.
Note that if the superlative is placed in front of a noun, the relative clause comes after the noun.
That’s the most convincing answer that you’ve given me.
2.117 You usually put the in front of the superlative, but you can occasionally omit it, especially in informal speech or writing.
Wool and cotton blankets are generally cheapest.
It can be used by whoever is closest.
However, you cannot omit the when the superlative is followed by of or another structure showing what group of things you are comparing. So, for example, you can say Amanda was the youngest of our group or Amanda was the youngest or Amanda was youngest, but you cannot say Amanda was youngest of our group.
You can sometimes use the possessive form of a noun or a possessive determiner instead of the in front of a superlative. Often the possessive form of a noun is used instead of a phrase beginning with a preposition. For example, you can say Britain’s oldest man instead of the oldest man in Britain.
…the world’s most popular cheese.
…my newest assistant.
The possessive form of nouns is explained in paragraphs 1.211 to 1.222, and possessive determiners are explained in paragraphs 1.194 to 1.210.
used with other adjectives
2.118 A superlative is sometimes accompanied by another adjective ending in -able or -ible. This second adjective can be placed either between the superlative and the noun or after the noun.
…the narrowest imaginable range of interests.
…the most beautiful scenery imaginable.
…the longest possible gap.
I say that in the nicest way possible.
superlatives used as nouns
2.119 Superlative adjectives are sometimes used like nouns in fairly formal English. When you use a superlative adjective in this way, you put the in front of it, and follow it with of and a noun or pronoun that refers to the things being compared. When superlative adjectives are used in this way they can refer to one thing or to more than one.
They are often too poor to buy or rent even the cheapest of houses.
He made several important discoveries.
The most interesting of these came from an examination of an old manuscript.
If it is clear what you are talking about, you can omit of and the following noun phrase.
There are three types of ant-eater.
The smallest lives entirely in trees.
2.120
used with ordinal numbers: the second biggest city
2.121 Ordinal numbers are used with superlatives to show that something has more of a quality than nearly all other things of their kind. For example, if you say that a mountain is the second highest mountain, you mean that it is higher than any other mountain except the highest one.
Cancer is the second biggest cause of death in Britain.
…the second most important man in her life, her hairdresser.