Use of Superlative Adjectives

We use a superlative adjective to describe one thing in a group of three or more things. Look at these examples:

  • John is 1 m 75. David is 1 m 80. Chris is 1 m 85. Chris is the tallest.
  • Canada, China and Russia are big countries. But Russia is the biggest.
  • Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world.

If we talk about the three planets Earth, Mars and Jupiter, we can use superlative adjectives as shown in the table below:

 EarthMarsJupiter 
Dia-
meter (km)		12,7606,790142,800Jupiter is the biggest.
Dis-
tance from Sun (million km)		150228778Jupiter is the most distant from the Sun.
Length of day (hours)242510Jupiter has the shortest day.
Moons1216Jupiter has the most moons.
Surface temp.
(degrees Celsius)		22-23-150Jupiter is the coldest.

Useful Tip

When we compare one thing with itself, we do not use "the":
  • England is coldest in winter. (not the coldest)
  • My boss is most generous when we get a big order. (not the most generous)