English Grammar - Superlative Adjectives - biggest, best, most beautiful, etc.

As promised, the lesson you've all been waiting for. If you saw the lesson on counting syllables

and you wonder, "Why do I have to count syllables?" This is why. So, we are going to make superlative

adjectives. How exciting. I know you can't wait, neither can I. Let's get to it.

First of all, you have to know what a superlative adjective is. Superlative adjectives talks

about the best, the number one, the top, the cream of the crop, which means the best thing

you can imagine. So, think of your favorite actor or actress. You can say, for example,

my favorite actor, Jason Statham, is the most amazing actor ever. There are no other actors

that I would compare him to. Superlative means, number one, the best. So, let's look at the

rules when you have to do this in your grammar. Beautiful grammar, grammar. Going insane with

grammar. Make it easy for you. If the adjective has one syllable, all you're going to do is

add "the" plus "est". So, if we take the example of "cold", "cold", if you watch the counting

syllable lessons, has one syllable. Because it has one syllable, all we're going to do

to make it into a superlative is add "the" plus "est". So, it now becomes "the coldest".

That's easy. So, when you count a one-syllable word or one-syllable adjective, all you have

to do is add "the", the original adjective plus "est". That's fun. Now, it gets more

difficult. It gets more difficult as time goes on. If your word has one or two syllables,

so one or two vowel sounds, and the word ends in a "y". For example, we will use the word

"busy". "Busy" is two syllables, it ends in a "y". What you have to do is you have to

change the "y" to an "i" and then you're going to add "the" plus "est". So, "busy", we have

to change the "y", magic, to an "i" and you're going to add "est". It's very important to

put "the". So, I can say, "Young Street is the busiest street in my city." Got it? So,

one or two syllables that ends in a "y", change it to "i" and add "est". If the adjective

has more than one syllable, so two or more syllables, and does not end in a "y", you're

not even going to use "est". You have to change it completely. You're going to use "the most"

plus the original adjective. So, ladies and gentlemen, please think of the most beautiful

actor or more actress that you can imagine. I would say, whatever the actress's name is,

is "the most beautiful". "Beautiful" -- how many syllables does "beautiful" have? "Beautiful"

has three syllables. So, because it has more than two syllables, it has three, you're going

to change it to "the most beautiful". I will let you take a second and sort this out in

your brain. These are the very, very basic rules, but with everything in grammar, there

are exceptions. I'll come back with more. We're back with the exceptions. Exceptions

to every rule ever in English language, there are many, especially in grammar. So, the rules

that I've taught you, these are the exceptions to them, and I'm sure there's a hundred more

that I don't know. If you know any that I haven't mentioned, please comment. Teach me

grammar. How's that? These are the ones that are the most popular and the most common.

"Good" -- we do not say one syllable "good". "The goodest". "The more good"? No. This one

is completely different. These two I like to call the "rebel adjectives". They don't

need no rules. "Good" magically changes to "the best" in the superlative form. So I can

say, "EngVid is the best website ever." "Bad" -- we don't say "the baddest" or "the most

bad". We say "the worst". "I think that lamb is the worst food ever. I hate lamb." No,

no lamb for me. Another rule -- this is with the one-syllable rule that I taught you. Are

you ready? If the word has three letters or if it has three-letter sounds, you have to

do something at the end of the letter. At the end of the letter, you have to say, "The

best". Or if it has three-letter sounds, you have to do something at the end of the letter,

at the end of the word. What do you have to do? You have to double, which means two times,

two times, the last consonant if the word has three letters or three-letter sounds.

For example, "big". "Big" has three letters. We have a consonant, a vowel, and a consonant.

What we must do to make this superlative because it is one-syllable, we're going to add "est",

but you must double the last consonant. It's actually going to be "the biggest". The pronunciation

does not change, but the spelling changes. I don't like spelling. It's difficult. Remember,

three or more words or sounds in three more letters, not words. What are you doing? Three

or more sounds or letters in one word, you must double the last consonant.

There's only one example I can really think of that would have more than three words,

and the word is "thin". "Thin" means skinny or not fat. This word has "th" sound, an "i"

and an "n". You look at it and go, "But it's four letters." It doesn't matter. This has

one sound, two sounds, three sounds, so it's three sounds. What I'm going to do is I'm

going to double the last consonant, and then I get to add my "est". Don't forget the "the".

So I'm going to say, "the thinnest". Angela Jolie is the thinnest person I've ever seen

in my life. She needs to eat some lamb. Bye. I forgot one. I'm not leaving you yet.

This is one that is very, very common. Even a famous person said it. Famous people don't

know their grammar too well, do they? This word "fun", if you think of the rules, how

many syllables? Fun, one vowel, one syllable, funnest. No. I don't know why. I have no idea.

This is another exception to the rule. You have to say, "the most fun". Why? I don't

know. I have no idea. "Fun" is another one of those rebellious adjectives. It doesn't

like to be with the other adjectives, so you have to change this to "the most fun". Bye.