108 : Superlative (the longest, the most enjoyable etc.)

   A   

Study these examples:

 

     What is the longest river in the world?
     What was the most enjoyable holiday you've ever had?

 

     Longest and most enjoyable are superlative forms.

 

The superlative form is -est or most ... . In general, we use -est for short words and most ... for longer words. The rules are the same as those for the comparative - see Unit 105.

 

      long → longest       hot → hottest       easy → easiest       hard → hardest

but

      most famous          most boring          most difficult          most expensive

 

A few adjectives are irregular:

      good → best          bad → worst          far → furthest/farthest

 

For spelling, see Appendix 6.

 

 

   B   

We normally use the before a superlative (the longest / the most famous etc.):

• Yesterday was the hottest day of the year.
• The movie was really boring. It's the most boring movie I've ever seen.
• She is a really nice person - one of the nicest people I know.
• Why does he always come to see me at the worst possible time?

 

Compare superlative and comparative:

• This hotel is the cheapest in town. (superlative)
  It's cheaper than all the others in town. (comparative)
• He's the most patient person I've ever met.
  He's much more patient than I am.

 

 

   C   

Oldest and eldest

 

The superlative of old is oldest:

• That church is the oldest building in the town. (not the eldest)

 

We use eldest (or oldest) when we are talking about people in a family:

• My eldest son is 13 years old. (or  My oldest son)
• Are you the eldest in your family? (or  the oldest)

 

 

   D   

After superlatives we normally use in with places:

• What's the longest river in the world? (not of the world)
• We had a nice room. It was one of the best in the hotel. (not of the hotel)

 

We also use in for organisations and groups of people (a class / a company etc.):

• Who is the youngest student in the class? (not of the class)

 

For a period of time, we normally use of:

• Yesterday was the hottest day of the year.
• What was the happiest day of your life?

 

 

   E   

We often use the present perfect (I have done) after a superlative (see also Unit 8A):

• What's the most important decision you've ever had to make?
• That was the best holiday I've had for a long time.

 

 

 

※ the worst possible :

 

여기서 possible 은 강조을 위한 것임

• It was the best possible surprise anyone could have given me.
• Don't leave your packing until the last possible moment.
• Jacobs faces the maximum possible sentence of five years imprisonment.

 

 

 

※ imprison, imprisonment :

 

 

• be imprisoned (for something) They were imprisoned for possession of drugs.
• be imprisoned (+ adv./prep.) (figurative) Some young mothers feel imprisoned in their own homes.
• imprisonment (for something) to be sentenced to life imprisonment for murder

 

 

 

※ figure :

 

 

figure : (수, 인물 등 특정물을 가리키는) 숫자, 상(상징물, symbol, representing something)

 

1. number 

• the latest sales/crime/unemployment figures
• Official figures indicate that crime is falling.
• according to… figures According to government figures, 3.6 million children are living in poverty.

 

2. a number symbol (rather than a word representing one of the numbers between 0 and 9)

• Write the figure ‘7’ on the board.
• paths built in the shape of a figure 8
• a six-figure salary (= over 100 000 pounds or dollars)
• in… figures Her salary is now in six figures.
• My unread email was in triple figures (= more than 100).
• Ticket prices for the show are likely to be into three figures (= at least 100 pounds or dollars).

 

3. person (of the type mentioned)

• a leading figure in the music industry
• a senior figure in the organization
• a key/prominent/central figure
• King's widow, Coretta Scott King, later became a public figure in her own right.
• teachers and other authority figures
• figure of something a figure of authority/ridicule
• He was a well-known figure in London at that time.
• one of the most popular figures in athletics
• When she last saw him, he was a sad figure—old and tired.

 

4. the shape of a person seen from a distance or not clearly

• There before him stood a tall figure in black.
• A shadowy figure can be seen through the window.
• The seated figure in the corner beckoned me over. (beckon : 오라고 손짓하다)

 

5. statue

• a bronze figure of a horse

 

6. a picture, diagram, etc. in a book, (that is referred to by a number or letter)

• The results are illustrated in figure 3 opposite.

 

 

 

※ figurative : 

 

(figure + ative) 비유적인