Superlative adjectives

Superlative adjectives tend to occur with the definite article, for example, 'the tallest', 'the cleverest', 'the fastest'. This is because they refer to the item (or set of items) in a group which is extreme with regard to a quality like height, intelligence, or speed, and is therefore readily identifiable.

This isn't the best camping country.

...the easiest way of finding water.

Birmingham is one of the largest cities in Europe.

That's the nicest thing anybody has ever said to me.

Here are some examples where the superlative is formed with 'most' instead of '-est'.

The most difficult moments came at night.

But the most powerful censor remains the audience.

Superlatives are often used on their own, without a noun following.

The old jokes are the best.

There are some forty different species in the kangaroo family. The largest is the red kangaroo.

The is sometimes left out after a link verb such as 'be'.

Which work pattern is easiest?

It's the butterfat that is hardest to digest.

However, it is not possible to leave out the when the superlative is followed by a phrase or clause specifying the group or place involved.

The number of teachers per child is the highest in the world.

Into the envelope - which had to be the largest I could find - I also tucked used guide books and useful addresses.

Here the definite article must be kept; you cannot say 'The number of teachers per child is highest in the world'. There are other cases where the meaning would be different if the definite article was left out.

Beef is nicest slightly underdone.

Here we are comparing the different ways of doing beef; if you say' Beef is the nicest', you are comparing different meats.

Note 1 It is possible to use the indefinite article before 'best', but only when 'best' and the noun after it together form a fixed expression, such as 'best friend' or 'best seller'.

Is that what a best friend is for?

You ought to write a novel about it, could be a bestseller.

Note 2 'Most' has other meanings: as a determiner, meaning 'the majority of', and as an adverb, where it is very similar to 'very'.

Most research in this field has been carried out by the Russians.

We have a most important matter to discuss.