2.122 USAGE NOTE

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 indicating 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 prepositional phrase. For example, you can say 'Britain's oldest man' instead of 'the oldest man in Britain'.

• ...the school's most famous headmaster.
• ...my newest assistant.

The possessive form of nouns is explained in paragraphs 2.180 to 2.192, and possessive determiners are explained in paragraphs 1.192 to 1.207.