IELTS Grammar: 'highest' or 'the highest'?

Most grammar books will tell you that you need "the" before a superlative like "highest" or "lowest", but this is not always true.

• We use "the" when there is a noun after the adjective e.g. the highest number, the highest proportion.
• When we put the noun before, we don't need "the" e.g. the number was highest, the proportion was highest.

So, compare these 2 sentences:

- The UK had the highest rate of unemployment.
- The unemployment rate was highest in the UK.

Comments

[Mitko]

Useful advice Simon. Thanks!
I wish you a happy new year's eve!

[Kai]

Thanks.

Have a happy new year.

[Garik]

Thanks it is usefull for us...
Happy new year....

[Jael]

You're a treasure. Happy new year.

[Dung]

Happy new year from Viet Nam ^^

[josh]

happy new year simon

[Nguyễn Thùy Dương]

that's so helpful Simon. I have had that mistake for a very long time since the moment I started to learn English. By the way, Happy New Year! Best wishes for you and your family

[Behnam]

happy new year

[Light]

Dear Simon,

Many Many happy returns of the day.
Hope ur each and every second of life is filled with happiness and joy.

[reema]

Happy new year Simon

[Gift]

Thanks for all your useful content.
Happy new year, Simon.

[Laila]

Hi Simon,

Many thanks for this help tip.

Happy New Year!!

[Lilly]

Thank you Simon. This is the answer of one of my doubts when I was doing our last reading section. It's so helpful.

[Lilly]

Hi SImon,
'HAVE A WONDERFUL NEW YEAR'

[Kawsar]

Hi Simon,

How r u? Wish you good luck in new year 2012.
It's my first comments to you. This website is awesome and very helpful for IELTS candidates.

Have a good day.

[xin]

happy new year ,best wish for you

[Simon]

Thanks guys! Happy new year to you all.

[sohaib]

Hi Simon
Happy new year
my qs is regarding use of comma in following sentence.

Harry watched a horror movie with his friends,and then watched a comedy show with his friends.

is this correct to use "and" and "then" together?
is ths comma used correctly?

[Simon]

Yes, that's fine Sohaib.

[sohaib]

Thanku Simon
iam so glad to see your reply.
much appreciated

[afsheen]

Hi Simon

i saw yours reply and felt very happy in this era you are taking out your time for others,i have also some problem for making sentences and to get it understand as these blanks is very confusing me,please help me out...........awaiting yours reply

[Simon]

Hi Afsheen,

I'm glad you like the website. It's difficult for me to help you because I don't know what your individual problems are. It would be a good idea to take a few lessons with a private teacher who can analyse what you are doing wrong.

[pretty]

Hi Simon,

I really find your lessons very interesting.I learn many things from your web site but I have one question related to the use of article'The'.
we often use the with the names of directions.
e.g- the sun rises in the east and sets in the west.
on the other hand, we don't do the same in some sentences.
e.g - East or West India is the best.
I afraid If you could clear my doubt.

[Simon]

Hi pretty,

When you say "West India" you are using "West" like an adjective with the noun "India". This is when we miss "the".

[pretty]

Thank u Simon for clearing my doubt.

[dung]

Hi Simon,
I noted that in others lesson, u stil worte like that: "The Los Angeles network is THE newest" or "the Washington DC underground is THE most extensive" althought we put the noun before??? It confused me alot
http://ielts-simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2011/03/ielts-writing-task-1-table-essay.html

[Simon]

Well noticed Dung! I'll try to answer in a lesson this weekend.

[jijeesh m v]

hi simon,

thank you very much.

[Dipti]

Hi!! Simon
You are very helpful to everyone:)
Do you have questions of listening of cambridge 8 or the latest one???
i wanna practise the recent one but unfortunately i don't have it??

[SImon]

Hi Dipti,

I have the book, but I'm afraid I can't share it for copyright reasons. I sometimes use bits from the Cambridge books in my lessons, but I can't share more than that.

[Pitt]

Hi, Simon it is helpful to me.

[mandeep]

hi simon
it is helpful for me .thanku

[UT]

Hi Simon,

I couldn't find your answer to Dung's question above about "THE newest" and "THE most extensive" without noun put after.
Could you show me where it is because I still see "temperatures are the highest" without noun put after when I google?

Thank you very much for your time.
UT

[wonderfuldafu]

That's really useful! OMG！

[Kim]

I have the same question what Dung and UT asked. Please tell me.

Thanks for your time
Kim

[Alex]

I have the same question with Dung,please answer it.I feel very confused about it.

[test]

Yeah I am confused too!

[sujon]

The people in Bangladesh were highest in 2014 but these peoples are not living in the country because there are consequences the education their children.

[Kien]

For those who have the same question as Dung's.

I think that in the two sentences that Dung quoted, the noun, which most likely is the word "system", following the superlative adjectives are allowed to be omitted since it has been mentioned in previous sentences.
So instead of being similar to Simon's second sample sentence, the case of Dung's sentences belongs to the first sample sentence.
This explains why there is still the "the" put in front of the superlative adj-s

[Simon]

FROM SIMON:

Here are some lessons about the "superlative with / without THE" issue:

http://ielts-simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2015/12/ielts-grammar-superlative-without-the.html

http://ielts-simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2015/12/ielts-grammar-superlative-without-the-part-2.html

[Hossein]

Tnx Simon!