This is an advanced grammar point that is used a lot by native speakers.
We learned in the previous lessons, that the present perfect is used in two ways.
- Experiences and finished actions – Remember that we do not use a specific time
- Unfinished actions – Things that started in the past, but are not finished
We can combine the present perfect with superlative sentences to talk about both experiences and unfinished actions.
Here are a few examples.
A) What is the most beautiful country that you have visited? Thailand is the most beautiful country that I have visited.
B) What is the best book that you have read? The best book that I have read is The Last Lecture.
Look at some more examples. The best way to learn this kind of sentence is to see many examples and to practice making your own sentences.
- Batman is the best movie that I have seen.
- Korean beef is the best meat that I have eaten.
- This book is the worst book that I've read.
- She is the nicest teacher I have had.
We can also switch the order of the sentence.
- The best movie that I have ever is Batman.
- The best meat that I have eaten is Korean beef.
- The worst book that I have read is this book.
- The nicest teacher I've had is her.
Remember the word "that" in these sentences is optional.
- He is the tallest man that I've seen.(=He is the tallest man I've seen.)
We can ask about recent experiences and life experiences.
- It is the best movie that I have seen recently.
- It is the best movie that I have seen. (whole life)
- It is the best movie that I have seen in my life.
We can add the word "ever" to emphasize. It just makes our sentence stronger. We can only use "ever" when talking about our whole life experiences. It cannot be used to talk only about recent experiences.
- He the most handsome man that I have ever seen.
- It is the biggest waterfall that I've ever seen.
- The best singer that I have ever seen in concert is Adele.
We usually use the present tense "be verbs" in this sentence, but sometimes people use past tense "be verbs". To be honest, it is not really that important and you should not worry about it.
- It was the most interesting movie I have ever seen.
- It is the most interesting movie that I have ever seen.
The two sentences above have the same meaning.
Now, let's look at how to make questions with the present perfect and superlatives.
Again, we will learn by looking at examples.
- What is the best country that you have ever visited?
- What is the worst country that you have been to?
- What is the most beautiful country that you've visited?
- What is the funniest movie that you've ever seen?
- What is the most dangerous thing he has ever done?
- What is the worst injury that she has ever suffered?
- Who is the best boss that you have ever had?
We can also ask yes/no questions.
- Is this the worst typhoon that you have ever seen?
- Is this the most snow that you have seen?
- Are these the best cookies that you have ever tried?
These are advanced sentences and it might take you some time to master them, but if you do then you will sound like a natural English speaker.
Example Questions and Sentences
A) What is the best restaurant that you have been to in this area? I think Mr. Kim's Korean Food is the best restaurant that I have been to in this area.
B) What is the best movie that you have seen recently? Wolverine is the best movie that I've seen recently.
C) Who is the best boss that you have had at this company? The best boss that I have had at this company is Tina.
D) What is the most beautiful place that you have ever visited? Actually, Iceland is the most beautiful place that I've visited.
E) What is the highest mountain that he has climbed? Mt. Fuji is the highest mountain he has climbed.
F) What is the most money that she has ever made playing poker? The most money she's made playing poker is over 1 million dollars.
