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IELTS Grammar: superlative without 'the' (part 2)

 Following on from yesterday's lesson, here are some key points to remember.

1) Superlatives can be used after possessive forms, without "the":

  • My highest IELTS score was...
  • His fastest running time was...
  • Britain's oldest person is...

2) Miss "the" if the noun is before (not after) the superlative:

  • The UK had the highest revenue from bananas. (noun after, use "the")
  • Revenue from bananas was highest in the UK. (noun before, no "the")

3) Miss "the" when the meaning is "at its..." or "at their...":

  • Revenue from bananas was (at its) highest in the UK.
  • Temperatures are (at their) warmest in the south of the country.

Task:
Here's a puzzle for you. The sentence below is correct, but it seems to break the 'rule' in point 2 above. Can you explain why I wrote "the oldest" even though there is no noun after the superlative?

The London underground is the oldest.

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