Select the option that will improve the underlined part of the given sentence.
He was the most cleverest man I ever knew.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
The correct answer is option 3, i.e., “cleverest.”
The sentence 'He was the most cleverest man I ever knew.' contains a double superlative—it incorrectly uses both “most” and the “-est” suffix on the same adjective ('cleverest'), which is grammatically redundant and incorrect. The proper superlative form for a single-syllable or some two-syllable adjectives is formed by simply adding “-est” (e.g., 'cleverest'), not “most cleverest.”
Option 3 corrects this by using the single, proper superlative “cleverest,” yielding the grammatically correct sentence:
He was the cleverest man I ever knew.
Options 1 and 2 (“more clever,” “cleverer”) express the comparative form, not the superlative. Option 4 (“most cleverer”) still misuses the superlative.