Tonight’s song is one long compliment. The singer wonders if the person he loves could be the most beautiful girl in the world.
Learn from Songs · Unit 5: Comparatives and superlatives · B1
The Most Beautiful Girl in the World
A love song built on one superlative: the most beautiful… in the world, superlatives with in and of, one of the + superlative + plural, the least, and spelling (the prettiest, the biggest), with Demetria, judging a mosaic contest at the Museum.
SOPHIA
MARCOS
That’s a big claim!
DEMETRIA
Is it about how she looks?
SOPHIA
Partly. But listen carefully: he says the beauty he means is on the inside too.
Before you listen: the song
Minneapolis, 1994
Prince (1958–2016) was one of the most creative musicians in history: he sang, wrote, produced, and played almost every instrument on his records. In the 1990s he was in a long dispute with his record company, and he even changed his name to a symbol.
Because of the dispute, he released this song on a small independent label. Before it came out, he placed advertisements in newspapers in several countries, looking for “the most beautiful girl in the world”. The song was first performed at the Miss USA beauty pageant in 1994, and became his first and only number one single in Britain.
In the song, he asks whether the person he loves could be the most beautiful girl in the world, and says that her beauty is not only on the outside, but in the way she is.
The most beautiful… in the world.
Listen: the compliment
PHILO
Listen once. How many times do you hear the title? What does he say about her beauty?
SOPHIA
Then answer Section A.
🖼️ Listen to the song: “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World” (Prince, 1994).Watch the official video →
📜 Read the words while you listen: “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World”, Prince.Read the lyrics →
Superlatives with in and of
DEMETRIA
The most beautiful girl in the world. The best of all.
SOPHIA
After a superlative, use in + a place or group (in the world, in the class, in my family) and of + a number or a period (of all, of the three, of my life). Not the best of the world!
One of the…
MARCOS
She’s one of the most beautiful girls in the world.
SOPHIA
one of the + superlative + plural noun: one of the best songs, one of the tallest buildings. Careful: the noun is always plural!
The least, and spelling
PHILO
The least expensive. The prettiest. The biggest.
SOPHIA
the least is the opposite of the most: the least interesting film. Spelling: -y → -iest (pretty → the prettiest), double consonant (big → the biggest), and -e → -est (nice → the nicest).
Sophia’s comparison: the golden apple
SOPHIA
The goddess of discord threw a golden apple among the gods, with the words: for the most beautiful. Hera, Athena and Aphrodite all claimed it, and Paris had to choose.
DEMETRIA
And he chose Aphrodite, because she promised him Helen.
PHILO
And that started the Trojan War. A superlative started a war!
Sophia’s summary
| Words and forms | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| the most / the -est + in | superlative + place or group | the most beautiful girl in the world |
| the… + of | superlative + number or period | the best of all, the happiest day of my life |
| one of the + superlative + plural | one of a group | one of the best songs |
| the least + adjective | the opposite of the most | the least expensive |
| pretty → prettiest, big → biggest | spelling | the prettiest, the biggest |
Practice
Listen to the song for Section A, then do the rest. Press “Check my answers” at the end. You can try again as many times as you like.
A · Listen: the song
Listen to the song and choose the best answer.
1. What kind of song is it?
2. What does he wonder?
3. What kind of beauty does he mean?
4. How did Prince advertise the song?
5. Where was the song first performed?
6. What was special about it in Britain?
B · Grammar and vocabulary
Write the missing word or words.
7. She’s the most beautiful girl the world.
8. It was the happiest day my life.
9. It’s one of the best in the city. (restaurant)
10. This is the expensive one. (opposite of most)
11. She’s the girl in the class. (pretty)
12. It’s the house in the street. (big)
C · Right or wrong?
Is the sentence correct English?
13. “He’s the best player of the world.”
14. “It’s one of the best films of the year.”
15. “She’s one of the cleverest girl in the school.”
16. “This is the least interesting book I’ve read.”
Talk and write
Discussion and writing
Superlative survey. Ask classmates: What’s the most beautiful place in your country? Who’s the funniest person in your family? What was the best day of your life?
Discuss. 1. What makes a person beautiful? 2. Are beauty contests a good idea? 3. Why do you think Prince looked for “the most beautiful girl” in newspapers?
Write (80–100 words). The most beautiful thing in the world. Describe it, using at least five superlatives with in, of, one of the and the least.
Now play the gamebook: Demetria judges the most beautiful mosaic in Alexandria.Play the gamebook →