Degrees of Comparison | Simply Explained with rules and Examples

Degrees of comparison

v Positive degree

Denoting only the mere existence of one’s quality is called positive degree

          Ex: No other boy in the class is as tall as Raja.

v Comparative degree

Comparing the quality of two or more than two persons (or) places (or) things is called comparative degree

                   Ex: Raja is taller than Ravi

v Superlative degree

Comparing the highest degree of quality of more than two persons (or) places (or) things is called as superlative degree

                   Ex: Raja is the tallest boy in the class

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Formation of adjectives  

  1.     Most adjectives of one syllable and some of more than one form of the comparative by adding “er” and the superlative by adding “est” to the positive

	Positive	Comparative	Superlative		Positive	Comparative	Superlative
1	Sweet	Sweeter	Sweetest	9	slow	slower	slowest
2	Small	smaller	smallest	10	fast	faster	fastest
3	Tall	taller	tallest	11	thick	thicker	Thickest
4	Bright	brighter	brightest	12	hard	Harder	hardest
5	Young	younger	youngest	13	weak	weaker	weakest
6	Great	greater	greatest	14	long	longer	longest
7	Rich	richer	richest	15	old	older	oldest
8	Short	shorter	shortest	16	slow	slower	slowest

2.     When the positive ends in  “e” only “y” and “st”

	positive	Comparative	Superlative		positive	comparative	superlative
1	Brave	Braver	Bravest	6	Noble	Nobler	Noblest
2	Fine	Finer	Finest	7	Nice	Nicer	Nicest
3	Large	Larger	Largest	8	Wise	Wiser	Wisest
4	White	Whiter	Whitest	9	Close	Closer	Closest
5	Able	Abler	Ablest	10

3.     When the positive ends in “y” preceded by a consonant, the “y” is changed into “I” before adding “er” and “est”

	Positive	Comparative	Superlative		Positive	Comparative	Superlative
1	Happy	Happier	Happiest	9	Early	Earlier	Earliest
2	Easy	Easier	Easiest	10	Easy	Easier	Easiest
3	Heavy	Heavier	Heaviest	11	Lazy	Lazier	Laziest
4	Merry	Merrier	Merriest	12	Tasty	Tastier	Tastiest
5	Wealthy	Wealthier	Wealthiest	13	Worthy	Worthier	Worthiest
6	Healthy	Healthier	Healthiest	14	Holy	Holier	Holiest
7	Costly	Costlier	Costliest	15	Pretty	Prettier	Prettiest
8	Dry	Drier	Driest	16	Lively	Livelier	Liveliest
				17	Lovely	Lovelier	Loveliest

4.     When the positive is a word of one syllable and ends in a single consonant preceded by a short vowel, this consonant is doubled before adding “er” and “est”

	Positive	Comparative	Superlative		Positive	Comparative	Superlative
1	Red	Redder	Reddest	5	Fat	Fatter	Fattest
2	Big	Bigger	Biggest	6	Thin	Thinner	Thinnest
3	Mad	Madder	Maddest	7	Hot	Hotter	Hottest
4	Sad	Sadder	Saddest	8

5.     Adjectives of more than two syllables form the comparative by putting “more” and “most” before the positive.

	positive	Comparative	Superlative
1	Difficult	More difficult	Most difficult
2	Beautiful	More beautiful	Most beautiful
3	Courageous	More courageous	Most courageous
4	Common	More common	Most common
5	Famous	More common	Most common
6	Handsome	More handsome	Most handsome
7	Pleasant	More pleasant	Most pleasant
8	Polite	More polite	Most polite
9	Useful	More polite	Most polite
10	Valuable	More valuable	Most valuable
11	Urgent	More urgent	Most urgent
12	Popular	More popular	Most popular
13	Gentle	More gentle	Most gentle
14	Cruel	More cruel	Most cruel
15	Expressive	More expressive	Most expressive

Irregular comparison

	Positive	Comparative	Superlative
1	Good, Well	Better	Best
2	Bad, Evil, Ill	Worse	Worst
3	Little	Less, Lesser	Least
4	Much	More	Most [quantity]
5	Many	More	Most [number]
6	Late	Later, Latter	Latest, Last
7	Old	Older, Elder	Oldest, Eldest
8	Far	Farther	Farthest
9	Near	Nearer	Next

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Comparison between two

Type: I

Positive:           A + verb + as adjective as         Comparative:   B + verb + not + adjective + er + than + A

Ex:   April is as hot as May (positive degree)

        May is not hotter than April (comparative degree)

(Or)

Positive:           A + verb + not + so/as adjective as + B         Comparative:   B + verb + adjective + + er + than + A

                 
                    Ex:   Pakistan is not so grater as India (positive)

                            India is greater than Pakistan (comparative)

Note:      first type doesn’t have superlative because there should be 3 or more than

          3 persons

v If it main verb

Goes = does + go   ---------    does not go

Go    = do     + go   ---------    do not go

Went = did + go   ---------     did not go

          Ex: Raju works harder than Arun (comparative)

                 Arun does not work so hard as Raju (positive)

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Type: II     

Positive:            No other + singular (A) + verb + so/as adjective as + B          Comparative :   B + verb + adjective + er + than + any other + singular(A)          Superlative   :   B + verb + the + adjective + est + singular (A)

Ex:    No other animal in the forest is so big as the elephant.

          The elephant is bigger than any other animal in the forest.

          The elephant is the biggest animal in the forest.

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Type: III

Positive:         Very few + plural + as………as + B       Comparative:  B + verb + adjective + er + than many other/ most other + plural       Superlative: B + verb + one of the...adjective + est + plural (A)

          Ex:    Very few countries in the world are as powerful as India (positive)

                   India is more powerful than many other/most other countries in the

                                                                   World (Comparative)

                   India is one of the most powerful countries in the world (superlative)

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Type: IV

Positive : no other singular (A) + subject + singular verb so/as…as +B          Comparative: B + verb + adjective + er + than all other + plural (A)          Superlative: B + verb + the +adjective + est + of all + plural (A)

          Ex:   No other English poet is so/as great as Shakespeare (Positive)

                   Shakespeare is greater than all other English poets (Comparative)

                   Shakespeare is the greatest of all the poets. (Superlative)

Ex:

1.     Nana is 5 feet tall

Nene is 4.5 feet tall

Nini is 5.5 feet tall

Nono is 3.5 feet tall

Nunu is 6 feet tall

Ans:

Nunu is the tallest boy.

                   Nono is the shortest boy.

                   Nana is not as tall as Nini.

                   Nene is not as tall as Nunu.

                   Nini is shorter than Nunu and tall than Nene.

                   Nini is not as tall as Nunu.

                   Nene is taller than Nono and shorter than Nana.

                   Nana is taller than Nene and shorter than Nunu.

2.     The blue pencil is 20 cm long

The yellow pencil is 5 cm long

The black pencil is 50 cm long

The green pencil is 11 cm long

The red pencil is 15 cm long

Ans

                   The yellow pencil is the shortest pencil

                   The black pencil is the longest pencil

                   The blue pencil is longer than green pencil

3.     This is the ______ book of two.

a)     As good as  b) better      c) best

4.     She is the ______of the two girls

a)     As tall as    b) better      c) tallest

5.     This is the _______book among these books