Degrees of Comparison of Adjectives With Examples

The degrees of comparison of adjectives refer to how we compare or express the level of a quality or characteristic that an adjective describes. We use different forms of adjectives to indicate whether something has more or less of that quality compared to something else or compared to all other things.

Here are some degrees of comparison of adjectives:

• Positive Degree: This is the basic form of an adjective, used to describe a noun or pronoun without comparing it to anything else.
• Comparative Degree: This form is used when we want to compare two things or people. It shows that one thing has a higher or lower degree of a particular quality than the other.
• Superlative Degree: This form is used when we want to compare three or more things or people. It indicates that one thing has the highest or lowest degree of a particular quality among all the others.

Positive Degree of Comparison

The Positive Degree of an adjective is the simplest form that describes a noun or pronoun without comparing it to anything else. It’s like stating a basic fact about the noun without saying if it’s more or less of something compared to other things.

Here’s a simple explanation:

Positive Degree Example: “The cat is cute.”

In this example, “cute” is the positive degree. It tells us a basic quality of the cat, which is being cute. It doesn’t compare the cat’s cuteness to other cats or animals; it just describes the cat in a straightforward way.

So, whenever you use an adjective in its regular form without any “-er” or “-est” or the words “more” or “most” before it, you’re using the positive degree to describe something without making any comparisons.

More examples

The house is big.

In this example, “big” is in the positive degree, just describing the house’s size without comparing it to other houses.

She is smart.

“Smart” is in a positive degree, telling us about her intelligence without comparing it to others.

The cake tastes delicious.

“Delicious” is in a positive degree, describing the cake’s taste without making any comparisons.

The flowers look beautiful.

“Beautiful” is in a positive degree, describing the appearance of the flowers without comparing them to other flowers.

His voice sounds melodious.

“Melodious” is in a positive degree, describing the quality of his voice without comparing it to other voices.

The movie was entertaining.

“Entertaining” is in a positive degree, describing the movie as enjoyable without comparing it to other movies.

The weather is warm today.

“Warm” is in the positive degree, describing the temperature without comparing it to other days.

The baby is adorable.

“Adorable” is in a positive degree, describing the baby’s cuteness without comparing the baby to other babies.

Comparative Degree of Comparison

The Comparative Degree of an adjective is used when we want to compare two things or people. It shows that one thing has a higher or lower degree of a particular quality compared to the other.

Here’s a simple explanation:

Comparative Degree Example: “She is taller than her sister.”

In this example, “taller” is the comparative degree. It compares the height of “she” to the height of “her sister.” The word “than” is often used to indicate the comparison.

Here are some more examples to help you understand:

The blue car is faster than the red car.

“Faster” is the comparative degree, comparing the speed of the blue car to the speed of the red car.

He is older than his brother.

“Older” is the comparative degree, comparing the age of “he” to the age of “his brother.”

This book is more interesting than that one.

“More interesting” is the comparative degree, comparing the level of interest between “this book” and “that one.”

The rose is smaller than the sunflower.

“Smaller” is the comparative degree, comparing the size of the rose to the size of the sunflower.

My dog is friendlier than my neighbor’s dog.

“Friendlier” is the comparative degree, comparing the level of friendliness of “my dog” to “my neighbor’s dog.”

Superlative Degree of Comparison

The Superlative Degree of an adjective is used when we want to compare three or more things or people. It shows that one thing has the highest or lowest degree of a particular quality among all the others.

Here’s a simple explanation:

Superlative Degree Example: “She is the tallest girl in the class.”

In this example, “tallest” is the superlative degree. It means that among all the girls in the class, “she” has the highest height.

Here are more examples to help you understand:

Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world.

“Highest” is the superlative degree, indicating that Mount Everest has the greatest height compared to all other mountains in the world.

This is the most delicious cake I’ve ever tasted.

“Most delicious” is the superlative degree, showing that this cake has the greatest level of deliciousness compared to any other cake the speaker has tasted.

He is the smartest student in the class.

“Smartest” is the superlative degree, stating that among all the students in the class, “he” has the highest level of intelligence.

The cheetah is the fastest land animal.

“Fastest” is the superlative degree, indicating that the cheetah has the greatest speed compared to all other land animals.

This is the most beautiful painting in the gallery.

“Most beautiful” is the superlative degree, expressing that this painting has the highest level of beauty compared to all other paintings in the gallery.

Some tips for using degrees of comparison

Here are some tips for using degrees of comparison of adjectives effectively in your writing and speech:

1. Understand the context: Before using degrees of comparison, make sure you understand the context and the specific quality you want to compare. Consider whether you are comparing two things or multiple things.

2. Choose the appropriate degree: Decide whether the positive, comparative, or superlative degree is most suitable for your comparison. Use the positive degree for simple descriptions, the comparative degree for comparing two things, and the superlative degree for comparing three or more things.

3. Be clear and precise: When making comparisons, be clear and precise in your language. Avoid ambiguous statements that may cause confusion.

4. Use the right comparative/superlative form: Understand the regular and irregular forms of comparison for adjectives. For regular adjectives, add “-er” for the comparative and “-est” for the superlative. For irregular adjectives, learn the specific comparative and superlative forms.

5. Pay attention to spelling and pronunciation: When adding “-er” or “-est” to an adjective, watch out for spelling and pronunciation changes. For example, “big, bigger, biggest” or “happy, happier, happiest.”

6. Use “than” for comparisons: When comparing two things, use “than” to show the difference in quality. For example, “She is taller than her sister.”

7. Avoid double comparatives or superlatives: Do not use “more” or “most” before an adjective that already has “-er” or “-est.” For instance, don’t say “more better” or “most fastest.”

Some List of Examples of Degrees of Comparison

Here’s a table with 50 examples of degrees of comparison of adjectives:

FAQs

Here are some frequently asked questions (FAQs) related to degrees of comparison of adjectives:

Read also:

• Order of Adjectives
• Formation of Adjectives
• Nouns as Adjectives
• Determiners
• Emphasizing Adjective