Degrees of Comparison: Rules, Examples & Common Mistakes

Lesson Overview

• What Are Degrees of Comparison?
• Why Use Degrees of Comparison?
• Forming Comparative and Superlative Adjectives
• Helpful Table of Comparisons
• Using Comparatives and Superlatives in Sentences

In English grammar, adjectives and adverbs are often used to compare people, places, or things. This comparison is expressed through the degrees of comparison, which include positive, comparative, and superlative forms. Understanding these degrees helps in making clear and accurate comparisons in both spoken and written English.

In this lesson, you will learn the rules, structures, and exceptions associated with degrees of comparison. Through clear explanations and practical examples, you will understand how to use comparative and superlative forms correctly. By the end of this lesson, you will be able to form comparisons naturally and avoid common grammar mistakes.

What Are Degrees of Comparison?

Degrees of Comparison are forms of adjectives that show different levels of a quality when comparing nouns. In English, adjectives have three degrees of comparison: positive, comparative, and superlative. These help us describe one thing or compare two or more things clearly.

• Positive Degree: The base form of the adjective. It describes one person or thing without any comparison. For example, "Tom is strong." Here strong is in the positive degree – it just states Tom's quality without comparing it to anyone. (Note: "Positive" here doesn't mean "good" or "happy" – it simply means basic form, not compared to anything else.)

• Comparative Degree: This form of an adjective is used to compare two people, places, or things. We usually form it by adding "-er" to the adjective or by using the word "more" before it. We often pair a comparative with the word "than" to show the comparison. For example, "Tom is stronger than Jim." Here stronger compares two people (Tom and Jim). Another example: "This puzzle is more difficult than that one." Comparative adjectives help us see who has "more" or "less" of a quality between two entities.

• Superlative Degree: This form of an adjective is used when comparing more than two (often three or more) items. It shows the highest (or lowest) degree of a quality. We usually form it by adding "-est" to the adjective or by using "most" before it. We often use "the" before a superlative adjective, because we are identifying one specific thing as having the utmost degree of that quality. For example, "Tom is the strongest student in his class." Here strongest indicates that out of all the students in the class (more than two people), Tom has the greatest strength. Another example: "This is the most difficult puzzle of all." Superlatives let us single out one item as the highest or lowest in a group.

Why Use Degrees of Comparison?

Using degrees of comparison makes our sentences more precise and informative. Instead of saying "Tom is very strong," we can say "Tom is stronger than Jim," which clearly indicates the comparison between Tom and Jim. If we have many people, we might say "Tom is the strongest of all the boys," identifying Tom as having the greatest strength in a group. Degrees of comparison help readers and listeners understand who or what stands out in a comparison.

Example in Context:
Imagine three cats running in a race:

• The positive form simply describes one cat: "This cat runs fast."
• The comparative form compares two cats: "This cat runs faster than that cat." (comparing Cat A to Cat B)
• The superlative form compares one cat to all the others: "This cat runs the fastest of all the cats." (Cat A compared to Cat B and Cat C)

In these examples, fast (positive) → faster (comparative) → fastest (superlative). We can clearly tell which cat wins the race!

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The degrees of comparison of adjectives

Forming Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

The way we form the comparative and superlative often depends on the length of the adjective (how many syllables it has) and sometimes its spelling. Here are the basic rules:

• For Short Adjectives (usually 1 syllable): Add "-er" for the comparative and "-est" for the superlative.
  • Example: small → smaller → smallest.
  • Sentence: "A rabbit is small." "A rabbit is smaller than a dog." "A rabbit is one of the smallest animals in the yard."

• For Adjectives Ending in "-e": Just add "-r" for comparative and "-st" for superlative.
  • Example: large → larger → largest.

• For Adjectives Ending in a Consonant + "y": Change the "y" to "i" and then add "-er"/"-est".
  • Example: happy → happier → happiest.

• For Longer Adjectives (usually 2+ syllables): Add "more" for comparative and "most" for superlative.
  • Example: beautiful → more beautiful → most beautiful.

• Irregular Adjectives: A few adjectives don't follow the regular rules at all:
  • good → better → best
  • bad → worse → worst

Helpful Table of Comparisons

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Degrees of Adjectives Test Quiz

Using Comparatives and Superlatives in Sentences

Knowing the forms is important, but we also need to use them correctly in sentences. Here are some key points for using comparative and superlative adjectives:

• Use "than" with Comparatives: When you state a comparative, you usually mention than followed by the second item in the comparison. This makes it clear what two things you are comparing.
  
  • Example: "She is smarter than her sister." The word than introduces the sister as the second part of the comparison.
  • Example: "This car is more expensive than that one." (Comparing two cars.)

• Use "the" with Superlatives: When using a superlative, we often put "the" before the adjective because we are pinpointing one specific item that tops all others​. We also usually mention the group or range we're comparing within.
  
  • Example: "John is the tallest student in the class." ("the tallest" because John is one specific person who is tallest among all students in that class.)
  • Example: "Out of the three cakes, this one is the most delicious." ("the most delicious" because it's uniquely highest in quality among the three.)

• Comparing Two vs. Many: Use the comparative form when comparing two things, and use the superlative when comparing one against a group of three or more. For example, if Tom and Jim are competing, say "Tom is faster than Jim." If Tom, Jim, and Alex are competing, you could say "Tom is the fastest of the three boys."
  
• Never Double Up Comparatives/Superlatives: Do not use "more" with an "-er" ending, or "most" with an "-est" ending on the same adjective. Using both is a common mistake and sounds incorrect. For instance:
  
  • "This puzzle is more harder than that one." (Wrong)
  • "This puzzle is harder than that one." (Correct: use harder, not more harder)
  • "She is the most smartest in the group." (Wrong)
  • "She is the smartest in the group." (Correct: use smartest, not most smartest)

• As one expert puts it, English grammar "dictates that you shouldn't add 'more' (or 'most') to a comparative (or superlative) form (e.g., 'more smarter', 'most heaviest'), because they are redundant." The comparative already means "more," and the superlative already implies "most," so adding those words again is repetitive. Instead, use much or even to emphasize a comparison: e.g., "much better", "even faster" – but not "more better."
  
• Check the Irregulars: When using adjectives like good or bad, remember their special forms. It would sound funny to say "gooder" or "baddest." The correct forms are better/best and worse/worst, respectively. For example, "A good athlete might have a bad day, but a great athlete turns a bad day into a better day, and on his best days he's the best of all." Here we see good → better → best and bad → worse → worst in action. These irregular forms just have to be memorized