Degree of Comparison

 

Degree of Comparison – Detailed Discussion

1. Definition

The Degree of Comparison refers to the different forms of adjectives and adverbs that are used to express comparison. It helps us compare people, objects, places, or ideas based on quality, quantity, or manner.

There are three degrees of comparison:

1. Positive Degree – basic or equal state
2. Comparative Degree – comparing two persons or things
3. Superlative Degree – expressing the highest or lowest degree among three or more

2. Explanation of the Three Degrees

A. Positive Degree

The Positive Degree expresses a quality or condition without making any comparison.

Structure:
Base form of the adjective or adverb

Examples:

• Rahim is tall.
• This book is interesting.
• She runs fast.

Uses of Positive Degree

• When no comparison is made
• When two persons or things are equal in quality

Structure of Equality:
as + adjective/adverb + as

Examples:

• Rahim is as tall as Karim.
• She is as intelligent as her sister.

Negative Equality

Structure:
not as / not so + adjective/adverb + as

Examples:

• Rahim is not as tall as Karim.
• This car is not as expensive as that one.

B. Comparative Degree

The Comparative Degree is used to compare two persons, things, or groups.

Formation Rules

1. Short adjectives (one or two syllables):
   adjective + -er + than
• tall → taller than
• big → bigger than
2. Long adjectives (three or more syllables):
   more / less + adjective + than
• beautiful → more beautiful than
• interesting → less interesting than

Examples:

• Rahim is taller than Karim.
• This book is more interesting than that one.
• She runs faster than her brother.

C. Superlative Degree

The Superlative Degree expresses the highest or lowest degree of a quality among three or more persons or things.

Formation Rules

1. Short adjectives:
   the + adjective + -est
• tall → the tallest
• big → the biggest
2. Long adjectives:
   the most / the least + adjective
• beautiful → the most beautiful
• interesting → the least interesting

Examples:

• Rahim is the tallest in the class.
• This is the most interesting book I have ever read.
• She runs the fastest in her team.

3. Formation Rules of Degrees

Regular Adjectives

Positive	Comparative	Superlative	Rule
tall	taller	tallest	Add -er, -est
big	bigger	biggest	Final consonant doubled (CVC)
large	larger	largest	Drop silent ‘e’
happy	happier	happiest	y → i + er/est
busy	busier	busiest	Same rule as happy
modern	more modern	most modern	Use more/most
beautiful	more beautiful	most beautiful	Use more/most

Irregular Adjectives

Positive	Comparative	Superlative
good / well	better	best
bad / ill	worse	worst
far	farther / further	farthest / furthest
little	less	least
many / much	more	most
old	older / elder	oldest / eldest

Special Use of Old

• older / oldest: for age or objects
• My brother is older than me.
• This is the oldest building in the city.
• elder / eldest: only for family relations (used before a noun)
• My elder brother is a doctor.
• She is the eldest daughter.

Special Use of Far

• farther / farthest: physical distance
• Dhaka is farther from Chittagong than Comilla.
• further / furthest: abstract or additional meaning
• We need further discussion.

4. Degrees of Adverbs

Regular Adverbs

Positive	Comparative	Superlative
fast	faster	fastest
hard	harder	hardest
early	earlier	earliest

Adverbs Ending in -ly

• quickly → more quickly → most quickly
• slowly → more slowly → most slowly

Irregular Adverbs

Positive	Comparative	Superlative
well	better	best
badly	worse	worst
much	more	most
little	less	least
far	farther / further	farthest / furthest

5. Special Rules and Exceptions

A. Two-Syllable Adjectives

1. Usually take -er / -est
• happy → happier → happiest
• simple → simpler → simplest
• clever → cleverer → cleverest
2. Usually take more / most
• famous → more famous → most famous
• careful → more careful → most careful
• useless → more useless → most useless
3. Both forms are acceptable
• common → commoner / more common
• handsome → handsomer / more handsome
• quiet → quieter / more quiet

B. Compound Adjectives

Compound adjectives use more / most:

• good-looking → more good-looking → most good-looking
• well-known → more well-known → most well-known
• hard-working → more hard-working → most hard-working

C. Adjectives Ending in -ed and -ing

• bored → more bored → most bored
• boring → more boring → most boring
• interested → more interested → most interested
• interesting → more interesting → most interesting

D. Absolute (Non-gradable) Adjectives

Some adjectives cannot be compared because they already express a complete state.

Adjective	Incorrect	Correct
perfect	more perfect	nearly perfect
unique	most unique	quite unique
dead	deader	completely dead
full	fuller	almost full
empty	emptier	completely empty
final	more final	absolutely final

Allowed modifiers: almost, nearly, completely, absolutely, quite

6. Double Comparatives and Superlatives

A. Incorrect Double Comparatives

• ❌ more better → ✅ better
• ❌ more taller → ✅ taller
• ❌ most kindest → ✅ kindest

B. Correct Comparative Structures

1. The + comparative…, the + comparative…

• The sooner, the better.
• The more you study, the more you learn.

2. Comparative + and + comparative

• It is getting colder and colder.
• She became more and more confident.

7. Common Mistakes

A. Than vs Then

• than: comparison
• then: time or sequence

B. Between vs Among

• between: two
• among: three or more

C. Incomplete Comparison

• ❌ This book is better.
• ✅ This book is better than that one.

D. Illogical Comparison

• ❌ The climate of Dhaka is hotter than Chittagong.
• ✅ The climate of Dhaka is hotter than that of Chittagong.

E. Article Errors

• Comparative: no the
• Superlative: the is required

8. Advanced Usage

A. Strengthening Comparatives

• much / far / a lot + comparative
• She is much taller than her brother.

B. Weakening Comparatives

• a bit / a little / slightly + comparative
• Today is slightly colder than yesterday.

C. Superlative without the

1. Superlative adverbs
• She runs fastest.
2. Meaning “very”
• This is a most interesting book.
3. With possessives
• She is my best friend.

9. Practice and Application

A. Transformation

• Positive: This mountain is high.
• Comparative: This mountain is higher than that hill.
• Superlative: This is the highest mountain in the country.

B. Error Correction

• She is more taller than her brother. ❌
• She is taller than her brother. ✅

Conclusion

The Degree of Comparison is a fundamental and essential part of English grammar. It is not only about changing the form of adjectives and adverbs, but also about expressing ideas logically, clearly, and accurately.

Key Takeaways

1. Three degrees: Positive, Comparative, Superlative
2. Short adjectives use -er / -est
3. Long adjectives use more / most
4. Irregular forms must be memorized
5. Absolute adjectives cannot be compared

Remember:
Degrees of Comparison give language its precision—helping us compare not only quantity, but quality, and turning vague ideas into clear distinctions.

Final Advice

• Practice regularly by forming sentences
• Memorize irregular forms
• Observe how comparisons are used in natural language
• Avoid common mistakes

Mastering the Degree of Comparison ensures grammatical accuracy and leads to clear, effective communication.