Shivam Singh3 Jul, 2025
Degree of comparison: In English grammar, adjectives help us describe nouns by highlighting qualities like size, colour, emotion, or appearance. But what if we want to compare two or more nouns that share a similar quality? For example, if Lisa is happy and Meena is even happier, how do we express that difference clearly?
This is where degrees of comparison come in. They allow us to compare one thing with another using different forms of the same adjective. In this blog, you’ll learn what degrees of comparison are, the three main types, and how to use them correctly with simple rules and examples.
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The degree of comparison is a grammatical concept that helps us describe and compare how much of a quality a person or thing has. It is used with adjectives and adverbs to show whether a quality is being stated as it is, compared with something else, or expressed as the highest or lowest among others.
For example, when we say “The tea is hot,” we are simply describing the tea using the positive degree. If we say “This tea is hotter than the one I had yesterday,” we are using the comparative degree to show a difference between two things. And when we say “This is the hottest tea I have ever had,” we are using the superlative degree to show that this tea has the highest level of heat among all others.
These comparisons help us be more specific and accurate when we talk about qualities such as size, speed, beauty, intelligence, and many others.
In English, adjectives and adverbs are often used to describe qualities. When we want to compare these qualities among different people, things, or times, we use what is called the degree of comparison. There are three degrees:
Positive Degree
Comparative Degree
Superlative Degree
Each degree serves a different purpose in describing or comparing qualities. Let’s explore each one with simple definitions and clear examples.
The positive degree is the basic form of an adjective or adverb. It describes a quality but does not compare it to anything else. It simply tells us what something is like.
The soup is ho
Riya is kind.
This road is narrow.
My dog is playful.
His shirt is clean.
The flowers are fresh.
Our teacher is smart.
Her handwriting is neat.
The baby is quiet.
The sky is blue.
The comparative degree is used when we are comparing two people, things, or actions. It shows which one has more or less of a particular quality.
There are two common ways to form the comparative degree:
Add -er to the adjective (for shorter words)
Use more or less before the adjective (for longer words)
This book is thicker than that one.
His bag is heavier than mine.
My house is bigger than yours.
The water is colder than yesterday.
Rahul runs faster than his friends.
Her dress is more beautiful than mine.
I am busier than usual today.
This puzzle is harder than the last one.
He is more polite than before.
The exam was easier than I expected.
Note: In the comparative degree, we often use the word than to connect the two things being compared.
The superlative degree is used to compare three or more people or things. It shows which one has the highest or lowest degree of the quality.
We usually form the superlative by:
Adding -est to short adjectives
Using most or least before longer adjectives
We visited the oldest temple in the village.
This is the brightest star in the sky.
The cheetah is the fastest animal on land.
Ramesh is the strongest player on the team.
Ananya is the most talented dancer in our group.
He answered the toughest question in the quiz.
Today is the hottest day of the month.
She brought the biggest cake to the party.
That was the scariest scene in the movie.
This is the most colourful painting in the gallery.
In the superlative degree, we usually use “the” before the adjective because we are identifying something as the best, worst, or most extreme in its group.
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When forming the comparative and superlative forms of adjectives, there is no one-size-fits-all rule. The way we change an adjective depends on how the word is spelt and how many syllables it has.
Here are the different types of adjectives and how their degrees of comparison are formed:
For short, one-syllable adjectives that end in a consonant, we often double the final consonant before adding -er for the comparative and -est for the superlative.
Examples:
big → bigger → biggest
hot → hotter → hottest
sad → sadder → saddest
For monosyllabic adjectives that end in a single consonant after a vowel, we simply add -er and -est, without doubling the final letter.
Examples:
tall → taller → tallest
short → shorter → shortest
long → longer → longest
If the adjective already ends in the letter e, we just add -r for the comparative and -st for the superlative.
Examples:
large → larger → largest
brave → braver → bravest
fine → finer → finest
For adjectives ending in y, we change the y to i and then add -er or -est.
Examples:
happy → happier → happiest
busy → busier → busiest
lazy → lazier → laziest
Adjectives with two or more syllables usually form their comparative and superlative forms using more and most.
Examples:
beautiful → more beautiful → most beautiful
comfortable → more comfortable → most comfortable
intelligent → more intelligent → most intelligent
Some adjectives don’t follow any standard rule. Their comparative and superlative forms are completely different words. These are called irregular adjectives.
Examples:
good → better → best
bad → worse → worst
far → farther/further → farthest/furthest
little → less → least
many → more → most
Always be careful not to mix patterns. For example, don’t say “more taller” or “most easiest”. Choose the correct rule based on the type of adjective.
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Fill in the blanks with the correct degree:
This road is __________ than the other one. (narrow)
He is the __________ player on the team. (strong)
Her answer was __________ than mine. (accurate)
This cake is __________. (delicious)
Mount Everest is the __________ mountain. (high)
Answers:
narrower
strongest
more accurate
delicious
highest
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