What are Degrees of Comparison?
Degrees of Comparison are adjectives that change form and are used to compare one thing or person to another.
They are applicable to adjectives and adverbs and not to nouns and verbs.
3 Types of Degrees of Comparison?
Degrees of Comparison are of three types.
1. Positive Degree
The positive degree of an adjective in comparison is the adjective in its simple form. It is used to denote the existing state of a person or thing and is used when no comparison is made.
2. Comparative Degree
The comparative degree of an adjective in Degrees of Comparison denotes the higher degree of the quality than the positive. It is used when two things or two sets of things are compared.
3. Superlative Degree
The superlative degree conveys the highest quality of a person or a thing. It is used when more than two people or things are compared.
Examples of the three types of Degrees of Comparision
| Positive | Comparative | Superlative |
| high | higher | highest |
| fast | faster | fastest |
| strong | stronger | strongest |
| bright | brighter | brighter |
| black | blacker | blackest |
| bold | bolder | boldest |
| clever | cleverer | cleverest |
| cold | colder | coldest |
| great | greater | greatest |
| kind | kinder | kindest |
| long | longer | longest |
| small | smaller | smallest |
| sweet | sweeter | sweetest |
| tall | taller | tallest |
| fast | faster | fastest |
| young | younger | youngest |
Now let’s try an exercise. Fill in the blanks in the following sentence.
1. There are very few places as _________________ as Paris.
Option : pretty / prettier / prettiest
Answer : pretty Positive Degree
2. Of the two, who is __________________ ?
Option : tall / taller / tallest
Answer : taller Comparative Degree
3. This is the _________________ house in the neighbourhood.
Option : big / bigger / biggest
Answer : biggest Superlative Degree
4. There is nothing ___________________ than a glass of water.
Option : good / better / best
Answer : better Comparative Degree
5. There is nothing as ___________________ as a glass of water.
Option : good / better / best
Answer : good Positive Degree