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DEGREES OF COMPARISON

The Degrees of Comparison in English grammar are made with the Adjective and Adverb words

to show how big or small, high or low, more or less, many or few, etc., of the qualities, numbers and positions of the nouns (persons, things and places) in comparison to the others mentioned in the other part of a sentence/expression.

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Kinds of Degrees of comparison

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Positive Degree

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POSITIVE DEGREE

One noun – person, thing or place – and one quality… above average

tall – adjective John is a

man.

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Positive degree (continued)

Eifel tower is a tall man-made structure.One noun with one quality – ‘tall’ adjective in positive form

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Degree of equality The adjective or adverb is in positive form showing that two persons or things are the same – two nouns having the same quality.

The common conjunction used is “as…as”.

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Degree of equality: example 1

John is as strong as James.‘strong’ – adjective in positive form showing equality

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Degree of inequality

The adjective or adverb is in positive form showing that two persons or things are not the same – two nouns not having the same quality.

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Degree of inequality

Peter is notas (so)fastas Paul.

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COMPARATIVE DEGREE

Two persons, things or places are being compared with one adjective or adverb to show that one has more quality or quantity of the adjective or adverb than the other.The adjective or adverb takes ‘r’ or ‘er’ to its positive form, and is said to be in comparative form.The conjunction ‘than’ is used to connect the two clauses.

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Comparative Degree: example

A horse can runfasterthana dog.

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Degree of Comparison:

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Progressive DegreeTwo adjectives or adverbs are being compared to show that one continues to increase (or decrease) when the other increases (or decreases).The adjective or adverb is in its comparative form with the definite article ‘the’ before it.

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Progressive Degree: example

The steeper the hill, the more difficult it is to push the rock up!

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Parallel Degree

The quality or quantity of the adjective or adverb continues to increase (or decrease) as the time passes.

The adjective or adverb in its comparative form is repeated using the conjunction ‘and’.

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Parallel Degree: example

► The days are getting hotter and hotter.► It is getting hotter and hotter day by day.

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SUPERLATIVE DEGREE► Comparing one noun – person, thing or

place – with several others of its kind to show that this particular noun has the highest degree of the quality or quantity of the adjective or adverb being used to compare.

► The adjective or adverb takes the ‘superlative form’, ending with ‘st’ or ‘est’, with the definite article ‘the’ before it.

► The preposition ‘of’ is used when the comparison is among items, and ‘in’ is used to specify the place, position or area.

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Superlative Degree: example 1

The elephant is the largest of all land animals.

The giraffe is the tallest of all animals.

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Superlative Degree: example 2

Susan is the most intelligent girl in the class.Susan

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Degrees of Comparison: worksheet 1

• Gerald is footballer in our team.fastthe fastestthe faster

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Degrees of Comparison: worksheet 2

Tom is a boy.strongerthe strongeststrong

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Degrees of Comparison: worksheet 3

This man is , but that man is .sadhappyangry

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Degrees of Comparison: worksheet 4

Kate is than Sue.more activeactiveractive

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Degrees of Comparison: worksheet 5

• The white flower is as as the red flower.the most beautifulmore beautifulbeautiful

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Degrees of Comparison: worksheet 6

the weights, the it is to lift them.

The heavythe difficultThe heavierthe more difficult

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Degrees of Comparison: worksheet 7

The sea is getting .rough and roughrougher and rougherthe rougher and the rougher

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Degrees of Comparison: worksheet 8

Mt. Everest is mountain in the world.higher thanhighthe highest