Degree of Comparison – General English Study Material
Adjectives are of three degrees. (1) Positive (2) Comparative (3) Superlative
Comparison can be made using the three forms of the adjective.
Adjective is a word and it qualifies a noun. It gives more information about the noun.
- The lion is a strong animal. Rita is a beautiful girl.
eg. David is a rich man.
eg. Cancel is more dreadful than cholera.
eg. Mount Everest is the highest peak in the world.
*Degrees of Comparison are applicable only to Adjectives and Adverbs*
*Nouns and verbs do not have degrees of comparisons*
- Positive: No other metal is as precious as gold.
Comparative: Gold is more precious than any other metal.
Superlative: Gold is the most precious of all metals.
- Superlative: India is the largestdemocracy in the world.
Comparative: India is larger than any other democracy in the world.
Positive: No other democracy in the world is as large as India.
- Superlative: Susie is one of the cleverest girls in the class.
Comparative: Susie is cleverer than most other girls in the class.
Positive: Few girls in the class are as clever as Susie.
TYPE – I: Comparing only two things.
Rules:
Subject becomes the object and vice-versa.
If the given sentence is positive add ‘Not” to it.
If the given sentence is negative remove ‘Not” from it.
In positive degree if it does not have “Not” then use the words “as…as”.
Note: No Superlative degree possible.
Ex:
Raj is cleverer than Ram [Comparative]
Ram is not so clever as Raj [Positive]
TYPE – II: Comparing two or more than two things.
Ex:
Pacific is the deepest ocean in the world.
Pacific is deeper than any other ocean in the world. [Comparative]
No other ocean in the world is so deep as Pacific. [Superlative]
Note:
| Types | Positive | Comparative | Superlative | Trick |
| I | No other | Any other | The | NAT |
| II | Very few | Many other | One of the | VMO |
- Comparative degree has the ending term “er”
- Superlative degree has the ending term “st”
| Sl. No | P | C | S |
| 1 | Able | Abler | Ablest |
| 2 | Big | Bigger | Biggest |
| 3 | Cool | Cooler | Coolest |
| 4 | Dull | Duller | Dullest |
| 5 | Easy | Easier | Easiest |
| 6 | Fine | Finer | Finest |
| 7 | Great | Greater | Greatest |
| 8 | High | Higher | Highest |
| 9 | Kind | Kinder | Kindest |
| 10 | Large | Larger | Largest |
| 11 | Much | More | Most |
| 12 | Near | Nearer | Nearest |
| 13 | Quick | Quicker | Quickest |
| 14 | Swift | Swifter | Swiftest |
| 15 | Wealthy | Wealthier | Wealthiest |
Comparison and Contrast
- When we compare two objects, persons, qualities, degrees etc. the tare some respects equal, we may use the comparion of equality. This is formed by the use of
as… adjective / adverb… as
eg. Your house is as large as mine.When we compare unquals, we may use the comparative degree of the adjective or adverb with than.
- His new book is more interesting than his earlier books.
- When the comparison is negative, we use
so… adjective / adverb… as
eg. Your house is not quite so large as mine.
- In some adverbial clauses of comparison both subject and verb are dropped.
- He is more shy than (he is) unsocial.
Some people think more about their rights than (they do) about their duties.
- In clauses of comparison introduced by than that‘should’ is used.
- I am already to do the work myself rather than that you should have to do it.
6.Comparison and contrast are also expressed by the use of the…the…with comparatives.
eg. The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll finish.
The more he read, the less he understood.
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