Degree of Comparison Rules with Examples, Types & Excercise

Degree of Comparision Rules: If you are someone peculiar about English grammar rules, then there is no escape from admiring adjectives for you. Apart from highlighting the key attributes of nouns and pronouns, adjectives are just the right tool to spice up your boring speeches and sentences. But, there is more to unravel in adjectives than you think, and that is where the degree of comparison comes into the picture. It not only helps you compare the qualities of two or more than one noun or subject but also forms a significant part of the High School syllabus, competitive exams, and proficiency tests. So, let’s dive deeper into this blog article to learn more about the degree of comparison rules with examples, and the different types to give specifications in a sentence.

What is the Degree of Comparison?

A degree in the English language is a form of an adjective that is used to compare a person or thing having the same quality with another. It is usually related to the adjective or adverb that is already used in a sentence. However, as per the Collins Dictionary, ‘degrees in English grammar’ also known as ‘degree of comparison’ is defined as the ‘listing of the positive, comparative, and superlative forms of an adjective or adverbs.’

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What are the 3 Types of Degrees of Comparison?

There are three types of degree of Adjectives for comparison: positive, comparative and superlative.

I. In the case of one item or person, the positive is used.
II. In the case of two items or persons, the comparative is used.
III. In the case of three or more three items or persons, the superlative is used.

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7 Important Rules of Degree of Comparison

Let’s now have a look at the basic rules of Degree of Comparison.

Rule 1: When the comparison is of a single entity, or between two people; more or most comes into the usage.

For Example, Rita is smarter than Gita – Incorrect
Rita is more smarter than Gita – Correct

Rule 2: When the comparison is between two different qualities of one person or entity; more is used.

For Example, He is wiser than shrewd – Incorrect
He is more wiser than shrewd – Correct.

Rule 3: Double comparatives or superlatives are not used anymore for comparison.

Rule 4: The comparison must be between two similar things.

For instance:
If we are comparing speeds, the comparison must be between the speeds of either a single entity or two or more entities. 

Rule 5: In the case where ‘than’ or ‘as’ is followed by a first-person/second-person pronoun, the verb can be omitted, but not in the case of a third person. 

Example:
She is not as smart as her sister – Incorrect
She is not as smart as her sister is – Correct

Rule 6: A list of words mentioned below must be followed by ‘to’ and not by ‘than’.

• Senior
• Superior
• Elder
• Junior
• Inferior
• Preferable
• Prefer

For Example: She is junior to me.

Rule 7: We can’t use ‘More’ or ‘Most’ for adjectives that make absolute sense in themselves. For words like unique, parallel or universe.

Explore Complete List of Adjectives From A-Z

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

Y

Z

Examples of Degree of Comparison Rules

These were the rules of degree of comparison. Now let’s have a look at the various examples: 

POSITIVE	COMPARATIVE	SUPERLATIVE
big	bigger	biggest
Small	smaller	smallest
good	better	best
brief	briefer	briefest
Beautiful	More beautiful	Most beautiful
Busy	Busier	Busiest
bright	brighter	brightest
clean	cleaner	cleaner
Cheap	cheaper	cheapest
expensive	More expensive	Most expensive
close	closer	closest
clear	clearer	clearest
dark	darker	darkest
deep	deeper	deepest
dry	drier	driest
dense	denser	densest
Cool	cooler	coolest

If you are still looking for better clarity, here are some more examples of Degrees of Comparison for each type.

Positive Degree of Comparison	Comparative Degree of Comparison	Superlative Degree of Comparison
The cat is small	She drives more carefully than he does.	The Empire State Building is the tallest building in New York City.
The food is delicious.	I go to the gym less frequently than I used to.	Death Valley is the hottest place on Earth.
The book is interesting.	The car is faster than the bicycle.	The peregrine falcon is the fastest bird in the world.
The music is loud.	The cat is shorter than the dog.	The Mona Lisa is the most famous painting in the world.
The movie is funny.	The tree is taller than the house.	This is the best pizza I’ve ever eaten.
The colour is blue.	This flower is more beautiful than that one.	Vostok Station in Antarctica is the coldest place on Earth.
The weather is hot.	This book is less expensive than that one.	The Great Barrier Reef is the biggest coral reef in the world.

Also Read: English Vocabulary: Tips to Improve

Degree of Comparison Exercises

Now let’s take a look at our progress by solving a few questions.

Quiz on Degrees in English Grammar

Instructions: Choose the correct answer for each question.

Which degree of comparison is used to compare two things?

A) Positive

B) Comparative

C) Superlative

Which degree of comparison is used to compare more than two things?

A) Positive

B) Comparative

C) Superlative

What is the superlative form of the adjective “big”?

A) Bigger

B) Biggest

C) Bigly

Which degree of comparison is used to describe a quality without comparison?

A) Positive

B) Comparative

C) Superlative

What is the comparative form of the adjective “good”?

A) Better

B) Gooder

C) Best

Answers

• B) Comparative
• C) Superlative
• B) Biggest
• A) Positive
• A) Better

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