Adjective

Concept: Degrees of Comparison

Definition:

• Degrees of comparison is used to compare a person or a thing with another or a large group.
• There are three parts to the degrees of comparison.

Example:

A) Positive Degree

The basic form of the adjective or adverb is known as positive degree. It usually does not involve a direct comparison.

Example:

B) Comparative Degree

When there are two person or things, we use this form often with a ‘than’ to compare both the nouns.

Example:

C) Superlative Degree

A superlative adjective is used to explain the extreme quality of one thing or person in a group of things or people.

Example:

How to Form Comparative and Superlative Degree?

There are many ways to form comparative and superlative degrees. Let’s take a look at them.

Positive Adjectives with One Syllable

Adjectives that have one syllable generally become the comparative degree by adding -er and become the superlative degree by adding -est.

Positive Adjectives with Two syllables

Adjectives having two syllables that end in ‘-y’ generally take -er in the comparative form and -est in the superlative form. Also, while changing the form, the ‘-y’ becomes ‘-i’.

Three or More Syllables

Words having three or more syllables when made into the comparative forms by adding ‘more’ to the phrase, and by adding ‘most’ before the superlative form of adjective.

Exceptions

There are some common adjectives that have irregular comparative and superlative forms.

In the one-syllable adjectives, if the last letter is a single vowel and is followed by a single consonant letter, then the word becomes double in the comparative form and the superlative forms.

Examples:

1. Thin -----> Thinner -----> Thinnest
2. Big -----> Bigger -----> Biggest