Positive, Comparative & Superlative Degree

Mastering English: The Definitive Guide to Degrees of Comparison

Master the three degrees of comparison—Positive, Comparative, and Superlative. These grammatical forms are essential for articulating the relative intensity or quality of nouns and actions.

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The Three Core Degrees

of Adjectives and Adverbs

Positive Degree: The Baseline Quality

The Positive Degree is the root form, used to describe a single entity's characteristic or quality without drawing any contrast. It merely states a fact about the adjective or adverb.

Illustrative Examples:

• ADJ: She is a good girl.
• ADJ: He is an intelligent boy.
• ADV: He drives slowly.
• ADV: He did the job beautifully.

Comparative Degree:

Measuring Two Entities

The Comparative Degree is employed when comparing two distinct subjects (things, people, or groups). It demonstrates which subject possesses a greater or lesser amount of the quality. This form is almost always succeeded by the word "than".

Illustrative Examples:

• ADJ: Ishan is taller than Zaheer.
• ADJ: Fariya is more intelligent than Nasima.
• ADV: He walks more slowly (than he used to).
• ADV: He did the job more beautifully (than his coworker).

Superlative Degree:
The Absolute Extreme

The Superlative Degree is used to compare three or more subjects, isolating the one that demonstrates the absolute highest or lowest level of the characteristic. It is nearly always preceded by the definite article "the".

Illustrative Examples:

• ADJ: Ishan is the tallest player on the team.
• ADJ: Shakib-Al-Hasan is one of the best all-rounders in world cricket.
• ADV: He has done the work most beautifully.
• ADV: I want to play the next match most seriously.

The Morphology of Degrees:
How to Form Adjectives and Adverbs

• Rule 1: Monosyllabic (One-Syllable) Words

  Append -er for Comparative and -est for Superlative forms.

  Positive: Tall | Comparative: Taller | Superlative: Tallest
  Positive: Fast | Comparative: Faster | Superlative: Fastest
• Rule 2: Polysyllabic (Two or More Syllable) Words

  Precede the word with 'more' for Comparative and 'most' for Superlative. (Common for longer adjectives and adverbs ending in -ly).

  Positive: Beautiful | Comparative: More beautiful | Superlative: Most beautiful
  Positive: Slowly | Comparative: More slowly | Superlative: Most slowly
• Rule 3: Two-Syllable Words Ending in -y

  Change the terminal -y to -i and add the standard -er or -est ending.

  Positive: Happy | Comparative: Happier | Superlative: Happiest
• Rule 4: Irregular Forms (Crucial Memorization)

  These common forms defy rules and must be committed to memory.

  Positive: Good/Well | Comparative: Better | Superlative: Best
  Positive: Bad/Ill | Comparative: Worse | Superlative: Worst
  Positive: Much/Many | Comparative: More | Superlative: Most

Advanced: Rules for Sentence Transformation

1. Superlative to Positive Degree

Rule 1.1: Superlative with "one of the" (Partial superiority)

Use this structure when the superlative indicates the subject is one of the top entities, not the absolute best.

Very few + (total part from superlative) + verb (plural) + as + (positive form) + as + (subject)

Example:

Superlative: Virat Kohli is one of the best batsmen in the world.

Positive: Very few batsmen in the world are as good as Virat Kohli.

Rule 1.2: Superlative without "one of the" (Absolute superiority)

Use this when the superlative is the absolute highest/lowest quality in the entire group.

No other + (total part from superlative) + verb (singular) + as + (positive form) + as + (subject)

Example:

Superlative: He is the best boy in the class.

Positive: No other boy in the class is as good as he is.

2. Comparative to Superlative Degree

⚠️ Important Note: A sentence comparing only two entities (e.g., John is taller than Nick) cannot be transformed into the Superlative Degree.

Rule 2.1: Comparative with "than any other" (Absolute superiority)

This construction denotes that the subject is superior to every single other individual in the group.

Comparative: Subject + verb + comparative form + than any other + object.
Superlative: Subject + verb + the + superlative form + object.

Example:

Comparative: Dhaka is bigger than any other city in Bangladesh.

Superlative: Dhaka is the biggest city in Bangladesh.

Rule 2.2: Comparative with "than most other" (Partial superiority)

Indicates the subject is superior to a large number of others, resulting in the "one of the" superlative form.

Comparative: Subject + verb + comparative form + than most other + object.
Superlative: Subject + verb + one of the + superlative form + object.

Example:

Comparative: Rohit is better than most other players.

Superlative: Rohit is one of the best players.

3. Positive to Comparative Degree

Rule 3.1: Positive with "No other" (Absolute inferiority)

This structure always implies absolute superiority of the subject, transforming to "than any other."

Positive: No other + object + verb + as + positive form + as + Subject.
Comparative: Subject + verb + comparative form + than any other + object.

Example:

Positive: No other metal is as heavy as gold.

Comparative: Gold is heavier than any other metal.

Rule 3.2: Positive with "Very few" (Partial inferiority)

This means the subject is only superior to most others, leading to the "than most other" comparative form.

Positive: Very few + object + verb (plural) + as + positive form + as + Subject.
Comparative: Subject + verb + comparative form + than most other + object.

Example:

Positive: Very few cities in the world are as big as London.

Comparative: London is bigger than most other cities in the world.