This document discusses the different degrees of comparison in English grammar - positive, comparative, and superlative. It provides examples for each degree using adjectives and adverbs to compare qualities, numbers, and positions of nouns. The positive degree makes a simple statement about one noun having a quality. The comparative degree compares two nouns, showing one has more of a quality than the other. The superlative degree compares one noun to many others of its kind, showing it has the highest degree of a quality.

1. The Degrees of Comparison

2. Contents
 The Degrees of Comparison
 Kinds of Degrees of comparison
 Positive Degree
 Degree of equality
 Degree of inequality
 Comparative Degree
 Progressive Degree
 Parallel Degree
 Superlative Degree
 Exercises

3. The 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.

4. Kinds of Degrees of comparison
Kinds of degrees of comparison
//////
Superlative
POSITIVE DEGREE
COMAPRATIVE DEGREE
SUPERLATIVE DEGREE
Degree
////// ////// //////
Degree of equality Progressive degree Parallel degree
////// ////// //////
Degree of inequality
//////

5. Positive Degree
 One noun – person, thing or place – and one
quality… above average
tall – adjective
 John is a man.
 Eifel tower is a tall man-made structure.
One noun with one quality – „tall‟ adjective in
positive form.

6. 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”.
 John is as strong as James.
„strong‟ – adjective in positive form showing
equality.

7. 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.
 Peter is not as (so) fast as Paul.

8. COMPARATIVE DEGREE
 Two people, 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.
 A horse can run faster than a dog.

9. Degree of Comparison:
Comparative degree
Comparative degree
//////
Progressive Degree
Progressive Degree
//////
Parallel Degree
Parallel Degree
//////

10. Progressive Degree
 Two 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.
 The steeper the hill, the more difficult it is to push the
rock up!

11. 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‟.
 The days are getting hotter and hotter.
 It is getting hotter and hotter day by day.

12. 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.
 Susan is the most intelligent girl in the class.
Susan

13. Examples.
 The elephant is the largest of all land animals.
 The giraffe is the tallest of all animals.

14. Exercises.
Choose the correct answer.
1. Gerald is footballer in our team.
fast
the fastest
the faster
2. Tom is a boy.
stronger
the strongest
strong
3. The white flower is as as
the red flower.
the most beautiful
more beautiful
beautiful

15. 4. the weights, the it is to lift
them.
The heavy
the difficult
The heavier
the more difficult
5. The sea is getting .
rough and rough
rougher and rougher
the rougher and the rougher
6. Mt. Everest is mountain in
the world.
higher than
high
the highest