Degree of comparison

The degree of comparison is the form an adjective or adverb takes to show how much of a quality something has. English has three degrees: positive (tall), comparative (taller) and superlative (tallest). The positive describes one thing, the comparative compares two, and the superlative picks one out of three or more.

Positive: “Ravi is tall.” Comparative: “Ravi is taller than Arun.” Superlative: “Ravi is the tallest boy in the class.” The same pattern works with longer words using more and most: “an important / more important / the most important decision”.

One-syllable adjectives take -er/-est (fast, faster, fastest). Two-syllable adjectives ending in -y change y to i (happier), and many ending in -ow, -er or -le also take -er (narrower, cleverer, simpler). Most other two-syllable words and every longer word use more/most (more famous, most beautiful).

The common irregular ones are good – better – best, bad – worse – worst, far – farther/further – farthest/furthest, little – less – least (for amounts), much/many – more – most, old – older/elder – oldest/eldest and late – later/latter – latest/last. They have to be learned; no spelling rule produces them.

Better, and the superlative is best: “a good plan, a better plan, the best plan.” Never say “more good” or “more better”. The adverb well shares the same forms: “she sings well, better than me, the best in the choir.”

Rewrite the sentence around the other degree and keep the facts identical. From the superlative “Everest is the highest mountain”, the comparative is “Everest is higher than any other mountain”, and the positive is “No other mountain is as high as Everest”. For one of the, use “higher than most other…” and “Very few… are as high as…”.

A superlative singles out one item from a group, so it is specific, and specific nouns take the: “the cheapest ticket”, “the most useful tip”. You can drop the after a verb when there is no noun (“This road is busiest in the morning”), and possessives replace it (“my best friend”).

Older works everywhere and is the only one used with than: “He is older than me.” Elder and eldest are used only before a noun for family members: “my elder brother”, “their eldest daughter”. “He is elder than me” is a mistake.

For physical distance both are correct, and farther is slightly more common in American English: “the farther shore”. Only further means “more” or “additional”: “further information”, “without further delay”. If you are unsure, further is right in both senses.

Yes. Short adverbs take -er/-est like adjectives (fast, faster, fastest; hard, harder, hardest), adverbs ending in -ly use more/most (more carefully, most quickly), and well and badly are irregular (better/best, worse/worst).

Yes, both are accepted today, alongside cleverer and simpler. A small group of two-syllable adjectives take either form: clever, simple, narrow, quiet, polite, common, gentle. Pick one form and use it consistently in a piece of writing.

A double comparative stacks two comparative markers, as in “more better” or “most fastest”. Each marker already does the job, so the second is redundant and reads as an error to examiners. Use one: better, the fastest, more useful.

As + positive + as shows two things are equal: “This bag is as heavy as that one.” Not as… as (or not so… as) shows they are not: “Silver is not as expensive as gold.” This is the structure that turns a comparative into the positive degree.

Use fewer with plural nouns you can count (“fewer mistakes”, “fewer students”) and less with amounts you measure (“less time”, “less water”). Everyday speech often uses less for both, but in exams and formal writing the distinction is marked.

Yes. They are among the words that Read & Complete and Fill in the Blanks damage, where you rebuild larg_ _ or clos_ _ _ from the grammar of the sentence. In Writing and Speaking, accurate comparisons (“far more expensive than…”) are what describing, comparing and arguing need.

Learn the three spelling rules and the irregular seven, then convert sentences between degrees until it is automatic. The quiz on this page drills recognition; the worksheet drills production. Finish by writing three sentences comparing two cities, phones or courses, using a comparative, a superlative and not as… as.