Comparative Degree of Comparison: Definition, Rules, & Worksheet

What Is Comparative Degree?

The comparative degree meaning is quite simple: it is an exclusive form of degree of comparison used to compare the qualities of nouns and pronouns. It indicates which has a greater or lesser degree of the mentioned quality of people, animals, objects, or ideas.

As per the experts, comparative degree is defined as “the form of adjectives or an adverb that expresses a difference in amount, number, degree, or quality.” Moreover, it is used in sentences where you seek comparison between two nouns, in the following pattern:

Noun (subject) + verb + comparative adjective + than + noun (object)

Interestingly, “than” stands as the most common word to be used for showing comparison in sentences. Now, as you are familiar with the concept of Comparative in a sentence, let’s move forward and look at all the types of the Comparative form of adjective, which are discussed in the next section.

Types of Comparative Forms

At the time of comparison, adjectives always change their forms. Explicitly talking about comparatives in English grammar, the degree of comparison has three basic forms: positive, comparative, and superlative.

1. Positive Degree: No comparison of an adjective within a sentence is a positive degree.
2. Comparative Degree: When an adjective is used to compare two things (nouns or pronouns) in a sentence, it is said to be in a comparative degree.
3. Superlative Degree: An adjective is said to be in a superlative mode when it is used to compare more than two items (nouns or pronouns) in a sentence.

Being familiar with the meaning of these comparatives is not enough, right? We need to understand the comparative rules to form them. Hence, the next section is based on the relevant rules.

Rules to Form Comparative Degree

Adjectives either form their comparative degrees or superlative degrees. Refer to the list of rules to understand better:

1. By adding “- er” and “- est” to the positive degree.

2. By adding “- r” and “- st” to the positive degree ending in “e”.

3. When the positive ends in “y” and has a consonant before it, we change “y” into “I” and then add “er” and “est”.

4. When the positive degree ends in a consonant with a vowel before it, we double the consonant & then add “- er” and “- est”.

5. By adding “- er” and “- est” to the positive degree when it ends in “- y”.

6. By placing “most” and “more” before the positive form.

7. Some adjectives do not follow any of the rules explained earlier; they are compared irregularly. Refer below to unlock the different forms of such adjectives.

When Not to Use the Comparative Degree of Comparison?

There are various situations where using the comparative degree, such as smarter or more interesting, is not right. Read on to look at the breakdown closely and understand how to use comparative sentences for effective communication.

• Do not use comparatives when there is no comparison involved in the sentence, meaning two entities must be there.

For Example:

• Radhika is happier. (incorrect)
• Radhika is happy. ((correct), because no comparison is made)
• The comparative degree of comparison is not used when comparing more than two items.

For Example:

• Of the nine officers, John is taller. (incorrect)
• Of the nine officers, John is the tallest. (correct)
• Do not use it with the absolute adjectives, such as unique, perfect, or dead.

For example:

• The pot is more exclusive. (incorrect)
• The pot is exclusive. (correct)
• Avoid using double comparatives.

For example:

• Shivank is more happier. (incorrect)
• Shivank is happier. (correct)

Now that you know all about the comparative degree, it is time to move close to solving the comparative degree sentences worksheet that is given with the answer sheet.

Comparative Degree Vs. Superlative Degree

Honestly, comparative and superlative degree often confuses students, due to their negligible difference. Thus, refer to the table below to have deep and clearer insights about the both.

Comparative Degree Examples in Sentences

Let us now understand the concept by looking at a few effective comparative degree examples that are given below:

• The weather today is better than yesterday.
• Taylor Swift is more liked than Billie Eilish among adults nowadays.
• It is more than what we got the day before yesterday.
• My result is better than last year's.
• These video games are easier than the ones we used to play when we were kids.
• My brother is closer to me than any other family member.
• This cell phone is more suitable for me than my previous one.
• Lakshita likes playing the guitar more than any other musical instrument.
• The Tiger club is more popular than any other club at college.
• Her room is messier than I had imagined.

Practice Exercises: Comparative Degree Worksheet

Refer below to check your understanding of comparative degree of comparison by solving the given worksheet. Also, the answer of this exercise is provided that will help you to cross-check your responses.

Fill in the blanks with the right form of the comparative degree of the adjectives given in brackets in the following sentences.

1. Theena is __________ (short) Nimmy.
2. These earrings are ____________ (expensive) the ones we bought last week.
3. Santhosh looks __________ (happy) his friend, Rajesh.
4. The white horses are __________ (active) the black horses.
5. This house is __________ (big) our old house.
6. Trinita is _________ (clever - negative) most of her friends.
7. The puppies are __________ (cute) the kittens.
8. These stories are ____________ (interesting) fantasy novels.
9. These doughnuts are __________ (sweet) the ones we had last Saturday.
10. These sofas are ___________ (comfortable) the ones we bought last year.

Answers

1. Theena is shorter than Nimmy.
2. These earrings are more expensive than the ones we bought last week.
3. Santhosh looks happier than his friend, Rajesh.
4. The white horses are more active than the black horses.
5. This house is bigger than our old house.
6. Trinita is not cleverer than most of her friends.
7. The puppies are cuter than the kittens.
8. These stories are more interesting than fantasy novels.
9. These doughnuts are sweeter than the ones we had last Saturday.
10. These sofas are more comfortable than the ones we bought last year.

Conclusion

So, here we are! Mastering the concept of comparative degree is important to express clear differences between two elements, such as people, ideas, animals, objects, or others. This blog is all about the rules, usage, and exceptions that are supported by a few effective comparative sentence examples at the end. Moreover, you solved the worksheet that helped you look deep into your understanding. By having regular practice, you get hold of the logic behind comparatives and can improve your grammatical knowledge and confidence in the English language.

FAQS

1. Is there any difference between Comparative degree and Degree of comparison?

Ans. No, there is no difference between the concept of Comparative degree and Degree of comparison. However, one (comparative degree) refers to a specific level of comparison within that system, whereas the other (degree of comparison) is a much broader concept, including different comparison forms, such as positive, comparative, and superlative. Hence, you can say that the comparative degree is a type of comparison form in English grammar.

2. Is Comparative and Superlative Degree the same?

Ans. Although comparative degree and superlative degree are forms of adjective and adverb comparison, and are used to compare the qualities of nouns or pronouns, they are still not the same. Comparative degree is used to compare two nouns or pronouns, whereas superlative compares more than two.

Example of Comparative degree: - The dog is bigger than the cat.

Example of Superlative degree: - The elephant is the biggest animal.

3. Give a few examples of Comparative degree.

Ans. A few examples of Comparative degree are as follows:

1. My penthouse is larger than Rohan’s.
2. This brownie is sweeter than the one we had yesterday.
3. Pranav is taller than his father.
4. Lakshita is happier today than in the last few days.
5. This project is more difficult than I expected.
6. My dog is bigger than yours.
7. This car is more expensive than the one we saw the day before yesterday.
8. The coffee is better now than before.
9. The book was more interesting than the movie.
10. Dhruvi is prettier than her elder sister.

4. How to change superlative degree to comparative degree?

Ans. The following steps properly defines the process to convert superlative into comparative degree:

• Identify the superlative form of adjective within a sentence.
• Now form the comparative by replacing “-est” with “-er” and then adding “than”. Besides, for adjectives using “most”, replace with “more”. Also, for irregular adjectives, use their irregular forms, such as “good” becomes “better”.
• Now, add the rest of the sentence.
• For example: He is the tallest boy in the class. (Superlative)

“He is taller than any other boy in the class.” Or “He is taller.”

Note: - The particular comparative construction might vary a little as per the sentence structure and the context.

5. Which word is commonly used in comparative degree?

Ans. “Than” is the most common word used in the comparative degree of comparison to reflect a comparison between two nouns or pronouns. For example: “My car is bigger than hers”.