{"id":4047,"date":"2013-06-27T17:10:34","date_gmt":"2013-06-27T17:10:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/?page_id=4047"},"modified":"2026-03-28T11:22:33","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T16:22:33","slug":"degrees-of-comparison","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/degrees-of-comparison\/","title":{"rendered":"Degrees of Comparison"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t<div id=\"mmDeferVideoEncompass_vR6KLi0C3KI\" style=\"position: relative;\">\n\t\t\t<picture>\n\t\t\t\t<source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.webp\" type=\"image\/webp\">\n\t\t\t\t<source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.png\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"> \n\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"eager\" id=\"videoThumbnailImage_vR6KLi0C3KI\" data-source-videoID=\"vR6KLi0C3KI\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.png\" alt=\"Degrees of Comparison Video\" height=\"464\" width=\"825\" class=\"size-full\" data-matomo-title = \"Degrees of Comparison\">\n\t\t\t<\/picture>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<style>img#videoThumbnailImage_vR6KLi0C3KI:hover {cursor:pointer;} img#videoThumbnailImage_vR6KLi0C3KI {background-size:contain;background-image:url(\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/397-degrees-of-comparison-1.webp\");}<\/style>\n\t\t\t<script defer>\n\t\t\t  jQuery(\"img#videoThumbnailImage_vR6KLi0C3KI\").click(function() {\n\t\t\t\tlet videoId = jQuery(this).attr(\"data-source-videoID\");\n\t\t\t\tlet helpTag = '<div id=\"mmDeferVideoYTMessage_vR6KLi0C3KI\" style=\"display: none;position: absolute;top: -24px;width: 100%;text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-style: italic;font-size: small;border-top: 1px solid #fc0;\">Having trouble? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v='+videoId+'\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to watch on YouTube.<\/a><\/span><\/div>';\n\t\t\t\tlet tag = document.createElement(\"iframe\");\n\t\t\t\ttag.id = \"yt\" + videoId;\n\t\t\t\ttag.src = \"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/\" + videoId + \"?autoplay=1&controls=1&wmode=opaque&rel=0&egm=0&iv_load_policy=3&hd=0&enablejsapi=1\";\n\t\t\t\ttag.frameborder = 0;\n\t\t\t\ttag.allow = \"autoplay; fullscreen\";\n\t\t\t\ttag.width = this.width;\n\t\t\t\ttag.height = this.height;\n\t\t\t\ttag.setAttribute(\"data-matomo-title\",\"Degrees of Comparison\");\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoEncompass_vR6KLi0C3KI\").html(tag);\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoEncompass_vR6KLi0C3KI\").prepend(helpTag);\n\t\t\t\tsetTimeout(function(){jQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoYTMessage_vR6KLi0C3KI\").css(\"display\", \"block\");}, 2000);\n\t\t\t  });\n\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t\n<p><script>\nfunction GKw_Function() {\n  var x = document.getElementById(\"GKw\");\n  if (x.style.display === \"none\") {\n    x.style.display = \"block\";\n  } else {\n    x.style.display = \"none\";\n  }\n}\n<\/script><\/p>\n<div class=\"moc-toc hide-on-desktop hide-on-tablet\">\n<div><button onclick=\"GKw_Function()\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/toc2.svg\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"show or hide table of contents\"><\/button><\/p>\n<p>On this page<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<nav id=\"GKw\" style=\"display:none;\">\n<ul>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Adjectives\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Adjectives<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Superlatives\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Superlatives<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Comparative_Word_Endings\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Comparative Word Endings<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"accordion\"><input id=\"transcript\" type=\"checkbox\" class=\"spoiler_button\" \/><label for=\"transcript\">Transcript<\/label>\n<div class=\"spoiler\" id=\"transcript-spoiler\">\n<p>Hi, everyone! In this video, I\u2019ll explain comparison adjectives and show you how to use them properly. They\u2019re pretty straightforward: when comparing two things, there are different levels, or degrees, of comparison that you can use.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Adjectives\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Adjectives<\/h2>\n<p>\nLet\u2019s start with the basic form of the positive adjective: \u201cMy computer is fast.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But let\u2019s say I want to buy a new computer. The salesperson at the store might tell me that computer \\(y\\) is faster than my computer. <em>Fast<\/em> is the positive adjective\u2014it just states a property of that object. <em>Faster<\/em> is a <strong>comparative adjective<\/strong>\u2014it, well, compares two nouns.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Superlatives\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Superlatives<\/h2>\n<p>\nBut what happens if the salesperson tells you about a third computer? We\u2019ll assume it isn\u2019t exactly the same speed, so that means that one of the computers must be the <em>fastest<\/em> computer. That\u2019s what we call a <strong>superlative<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Merriam-Webster defines <em>superlative<\/em> as \u201cconstituting the degree of grammatical comparison that denotes an extreme or unsurpassed level or extent.\u201d But that basically just means something is the MOST or the LEAST whatever when you are comparing or contrasting multiple things.<\/p>\n<p>So now we have a computer that\u2019s fast, one that\u2019s faster, and one that\u2019s fastest. These are the three degrees of comparison. Generally speaking, you should use the superlative only when you have three or more things in comparison.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Comparative_Word_Endings\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Comparative Word Endings<\/h2>\n<p>\nUsually, comparatives will end in <em>-er<\/em>, and superlatives will end in <em>-est<\/em>. Let\u2019s look at a few examples:<\/p>\n<table class=\"ATable\" style=\"margin: auto; width: 70%;\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"line-height: 20px; vertical-align: middle;\"><strong>Positive Degree<\/strong><\/th>\n<th style=\"line-height: 20px; vertical-align: middle;\"><strong>Comparative Degree<\/strong><\/th>\n<th style=\"line-height: 20px; vertical-align: middle;\"><strong>Superlative Degree<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Fast<\/td>\n<td>Fast<strong>er<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Fast<strong>est<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Slow<\/td>\n<td>Slow<strong>er<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Slow<strong>est<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Happy<\/td>\n<td>Happi<strong>er<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Happi<strong>est<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nThere are also a handful of irregular comparatives, such as:<\/p>\n<table class=\"ATable\" style=\"margin: auto; width: 70%;\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"line-height: 20px; vertical-align: middle;\"><strong>Positive Degree<\/strong><\/th>\n<th style=\"line-height: 20px; vertical-align: middle;\"><strong>Comparative Degree<\/strong><\/th>\n<th style=\"line-height: 20px; vertical-align: middle;\"><strong>Superlative Degree<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Bad<\/td>\n<td>Worse<\/td>\n<td>Worst<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Good<\/td>\n<td>Better<\/td>\n<td>Best<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Little<\/td>\n<td>Less<\/td>\n<td>Least<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nYou can also create comparative or superlative degrees of comparison with other adjectives or conjunctions, such as \u201cmy laptop is as fast as this laptop,\u201d \u201cshe is more beautiful,\u201d or \u201cshe is the most beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t stack comparatives. Don\u2019t say \u201che cooked more better than she did.\u201d Just say \u201che cooked better than she did.\u201d Some words, like <em>perfect<\/em> and <em>unique<\/em>, are considered absolutes and so cannot be made more or better. That is, you can\u2019t have a \u201cmore perfect union.\u201d It\u2019s either perfect or it\u2019s not. You could, however, create a better union.<\/p>\n<p>When you use a comparative, make sure your reader or audience understands what you\u2019re comparing. It may not be clear to say \u201cJack is taller.\u201d Specifying who Jack is taller than may be helpful.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s all! Thanks for watching!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"home-buttons\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/parts-of-a-sentence\/\">Return to Parts of a Sentence Videos<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Return to Parts of a Sentence Videos<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":91801,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-4047","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"page_category-parts-of-a-sentence-videos","7":"page_category-video-pages-for-study-course-sidebar-ad","8":"page_type-video","9":"subject_matter-english"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4047","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4047"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4047\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":280946,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4047\/revisions\/280946"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/91801"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4047"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}