Degrees of comparison
Degrees of comparison are the forms an adjective or adverb takes to show the level or extent of a quality. There are three degrees: positive (basic quality, e.g. tall), comparative (comparing two things, e.g. taller) and superlative (comparing three or more, showing the highest degree, e.g. tallest).
Types of degrees of comparison
Positive degree
States a quality without comparing it to anything else.
e.g. This bag is heavy., She is intelligent., The soup is hot.
Comparative degree
Compares exactly two people, things or groups, usually with -er or 'more' plus 'than'.
e.g. This bag is heavier than that one., She is more intelligent than her brother., The soup is hotter than before.
Superlative degree
Compares three or more items and shows which one has the highest or lowest degree of a quality, usually with 'the' plus -est or 'most'.
e.g. This is the heaviest bag in the shop., She is the most intelligent student in the class., The soup is the hottest dish on the menu.
Rules to remember
- Short adjectives (one syllable, and some two-syllable ones) add -er for comparative and -est for superlative: small, smaller, smallest.
- Longer adjectives (usually two or more syllables) use 'more' and 'most' instead of endings: beautiful, more beautiful, most beautiful.
- Adjectives ending in a consonant plus 'y' change y to i before adding -er/-est: happy, happier, happiest.
- One-syllable adjectives ending in a single vowel plus consonant double the final consonant: big, bigger, biggest.
- Some common adjectives are irregular and must be memorised: good, better, best; bad, worse, worst; far, farther/further, farthest/furthest.
- Always use 'than' with the comparative and 'the' with the superlative when a comparison is stated fully.
Examples in sentences
| Example | How it works |
|---|---|
| My sister is taller than me. | Comparative degree comparing two people with -er and 'than'. |
| This is the most difficult exam I have ever taken. | Superlative degree using 'most' because 'difficult' has three syllables. |
| Health is more important than wealth. | Comparative degree with a two-syllable-plus adjective using 'more'. |
| He is the best player on the team. | Irregular superlative form of 'good'. |
| This road is as busy as the one near the station. | Positive degree used in an 'as...as' construction to show equality. |
| Of all the cities I visited, Tokyo was the cleanest. | Superlative degree comparing three or more items. |
| The weather today is worse than yesterday. | Irregular comparative form of 'bad'. |
Common mistakes
Incorrect: This car is more faster than mine.
Correct: This car is faster than mine.
Incorrect: She is the intelligentest student in class.
Correct: She is the most intelligent student in class.
Incorrect: He is more good at maths than his friend.
Correct: He is better at maths than his friend.
Why this matters for IELTS
Using all three degrees of comparison accurately, especially mixing regular, irregular and 'more/most' forms naturally, shows grammatical range and helps raise your Grammatical Range and Accuracy score in IELTS Writing and Speaking. Examiners notice repeated basic patterns, so vary your comparisons (e.g. 'significantly higher than', 'by far the most efficient') rather than relying only on simple -er/-est forms, and always check for double comparatives, a common error that caps the band score.
Frequently asked questions
What are the three degrees of comparison?
They are the positive degree (basic quality, e.g. big), the comparative degree (comparing two things, e.g. bigger) and the superlative degree (comparing three or more things, e.g. biggest).
When do you use 'more' instead of '-er'?
Use 'more' with adjectives of two or more syllables that do not typically take -er, such as 'more beautiful' or 'more careful'. Most one-syllable and some two-syllable adjectives take -er instead, such as 'faster' or 'simpler'.
Can you use two comparative forms together, like 'more taller'?
No, this is a double comparative and is incorrect. Choose either the -er ending or 'more', never both, so the correct form is simply 'taller'.
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