Degrees of Adjectives and Adverbs

Comparative Degree
We are constantly comparing things. Think about what you do when you go to the
mall or your favorite store. You look around, thinking about what you want or need
and trying to decide what purchases best meet that want or need.
Which dress would be better for that special occasion I have coming up? Which
phone has more storage? Which pair of shoes is more comfortable? Which book
sounds more interesting? What shirt looks better on me? Then we make our
judgments. We decide which item is more comfortable, faster, more useful, more
attractive, etc.
Comparative Degree
We use the comparative degree to compare two items—perhaps these two birds.
How are these two birds different?
The first difference you may notice between the two birds is that their colors are
different. I might say that the bird on the right is more colorful than the bird on the
left.
Notice that I don't say only that the bird on the right is colorful. I use the word more
to show that I am comparing the two.
What part of speech is the word colorful in the following sentence?
The bird on the right is more colorful than the other bird.
Think about what the word colorful is doing. It's describing bird. What part of speech
is bird? A noun. Then what part of speech is colorful? An adjective. And what part of
speech is more? An adverb (since it's describing the adjective colorful).
- Remember that most two-syllable adjectives and adverbs need the word more to be
made into the comparative degree.

Sometimes, we don't even need an adverb in front of the adjective to show that
we're comparing two things.
How might you compare these two giraffes?
Right away, you may notice that one giraffe is taller than the other.
One giraffe is taller than the other giraffe.
What part of speech is the word taller? Taller is an adjective (it describes giraffe).
Do I need more in front of taller? No. The er attached to the word tall shows that I am
comparing two giraffes. The adjective taller is already in the comparative form.
- Remember that most one-syllable adjectives and adverbs need just an er on the end to
form the comparative degree.
• How might you compare your table tennis skills to someone else's?
Example: He plays more skillfully than I play.
The adverb skillfully describes how he plays, but more is added to show that I'm
comparing how he plays to how I play. Two different abilities are being compared.
- Adjectives and adverbs with three or more syllables typically need the word more in
front of them to form the comparative degree.

Irregular Forms
Keep in mind that some comparative degrees are not formed by adding er or more.
Examples: worse, farther/further, better, less, more
See if you can write a sentence using one of these irregular forms to compare two
items.
1. I am feeling better than I felt yesterday.
2. Sarah has even less free time than I have.
3. Steve has more board games than Stacy has.
4. I am further along in the assigned reading than he is. (Notice that further is
used for advancement or figurative distance—not physical distance.)
Comparing to a Group
Sometimes, we want to compare one person's action to the action of a whole group.
We still use the comparative degree because the group is considered a collective
unit.
Kate reads faster than any student in her grade.
This might sound correct to the ear, but is it? Isn't Kate a student in her grade? Can
Kate be part of the group that we're comparing Kate to?
Corrected: Kate reads faster than any other student in her grade.
We add the word other so that we're not comparing Kate to herself.
What's wrong with this sentence?
Michael shoots free throws more accurately than anyone on his basketball team.

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Does Michael shoot free throws more accurately than himself? Is Michael part of the
basketball team? What word can you add to the sentence so that we're not
comparing Michael to himself?
Corrected:
Michael shoots free throws more accurately than anyone else on his basketball team.

Illogical Comparisons
We always want our comparisons to make sense, right?
What's wrong with the following sentence?
My uncle's restaurant is doing better than Mike.
Hmmmm. Are we really comparing a restaurant to a person? How might we correct
this sentence?
Corrected: My uncle's restaurant is doing better than Mike's restaurant.

Superlative Degree
She proved that she is the best speed skater in the world.
How many speed skaters are in the world? We can definitely assume at least three!
Therefore, we must use the superlative degree.
Remember how we use better instead of gooder for the comparative degree? We use
best instead of goodest for the superlative degree.

Krystal thinks that the sapphire is the most beautiful gemstone.

Remember that if you're comparing three or more items, you use the superlative
degree.
You could probably list at least five different types of gemstones, right? If we're
comparing the sapphire to all of the other gemstones, we must use the superlative
degree.
Notice that we use most beautiful rather than beautifulest.
- Adjectives/Adverbs that are three syllables long use the word most in the superlative
form.

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Aidan is the most active baby I have ever seen.
Does the above sentence use the superlative form correctly?
Yes! You can assume that the writer has seen more than two babies, so using the
superlative degree is correct in this sentence.
Active is the adjective describing toddler. Since active has two syllables, we add most
to make it superlative.
- Adjectives/Adverbs that are two syllables long usually need the word most to form the
superlative degree.

That was the hardest decision I have ever made.

Which word in the sentence above is in the superlative form?
hardest
How many decisions do you think the writer has made? Three or more? Definitely!
Since hard is a one-syllable word, we add est to make it superlative.
- Most adjectives/adverbs that are one syllable long need est to form the superlative
degree.

Is Your Comparison Complete?

Remember to be as clear as you can in your comparisons.
Your painting is the best.
The best of what? Try to add details so that what you're comparing is clear.
Your painting is the best painting in the show.
Front of card
Ryan is a most talented musician.
Back of card
Incorrect. Ryan is not being compared to anyone else. Corrected Sentence: Ryan is a
talented musician.Front of card
Natalie is the most honest person I have ever met.
Back of card
Correct! You can assume the writer has met at least three people. Since honest is a two-
syllable word, we add most.
Front of card
Of all the members of the group, Austin is least familiar with that book.
Back of card

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 Correct! We can assume that the group has at least three members. Least is used to show
inferiority in the superlative degree.
Front of card
This summer, Sydney is traveling the furthest she has ever traveled.
Back of card
Incorrect. Remember that we use farther/farthest for physical distance. Farthest is used
for the superlative degree. We are assuming that Sydney has traveled at least three times.