Understanding Comparatives: Making Sense of Degrees of Comparison

Introduction: Comparatives play a crucial role in language, allowing us to compare the qualities of
different objects, people, or situations. By understanding comparatives and their uses, we gain the
ability to express degrees of comparison, highlighting differences, similarities, and degrees of
superiority or inferiority.

Definition of Comparatives: Comparatives are grammatical constructions used to compare two or

more things, indicating the degree of a particular quality possessed by each. They typically involve
the use of comparative adjectives or adverbs, along with the words "than" or "as...as".

Forms of Comparatives:

1. Comparative Adjectives: Comparative adjectives are used to compare the qualities of two
or more nouns. They often end in "-er" or are preceded by "more" when comparing two
things, and "most" when comparing more than two. Example:

 The dog is faster than the cat.

 She is more intelligent than her sister.

 She is less intelligent than her sister.

 Diego is taller than Pedro

2. Comparative Adverbs: Comparative adverbs are used to compare the manner in which
actions are performed. They often end in "-er" or are preceded by "more" when comparing
two actions, and "most" when comparing more than two. Example:

 He drives more carefully than I do. CAREFUL, CAREFULLY SAD, SADDLY ,QUICK,
QUICKLY

 She speaks faster than him.

Uses of Comparatives:
 1. Comparing Superiority: Comparatives are frequently used to compare two or more things,
indicating which possesses a higher degree of a particular quality. Example:

 New York is larger than Boston.

 This book is more interesting than that one.

2. Comparing Inferiority: Comparatives can also be used to indicate which of two things
possesses a lower degree of a quality. Example:

 My car is slower than yours.

 His performance was less impressive than hers.

3. Comparing Equality: Comparatives can express equality when two things are considered to
possess the same degree of a quality. Example:

 She is as tall as her brother.

 This phone is as expensive as that one.

4. Expressing Changes: Comparatives are used to indicate changes in degree over time or
between different situations. Example:

 The weather is getting colder.

 Sales have increased more rapidly this year.

Conclusion: Comparatives are versatile tools in language, allowing us to express degrees of

comparison with precision and clarity. By mastering comparatives and their uses, we enhance our
ability to communicate effectively, conveying nuanced differences and similarities between objects,
people, or actions. So, next time you want to highlight the superiority, inferiority, or equality of
something, remember to reach for the power of comparatives.