DEGREE OF [DWS]

COMPARION
[DWS] COMPARISON
1
WHAT IS COMPARISON?

Comparison is the process of comparing two or more people or things.

[DWS] COMPARISON 2
Comparison indicates degree of differences with adjective and adverbs, and
may be equal or unequal (comparative & superlative).

Most descriptive adjective have three forms: the positive (happy), the
comparative (happier), and the superlative (the happiest).

[DWS] COMPARISON 3
 POSITIVE DEGREE
The positive shows no comparison. It describes only the simple quality of a
person, thing, or group.

Examples:

The house is big.

Laura looks beautiful today.

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EQUAL DEGREE
Equal Degree indicates that the two entities are (or are not, if negative) the
same. The following rule generally applies to this type of comparison.

[DWS] COMPARISON 5
Rule:

S + V + as + Adj/Adv + as + noun/pronoun

Examples:

Annie walks as fast as her mother.

Jammie is not as smart as his father.

Lucy does not sing as well as her teacher.

My book is as interesting as yours.

[DWS] COMPARISON 6
 COMPARATIVE DEGREE

Comparative involves two entities and shows a greater or lesser degree of

differences between them. The following rules generally apply to this type
of comparison.

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Rule:

S + V + Adj/Adv + (-er) than + noun/pronoun

Examples:

Annie walks faster than her mother.

Jammie is not smarter than his father.

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S + V + more + Adj/Adv + than + noun/pronoun

S + V + less + Adj/Adv + than + noun/pronoun

Examples:

My book is more interesting than yours.

Anissa reads more quickly than her sister.

Spinach is less appealing than carrot.

[DWS] COMPARISON 9
SUPERLATIVE DEGREE

In superlative degree, three or more entities are compared, one of which is

superior or inferior to the others. The following rules generally apply to
this type of comparison.

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Rule:

S + V + the + Adj/Adv + (-est) + noun/pronoun

Examples:

Among her family members, Annie walks the fastest.

Jammie is not the smartest in his class.

Her voice is the best of all students.

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S + V + the most + Adj/Adv + noun/pronoun

S + V + the least + Adj/Adv + noun/pronoun

Examples:

My book is the most interesting of all.

Spinach is the least appealing of all vegetables.

Jim behaves the most carelessly of al children.

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 SPECIAL CASES: THE FOLLOWING
ADJECTIVE AND ADVERBS DON’T
FOLLOW THE RULES MENTIONED ABOVE
—THEY CHANGE FORM COMPLETELY.

[DWS] COMPARISON 13
 POSITIVE COMPARATIVE SUPERLATIVE
Bad worse Worst
Evil worse Worst
Good better best
Ill worse worst
Far (distance) farther farthest
Far (extent) Further furthest
Well better best

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 POSITIVE COMPARATIVE SUPERLATIVE
Late later latest
Little (amount) less least
Much more most
Many more most
Near nearer nearest
Old older oldest
Old (formal) elder eldest

[DWS] COMPARISON 15
EXERCISES
1. No other boy is as ……………………. as James. (tall / taller / tallest)
2. Milk is ………………….. than any other food. (nourishing / more nourishing /
most nourishing)
3. Radium is one of the ……………………… metals. (valuable / more valuable /
most valuable)
4. Few English poets were as ……………………. as Wordsworth. (great / greater /
greatest)
5. Shimla is ………………….. than most other hill stations in India. (famous /
more famous / most famous)
6. Gold is one of the ……………………. metals. (precious / more precious /
most precious)
7. Solomon was …………………… than any other king. (wise / wiser / wisest)
8. Few historians write as ………………….. as Macaulay. (well / better /best)
9. Very few books are as ……………………. as David Copperfield. (popular /
more popular / most popular)
10. A train is …………………. than a car. (fast / faster / fastest)
11. Swimming is _____ (good) any other kind of exercise.
12. Lead is _____ (heavy) of all metals.
13. Shakespeare is _____ (great) of all English playwrights.
14. China is _____ (large) most other countries in the world.
15. Jane is taller than Mary, but Susan is (tall) ____ of them.
16. The Amazon is (long) _____ the Nile, making it the longest river in the
world.
17. Is the Cheetah the fastest animal on land? It's certainly (fast) _____ the
Tiger.
18. In my opinion an elephant is (strong) _____ a rhinoceros.
19. The view from the top of the mountain is (beautiful) _____ you'll ever
see.
20. Jack was (hungry) _____ of them all. He had three plates of food.
ERROR ANALYSIS

1. Louise is the more capable of the three girls who have tried out for the
part in the play.

2. The movie that we saw last night is the less interesting the one we saw in
the television.

3. He speaks English much most rapidly than he does Spanish.

4. Before pay day, I have as little money than my brother.

[DWS] COMPARISON 20
ERROR ANALYSIS

5. Tina and her friends left the soon as the professor had finished his lecture.

6. The boys felt bad than the girls about losing the game.

7. The twins have least money at the end of the month than they have at the
beginning.

8. My dog runs the faster.

[DWS] COMPARISON 21
ERROR ANALYSIS

9. The sooner you take the medicine, the good you will feel.

10. Of the three landscapes that you have shown me, this one is most
beautiful.

11. Of the two cars, the red one is the better than the yellow one.

12. The man is the older me.

[DWS] COMPARISON 22
ERROR ANALYSIS

13. Does Agung feel best today than yesterday?

14. This is the creamier ice cream I have ever had in a long time.

15. This poster is colorfuller than the one in the hall.

[DWS] COMPARISON 23
SOURCES:
-----. (2004). TOEFL Exam Essentials. New York: Learning Express

Azar, Betty Schramfer. (1993). Understanding and Using English Grammar, Second Edition.
Jakarta: Binarupa Aksara.

Pyle, Michael A and Page, Narry Ellen Munoz. (1995). Cliff TOEFL Preparation Guide.
Nebraska: John Wiley and Sons.

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