Comparative and Superlative Forms Quiz

Grammatical Category of Degrees of Comparison

• Degrees of comparison fall under the category of adjectives.
• They describe variations in the quality of nouns by comparing them based on certain traits.

Superlative Construction

• A superlative construction expresses the highest degree of a quality among three or more entities.
• It denotes superiority, often formed by adding "-est" or using "most" before the adjective.

Usual Degrees of Comparison

• The three main degrees of comparison are positive, comparative, and superlative.
• Positive describes a quality without comparison, comparative compares two entities, and superlative highlights the highest degree among multiple entities.

Languages with Forms Indicating Large Degrees

• Some languages incorporate special forms or modifications to indicate a very large degree of a quality.
• Examples include Russian and Finnish, which may use suffixes or prefixes to emphasize intensity.

English Expression of Degree of Comparison

• English uses adjectives in three distinct forms: the base form (positive), comparative (often with "-er" or "more"), and superlative (often with "-est" or "most").
• Example: "tall" (positive), "taller" (comparative), "tallest" (superlative).