Positive Degree

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What Is the Positive Degree?

"Positive degree" is a term that relates to adjectives and adverbs. An adjective or adverb that does not make a comparison is said to be in the positive degree. (In other words, the "positive degree" is the normal form of an adjective or adverb.) In English, there are three degrees of comparison:

The Positive Degree

The positive degree of an adjective or adverb offers no comparison. For example:

• adjectives: rich, pretty, handsome, good
• adverbs: slowly, beautifully

The Comparative Degree

The comparative degree of an adjective or adverb shows the greater or lesser degree. For example:

• adjectives: richer, prettier, more handsome, better
• adverbs: more slowly, more beautifully

The Superlative Degree

The superlative degree of an adjective or adverb shows the greatest or least degree. For example:

• adjectives: richest, prettiest, most handsome, best
• adverbs: most slowly, most beautifully

Read more about forming the comparative and superlative degrees of adjectives. Read more about forming the comparative and superlative degrees of adverbs.

The Three Degrees of Comparison

The table below offers some more examples of the three degrees of comparison.

Positive Degree	Comparative Degree	Superlative Degree
sharp (adjective)	sharper	sharpest
happy (adjective)	happier	happiest
precise (adjective)	more precise	most precise
fast (adverb)	faster	fastest
merrily (adverb)	more merrily	most merrily
badly (adverb)	worse	worst

Don't Forget the Lesser and Least Degrees

Remember that, as well as showing the more and most degrees, the comparative and superlative degrees show the less and least degrees too. Therefore, the table above ought to look more like this:

Positive Degree	Comparative Degree	Superlative Degree
sharp (adjective)	sharper less sharp (or blunter)	sharpest least sharp (or bluntest)
happy (adjective)	happier less happy (or sadder)	happiest least happy (or saddest)
precise (adjective)	more precise less precise	most precise least precise
fast (adverb)	faster slower (or, possibly, less fast)	fastest slowest (or, possibly, least fast)
merrily (adverb)	more merrily less merrily	most merrily least merrily
badly (adverb)	worse	worst

Why the Positive Degree Is Important

The positive degree is the normal form of an adjective or adverb, and, as such, it is not responsible for causing many writing errors. Most of the writing errors related to the degrees of comparison are associated with the comparative degree and the superlative degree. Here are two common ones:

(Issue 1) Don't form a double comparative or a double superlative.

• He is more smarter than me.

Read more about double comparatives and double superlatives.

(Issue 2) Don't use the comparative degree when comparing more than two things.

• Out of Jack, Jill, and Peter, Jill is the smarter.

Read more about the issues linked to the degrees of the comparison.

...Back to the Positive Degree

Below are two tips related to adjectives and adverbs in the positive degree.

(Tip 1) Don't use an adverb that ends "-ly." Choose better words for your sentence.

• She looked at her rival angrily.
• She glared at her rival.

Read more about avoiding adverbs ending -ly (see Issue 1).

(Tip 2) Don't use an adverb like "extremely" and "very" before an adjective. Choose better adjectives.

• She was very angry.
• She was livid.

Read more about this issue on the limiting modifiers page.

Key Point

Printable Test