Join In
Twitter
YouTube
Weekly Newsletter
Libraries
A-Z Grammatical Terms
A-Z Confused Words
FAQs by Writers
A-Z Awkward Plurals
Punctuation Lessons
Common Mistakes
(ordered by seriousness) ESL Vocabulary Lists Parts of Speech Lists A-Z Idioms and Proverbs Grammar Videos
(ordered by category) Tests and Games Top Tip Install a grammar checker
for your browser
(ordered by seriousness) ESL Vocabulary Lists Parts of Speech Lists A-Z Idioms and Proverbs Grammar Videos
(ordered by category) Tests and Games Top Tip Install a grammar checker
for your browser
Positive Degree
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.)Table of Contents
- The Three Degrees of Comparison
- Don't Forget the Lesser and Least Degrees
- Why the Positive Degree Is Important
- Printable Test
The Positive Degree
The positive degree of an adjective or adverb offers no comparison. For example:- adjectives: rich, pretty, handsome, good
- adverbs: slowly, beautifully
- adjectives: richer, prettier, more handsome, better
- adverbs: more slowly, more beautifully
- adjectives: richest, prettiest, most handsome, best
- adverbs: most slowly, most beautifully

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 |
(Issue 1) Don't form a double comparative or a double superlative.
- He is more smarter than me.
(Issue 2) Don't use the comparative degree when comparing more than two things.
- Out of Jack, Jill, and Peter, Jill is the smarter.
...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.
(Tip 2) Don't use an adverb like "extremely" and "very" before an adjective. Choose better adjectives.
- She was very angry.
- She was livid.
- Have you used an adjective or adverb in the positive degree? Yes? Did you precede it with "very"? Yes? Delete "very." Pick a better word.
- It is
very importantessential that you follow this tip.
Help Us Improve Grammar Monster
- Do you disagree with something on this page?
- Did you spot a typo?
Find Us Quicker!
- When using a search engine (e.g., Google, Bing), you will find Grammar Monster quicker if you add #gm to your search term.