What Is the Positive Degree (with Examples)
What Is the Positive Degree (with Examples)
The term positive degree 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. (This offers no comparison.) (Examples: rich, pretty, handsome, good)
- The Comparative Degree (This shows the greater or lesser degree.) (Examples: richer, prettier, more handsome, better)
- The Superlative Degree (This shows the greatest or least degree.) (Examples: richest, prettiest, most handsome, best)
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 |
Remember, however, that the comparative and superlative degrees show 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 |
See Also
What is a double comparative? More about the comparative and superlative degrees of adjectives More about the comparative and superlative degrees of adverbs Glossary of grammatical terms
