50 Examples of Degrees of Comparison (Positive, Comparative, and Superlative)

Adjectives allow us to describe the qualities of people, places, and things. But when we want to compare those qualities, adjectives take on new forms—known as the degrees of comparison.

There are three degrees of comparison in English: positive, comparative, and superlative.

• The positive degree expresses a quality in its basic form.
• The comparative degree shows a difference between two people or things.
• The superlative degree identifies the highest or lowest level of that quality among three or more.

In this article, you’ll find 50 examples of degrees of comparison, covering a wide range of adjectives, from simple to irregular.

50 Degrees of Comparison Examples List

Examples of Degrees of Comparison in Sentences

These example sentences show how adjectives change across the positive, comparative, and superlative degrees. Each set highlights one adjective used in all three forms.

• Tall – This tree is tall. / That one is taller. / The oak is the tallest of all.
• Big – Their house is big. / Ours is bigger. / This is the biggest house in the street.
• Small – Her bag is small. / Mine is smaller. / That coin purse is the smallest.
• Fast – He runs fast. / She runs faster. / Tom is the fastest runner in the team.
• Young – Sam is young. / Leo is younger. / Mia is the youngest in the group.
• Old – This book is old. / That one is older. / The manuscript is the oldest in the library.
• Happy – I feel happy today. / She feels happier. / They are the happiest family I know.
• Beautiful – The painting is beautiful. / This one is more beautiful. / That sunset was the most beautiful sight of all.
• Good – Your idea is good. / His is better. / That plan is the best option.
• Bad – The weather is bad. / Yesterday was worse. / Last week was the worst so far.
• Expensive – The phone is expensive. / This one is more expensive. / That model is the most expensive of all.
• Difficult – The task is difficult. / This one is more difficult. / That project is the most difficult we’ve done.
• Interesting – The topic is interesting. / The next one is more interesting. / History is the most interesting subject to me.
• Lazy – He is lazy. / She is lazier. / Tom is the laziest student in the class.
• Early – We arrived early. / They came earlier. / John was the earliest to arrive.

Quick Rules Reminder

Here’s a summary to help you remember the main rules of degrees of comparison:

One-syllable adjectives

Add –er for the comparative and –est for the superlative.

• tall → taller → tallest
• fast → faster → fastest

If the adjective ends in –e, add only –r / –st.

• large → larger → largest

If it ends with a single vowel + consonant, double the last consonant before adding –er / –est.

• big → bigger → biggest

Two-syllable adjectives

Some can take –er / –est, while others use more / most depending on how natural they sound.

• happy → happier → happiest
• careful → more careful → most careful

Adjectives with three or more syllables

Always use more for the comparative and most for the superlative.

• beautiful → more beautiful → most beautiful
• expensive → more expensive → most expensive

Irregular adjectives

Some adjectives change completely and don’t follow the usual rules.

• good → better → best
• bad → worse → worst
• far → farther / further → farthest / furthest

Conclusion

Understanding the degrees of comparison helps you describe differences clearly and accurately. The positive, comparative, and superlative forms show how adjectives change to express basic, greater, or highest levels of a quality.

The examples in this list give you 50 ready-to-use adjective sets that make learning faster and more practical. Keep them as a quick reference when writing or speaking, and notice how often these forms appear in natural English.