NAMA : NOVIO EKA MAHENDRA

NIM : 932130219

PRODI : PAI

CLASS : ENGLISH 2A

Degree Of Comparison

A. Definition Degrees of Comparison

To get the general understanding about degrees of comparison, it is better to describe

what comparison is. One of the most basic and powerful of human cognitive process is the
ability to comprehend and express the fact that two things are similar or different. Often
such similarity or difference is expressed in terms of degree, extent, or quantity. Therefore,
comparison is the most important English construction which is used to express similarities
or differences of degree or extent.
According to Martin Parrot in Grammar for English Language Teachers, “comparatives
are adjectives and adverbs that end in –er. (e.g. bigger, richer, faster) and superlatives are
adjectives adverbs that end in –est. (e.g. biggest, richest, fastest).
Degrees of Comparison of an adjective or adverb describes the relational value of one
thing with something in another clause of a sentence. An adjective may simply describe a
same quality (the positive); it may compare the quality with that of another of its kind
(comparative degree); and it may compare the quality with many or all others (superlative
degree).
The degrees of comparison are known as the positive, the comparative, and the
superlative. (Actually, only the comparative and superlative show degrees.) We use the
comparative for comparing two things and the superlative for comparing three or more thing.
Based on the definitions stated above, comparison is the method by which an adjective or
adverb expresses a greeter or less degree of the same quality. Beside that, it can be define as
a process of comparing people, things, or places through the level of quality, quantity, or
relation.
B. Kinds of Degrees of Comparison

There are three kinds of comparison; they are positive, comparative and superlative.

1) Positive
Positive degree is the most basic form of the adjective, positive because it does not
relate to any superior or inferior qualities of other things. Positive refers to the quality of one
person or thing. It is simply the adjective form. Positive also used to compare two nouns or
verbs that are equal or almost equal (equality). On the other hand, we can use as + adjective
+ as for comparing two persons or things that have the similarity of quality or quantity.
For example:
 My mother is as old as my father.
 Ibuku sama umurnya dengan ayahku.
For negative comparison, to talk about two things that is different in some way, we
use ‘not +as + adjective + as’.
For example:
 Her pencil is not as long as yours.
 Pensilnya tidak sama seperti milikmu.

2) Comparative.
The comparative degree denotes a greater amount of a quality relative to something
else. The phrase ‘Anna is taller than her father’ means that Anna’s degree of tallness is
greater than her father’s degree of tallness. R.W. Zandvoort and J. A. Van Ek said in their
book ‘The comparative is used when one object or group is compared with another and
separate object or group. Comparative degree is used to compare two person, places or
things.
Example:
 Neo is taller than Tirta.
 Neo lebih tinggi daripada Tirta.
 Fia is less talkative than Vira.
 Fia tidak banyak berbicara daripada Vira.
 This novel is more interesting than that one.
 Novel ini lebih menarik daripada yang satunya.

3) Superlative
Superlative degree is used to stress the highest degree of quality for more than two
objects compared. It is the highest or lowest degree of quality when more than two persons
or things are compared. The superlative is used to compare one member of a group with the
whole group (including that member).
For example:
 Bob is the tallest boy in the club.
 Bob adalah pria paling tinggi di dalam klub.
 These bags are the most expensive of all.
 Tas-tas ini adalah paling mahal dari semuanya.