Positive Degree: Examples, Definition, Errors to Avoid, Practice Questions with Answers

The positive degree of comparison is the simplest form of an adjective or adverb. It simply tells the quality about someone or something without comparing it to others. It's the root form of the adjective or adverb before any "-er" or "-est" (comparative/superlative) endings are added to the degree.

Let’s take a look at some example to understand it better:

The sky is blue.

Explanation: It simply states the colour of the sky without comparing it to anything else.

The weather is sunny.

Explanation: Simply stating how the weather is.

The house is old.

Explanation: Simply stating the condition and the state of the house.

Also Read: 

• Degrees of Comparison in English
• Comparative Degree in English

In the Oxford English Dictionary, the positive degree of an adjective or adverb “is its basic form, used to describe a quality without making any comparison.”

In the Cambridge Dictionary, the positive degree of an adjective or adverb “is its basic, uncompared form. It's the form you'd typically find listed in a dictionary. Essentially, it describes a quality without making any comparisons to other things.”

It is pronounced as:

• positive: /ˈpɒzətɪv/ (UK) or /ˈpɑːzətɪv/ (US)
• degree: /ˈdɪɡriː/ (UK) or /ˈdɪɡriː/ (US)

Also Read: 

• English Idioms: Meaning and Usage
• English Punctuation: Tips and Importance
• English Analogy: Meaning with Examples

When we use the most basic form of describing words, we use the positive degree of comparison in English grammar. Here are some basic rules students should keep in mind while using positive degree in their conversations:

1. There should be no comparisons when you compare on thing to another. It simply describes and states the quality of a noun or a pronoun. For example:

• The ring is beautiful.
• The food is delicious.

 

2. Students should use the base form of the adjective or the adverb without adding ‘er’ or ‘est’ while using positive degree in English grammar. For example:

• He is a happy (no happier or happiest)
• The farm is big. (no bigger or biggest)

 

3. Positive degree is used it to make general statements or observations about a thing. It does not make comparisons. For example:

• The sun is bright. (positive degree)
• The sun is brighter than yesterday. (comparison)

 

4. Students need to use as___as with positive degree to show two things are equal in a quality. Again, there is no comparison. For example:

• The tea is as sweet as
•  
• My old dress looks as good as new one.

   

  Structure of Positive Degree of Comparison in English 

  Let’s take a look at the structure of positive degree of comparisons in English:

  The positive degree can be used in various sentence structures like SVC (Subject-Verb-Complement), SVCA (Subject-Verb-Complement-Adverb), etc. let’s take a look at them with examples:

  Structure	Examples
  SVC: Subject-Verb-Complement	The flower is beautiful. The cake is delicious.
  SVCA: Subject-Verb-Complement-Adverbial	The cat sleeps soundly on the mat. Niki dances perfectly matching all the steps.
  SVA: Subject-Verb-Adverbial	She sings beautifully. He runs fast.
  SVOC: Subject-Verb-Object-Complement	They painted the house blue. He drove the car fast.
  SVAA: Subject-Verb-Adverbial-Adverbial	He ran fast down the street. She sang beautifully yesterday.
  ASVC: Adverbial-Subject-Verb-Complement	Quickly, the dog ran. Yesterday, she came late.
  As...as: Used for comparisons of equality	He is as tall as his father. She is as beautiful as her mother.

  

  Structure of Positive Degree of Comparison

   

 

 

While we have learnt that Positive degree is the most basic form of adjective that we use for a noun or pronoun, let’s see how it is different from Comparative and Superlative degrees.

The comparative degree compares two things by adding ‘er’ to the adjective and the superlative degree compares three or more things by adding ‘est’ to the adjective.

Let’s take a look at some examples for better understanding:

Positive Degree	Comparative Degree	Superlative Degree
The test is easy.	The second test is easier than the first.	The third test is the easiest of them all.
The dress is expensive.	This dress is more expensive than that dress.	This is the most expensive dress out of all.
This ride is deadly.	This ride is deadlier than the first.	This is the deadliest ride.
My cook is good.	Your cook is better than mine.	Her cook is the best.
The weather is bad here.	The weather here is worse than that place.	The weather is worst here.

Also Read:

• English Interjections
• English Prefixes: How to Use

Students can follow below mentioned steps to master the use of positive degree of comparison for adjectives:

• Students need to focus on understanding its definition which means positive degree is used when no comparison is made. It is the simplest form of adjective used in sentences
• Practice all kinds of positive forms by constructing sentences in various use cases
• Practice how to transform comparative/superlative sentences into positive ones to ace the efficiency on the topic. When there is no comparison use positive degree, otherwise use comparative and superlative when two or more things are compared in a sentence. Students can refer above in the page to understand this better.
• Read more and more to enhance the grip on the subject
• Use online and offline resources to make notes, practice questions and improve the understanding on positive degree

Also Read: 

Tips for English Letter Writing

 

By now you know that positive degree is the starting form of adjective used for noun or pronoun, without any comparisons.

So to identify it, look at the basic describing words that have no endings with ‘er’ or ‘est’. Those are the positive degree words in a sentence.

Here are some more positive degree examples:

The cat is small.

Explanation: Here, ‘small’ is the positive degree, describing the cat's size without comparing it to anything else.

She dances well. 

Explanation: ‘Well’ is the positive degree of the adverb, describing how she dances.

The chapter is long. 

‘Long; is the positive degree, simply stating the chapter's length.

 

Here are some common errors that students should avoid while using positive degree of comparison I English language:

Avoid using comparative or superlative forms. Common errors include using "more" or "most" with positive degree adjectives, or using "-er" or "-est" endings on adjectives that are already in the positive degree, can lead to errors. For example:

• The book is more difficult. (incorrect)
• The book is difficult. (correct)
• The dish is very tastier. (incorrect)
• The dish is very tasty. (correct)

Avoid using comparative or superlative forms when describing a single subject. For example:

• This is the most beautiful dress. (Incorrect-When only one dress is being described)
• This is a beautiful dress. or This is the most beautiful of the dresses. (correct)

Avoid using the positive degree when a comparative or superlative is more appropriate. For instance, when comparing two things, use the comparative degree. When comparing three or more things, use the superlative degree. For example:

• This game is tough than the previous one. (incorrect)
• This game is tougher than the previous one. (correct)
• She is talented of them all. (incorrect)
• She is the most talented of them all. (correct)

Also Read: 

• English Direct and Indirect Speech
• English Figures of Speech