NCERT Poorvi

Conquering
the Summit

English changes adjectives to compare things: tall, taller, tallest. Tap the cards below to explore the three degrees of comparison, then read "Conquering the Summit" in your Poorvi reader for a story of effort that reaches the top.

📖 3 topics⏱ ~20 min📝 12-question quiz

Play with it

Explore the three degrees

An adjective can change to show how much of a quality something has. Tap a card to reveal each degree of comparison — and how to build it.

Explore · Degrees of comparisontap a card

Learn

The three big ideas

Adjectives have three degrees that show how much of a quality something has:

Positive — the plain form: tall, fast, kind.
Comparative — compares two things: taller, faster, kinder (often with than).
Superlative — compares three or more and names the top one: tallest, fastest, kindest (often with the).

So one peak is high, a second is higher, and the summit is the highest of all. Use the explorer above to see each degree in action.

How you build the comparative and superlative depends on the length of the adjective:

Short words (one syllable) add -er / -est: tall → taller → tallest.
A short vowel + single consonant doubles the consonant: big → bigger → biggest.
Longer words (two or more syllables) use more / most: careful → more careful → most careful.

Common mistake: never use two markers at once. "more taller" and "most tallest" are wrong — choose either -er/-est or more/most, never both.

A few very common adjectives do not follow the rules — you simply have to remember them:

good → better → best
bad → worse → worst
many / much → more → most

Worked example. Fill the blanks: good → ___ → ___. What are the comparative and superlative of "good"?

"Good" is irregular, so it does not take -er/-est. The comparative is better and the superlative is best: good → better → best.

Where you'll meet it

Why degrees matter

Comparing things accurately

Whether you rank cities by size or test scores by marks, the right degree makes your writing exact: one is larger than another, but only one can be the largest — getting this right earns marks in every essay.

Describing a climb or achievement

To narrate a trek like "Conquering the Summit" you need degrees: the path grew steeper, the air got thinner, and the view from the highest point was the best of the whole journey.

Check yourself

Competency quiz

Modelled on the competency-based pattern — naming the right degree, choosing the correct form, an assertion–reason and a case study — testing whether you can use the degrees of comparison, not just recall them.

Score 0/12

Conqueringthe Summit