Kebanyakan pembelajar bahasa Inggris Indonesia tahu big, bigger, biggest. Tapi banyak yang masih bingung kapan pakai more beautiful vs beautifuler (salah). Atau kapan pakai the most vs most (tanpa the). Atau bagaimana membandingkan dua hal yang sama (as…as).
Degrees of comparison adalah cara mengubah kata sifat (adjective) untuk menunjukkan tiga tingkatan: biasa (positive), lebih (comparative), dan paling (superlative).
Mari bedah tuntas.
1. Positive Degree (Tingkat Biasa)
Positive degree adalah bentuk dasar kata sifat. Tidak membandingkan apa pun. Hanya menyatakan kualitas.
| Bentuk | Contoh |
|---|---|
| Beautiful | She is beautiful. (Dia cantik.) |
| Tall | He is tall. (Dia tinggi.) |
| Smart | You are smart. (Kamu pintar.) |
Positive degree juga dipakai untuk membandingkan dua hal yang sama dengan pola as + adjective + as.
- She is as beautiful as her mother. (Dia secantik ibunya.)
- This book is as interesting as that one. (Buku ini sama menariknya dengan buku itu.)
- I am not as tall as my brother. (Saya tidak setinggi kakak saya.)
2. Comparative Degree (Tingkat Lebih)
Comparative degree digunakan untuk membandingkan dua benda atau orang. Menunjukkan bahwa satu lebih … dari yang lain.
Aturan:
1. Untuk kata sifat pendek (1 suku kata): tambahkan -er.
| Positive | Comparative | Contoh |
|---|---|---|
| Tall | Taller | He is taller than me. |
| Big | Bigger | My house is bigger than yours. |
| Fast | Faster | A car is faster than a bicycle. |
| Cheap | Cheaper | This phone is cheaper than that one. |
2. Untuk kata sifat dengan 2 suku kata berakhiran -y: ubah -y menjadi -ier.
| Positive | Comparative | Contoh |
|---|---|---|
| Happy | Happier | She is happier today. |
| Busy | Busier | I am busier than you. |
| Healthy | Healthier | Eating vegetables is healthier than eating fast food. |
3. Untuk kata sifat panjang (2+ suku kata): tambahkan more di depan.
| Positive | Comparative | Contoh |
|---|---|---|
| Beautiful | More beautiful | She is more beautiful than her sister. |
| Expensive | More expensive | This car is more expensive than that one. |
| Intelligent | More intelligent | Dolphins are more intelligent than fish. |
| Comfortable | More comfortable | This chair is more comfortable than the other one. |
4. Untuk kata sifat dengan 2 suku kata yang tidak berakhiran -y: bisa pakai -er atau more.
| Positive | Comparative | Catatan |
|---|---|---|
| Clever | Cleverer atau more clever | Dua-duanya benar |
| Narrow | Narrower atau more narrow | Dua-duanya benar |
| Simple | Simpler atau more simple | Dua-duanya benar |
Tapi untuk aman, jika ragu, pakai more.
Perhatikan kata than.
Comparative degree selalu diikuti than (kecuali konteks sudah jelas).
- She is taller than me.
- This phone is more expensive than that one.
- I am busier than my sister.
3. Superlative Degree (Tingkat Paling)
Superlative degree digunakan untuk membandingkan tiga atau lebih benda atau orang. Menunjukkan bahwa satu adalah yang paling … di antara semua.
Aturan:
1. Untuk kata sifat pendek (1 suku kata): tambahkan -est dan pakai the di depan.
| Positive | Superlative | Contoh |
|---|---|---|
| Tall | The tallest | He is the tallest in the class. |
| Big | The biggest | This is the biggest house in the city. |
| Fast | The fastest | She is the fastest runner. |
| Cheap | The cheapest | This is the cheapest phone. |
2. Untuk kata sifat dengan 2 suku kata berakhiran -y: ubah -y menjadi -iest dan pakai the.
| Positive | Superlative | Contoh |
|---|---|---|
| Happy | The happiest | She is the happiest person I know. |
| Busy | The busiest | December is the busiest month. |
| Healthy | The healthiest | This is the healthiest food. |
3. Untuk kata sifat panjang (2+ suku kata): tambahkan the most di depan.
| Positive | Superlative | Contoh |
|---|---|---|
| Beautiful | The most beautiful | She is the most beautiful woman in the world. |
| Expensive | The most expensive | This is the most expensive car. |
| Intelligent | The most intelligent | He is the most intelligent student in the school. |
Perhatikan kata the.
Superlative degree HAMPIR selalu pakai the.
- She is the tallest.
- This is the most expensive.
- He is the smartest.
Pengecualian: jika superlative dipakai sebagai kata benda tanpa membandingkan (misal: most people = kebanyakan orang), tidak pakai the.
Kata Sifat Tidak Beraturan (Irregular)
Tiga kata sifat ini tidak mengikuti aturan di atas.
| Positive | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| Good | Better | The best |
| Bad | Worse | The worst |
| Far | Farther / Further | The farthest / The furthest |
Contoh:
- My English is good, but hers is better. His is the best.
- The weather today is bad, but yesterday was worse. Last week was the worst.
- I can run farther than you. He can run the farthest.
Perbedaan farther vs further:
- Farther untuk jarak fisik.
- Further untuk jarak abstrak (ide, waktu, diskusi).
- Let’s discuss this further. (abstrak)
- He lives farther from school than I do. (fisik)
Pola Perbandingan Lainnya
1. The + Comparative, The + Comparative (Semakin…, semakin…)
Pola ini menunjukkan hubungan sebab-akibat antara dua hal yang berubah bersamaan.
| Pola | Contoh | Arti |
|---|---|---|
| The + comparative + subject + verb, the + comparative + subject + verb | The more you study, the smarter you become. | Semakin banyak kamu belajar, semakin pintar kamu menjadi. |
| The faster you run, the sooner you arrive. | Semakin cepat kamu lari, semakin cepat kamu tiba. | |
| The more expensive the phone, the better the quality. | Semakin mahal ponsel, semakin baik kualitasnya. |
2. Double Comparative (Kian…kian…)
Pola ini menunjukkan bahwa sesuatu berubah secara bertahap.
| Pola | Contoh | Arti |
|---|---|---|
| Comparative and comparative | The days are getting longer and longer. | Hari-hari semakin panjang. |
| She became more and more beautiful. | Dia menjadi semakin cantik. | |
| He ran faster and faster. | Dia berlari semakin cepat. |
3. As + Adjective + As (Sama…nya dengan…)
Untuk menunjukkan kesamaan. Bisa positif atau negatif.
| Pola | Contoh | Arti |
|---|---|---|
| As + adjective + as | She is as tall as her mother. | Dia setinggi ibunya. |
| Not as + adjective + as | This book is not as interesting as that one. | Buku ini tidak semenarik buku itu. |
Perbedaan as…as dan so…as:
- As…as untuk kalimat positif dan negatif.
- So…as HANYA untuk kalimat negatif.
- She is not so tall as her mother. = sama dengan not as tall as (tapi lebih formal/kuno).
Tabel Ringkas Perubahan Kata Sifat
| Positive | Comparative | Superlative | Aturan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tall | Taller | The tallest | +er/+est |
| Big | Bigger | The biggest | +er/+est (konsonan ganda) |
| Happy | Happier | The happiest | y → ier/iest |
| Beautiful | More beautiful | The most beautiful | more/the most |
| Expensive | More expensive | The most expensive | more/the most |
| Good | Better | The best | Irregular |
| Bad | Worse | The worst | Irregular |
| Far | Farther/Further | The farthest/furthest | Irregular |
Kesalahan Umum
1. Menambahkan -er pada kata sifat panjang
Salah: She is beautifuler than her sister.
Benar: She is more beautiful than her sister.
2. Lupa the pada superlative
Salah: She is best student.
Benar: She is the best student.
3. Menggunakan more untuk kata sifat pendek
Salah: He is more tall than me.
Benar: He is taller than me.
4. Lupa than pada comparative
Salah: She is taller me.
Benar: She is taller than me.
5. Membandingkan dua hal dengan superlative
Salah: Between the two, she is the most beautiful. (Seharusnya more beautiful karena dua hal.)
Benar: Between the two, she is more beautiful.
Benar: Among the three, she is the most beautiful.
Aturan:
- 2 hal → comparative
- 3+ hal → superlative
Contoh Paragraf dengan Semua Tingkatan
My sister and I are very different. I am tall, but she is taller than me. My father is the tallest in our family. My sister is also more beautiful than I am. But I think I am more intelligent than her. Our mother is the most beautiful woman I know. My room is clean, but my sister’s room is cleaner. My mother’s room is the cleanest of all. My father is the busiest person in our family. I am not as busy as him. I am happier than my sister when I have free time. But my mother is the happiest when all of us are at home.
Latihan 1: Ubah ke Comparative
- She is (beautiful) than her sister. → She is more beautiful than her sister.
- I am (tall) than you. → I am taller than you.
- This task is (difficult) than the previous one. → This task is more difficult than the previous one.
- He is (happy) than me. → He is happier than me.
- This movie is (bad) than the other one. → This movie is worse than the other one.
Latihan 2: Ubah ke Superlative
- She is (beautiful) woman in the world. → She is the most beautiful woman in the world.
- He is (tall) student in the school. → He is the tallest student in the school.
- This is (expensive) car in the showroom. → This is the most expensive car in the showroom.
- I am (happy) person alive. → I am the happiest person alive.
- Today is (bad) day of my life. → Today is the worst day of my life.
Latihan 3: Pilih Bentuk yang Tepat
- “She is _ than her brother.” (tall) → taller
- “This is _ book I have ever read.” (interesting) → the most interesting
- “He runs _ than me.” (fast) → faster
- “My mother is _ person in my life.” (important) → the most important
- “The weather today is _ than yesterday.” (bad) → worse
- “She is _ beautiful as her sister.” → as (positive degree)
Proyek Akhir: Paragraf Perbandingan
Tulis paragraf 60 kata membandingkan dua tempat (misal: kota dan desa). Gunakan semua tingkatan: positive, comparative, superlative, dan as…as.
Contoh:
I live in a big city, but I prefer the countryside. The city is more crowded than the village. The village is quieter than the city. The air in the village is fresher than in the city. However, the city has more job opportunities. The village is not as modern as the city. In my opinion, the village is the most peaceful place to live. The city is the busiest place I know.
Periksa: crowded (positive), more crowded (comparative), quieter (comparative), fresh-er (comparative), not as modern as (positive degree negatif), the most peaceful (superlative), the busiest (superlative). Semua tingkat terpakai.
Positive degree = bentuk dasar (tall, beautiful). Comparative = membandingkan dua hal, pakai -er untuk kata pendek (taller) atau more untuk kata panjang (more beautiful), selalu diikuti than. Superlative = membandingkan tiga atau lebih, pakai the + -est untuk kata pendek (the tallest) atau the most untuk kata panjang (the most beautiful). Tiga kata tidak beraturan: good → better → best, bad → worse → worst, far → farther/further → farthest/furthest. Jangan campur -er dan more. Jangan lupa the untuk superlative. Jangan lupa than untuk comparative.
Degrees of comparison adalah salah satu topik grammar paling dasar tapi paling sering salah. Penyebabnya: kebiasaan menerjemahkan dari bahasa Indonesia. Bahasa Indonesia bilang “lebih cantik”, tidak peduli panjang kata. Bahasa Inggris beda: pendek pakai -er, panjang pakai more.
Latih dengan asosiasi:
- 1 suku kata → -er / -est (tall → taller → tallest)
- 3+ suku kata → more / the most (beautiful → more beautiful → the most beautiful)
- 2 suku kata → lihat akhiran -y (happy → happier → happiest). Jika bukan -y, bisa dua cara (clever → cleverer atau more clever).
Sekarang buka catatan. Tulis 5 kalimat tentang orang-orang di keluarga Anda menggunakan comparative. Tulis 5 kalimat tentang hal-hal di rumah Anda menggunakan superlative. Baca keras-keras.
Jika Anda bisa membedakan kapan pakai more beautiful dan the most beautiful, Anda sudah menguasai 80% topik ini.