Grammar Essentials (Handbook)
🔒 Log in to trackDegrees of comparison and question tags
🔒 Log in to trackDegrees of comparison
| Degree | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Positive | as + adj + as (positive); not so/as + adj + as (negative) | Ravi is as tall as Amit. He is not so tall as his father. |
| Comparative | adj-er / more + adj + than | Delhi is hotter than Shimla. |
| Superlative | the + adj-est / the most + adj | the tallest tower |
Irregular forms: good–better–best; bad–worse–worst; little–less–least; much/many–more–most; far–farther/further–farthest/furthest; old–older/elder–oldest/eldest; late–later/latter–latest/last.
Comparison rules SSC tests
- No double comparatives or superlatives: more better, most tallest, more costlier ✗.
- than any other + singular noun when the thing compared belongs to the same group: Everest is higher than any other peak in the world (without other it would be compared with itself).
- Compare like with like (use that of / those of or a possessive): The population of Mumbai is larger than that of Pune (not than Pune). His marks are better than mine (not than me).
- Latin comparatives take to: senior, junior, superior, inferior, prior, anterior, posterior, preferable, prefer: She is senior to me (not than).
- Of the two → the + comparative: She is the taller of the two sisters.
- one of the + superlative + plural noun: one of the best players (not best player).
- Absolute adjectives (unique, perfect, ideal, complete, round, supreme) are not compared.
- Double comparative for gradual change: The more you practise, the better you get.
- Transformation triad (same meaning):
- No other city in India is as big as Mumbai. (positive)
- Mumbai is bigger than any other city in India. (comparative)
- Mumbai is the biggest city in India. (superlative)
Question tags
A question tag = auxiliary + pronoun of the main clause, with the opposite polarity.
| Statement type | Tag | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Positive with auxiliary | negative of that auxiliary | She is busy, isn't she? |
| Negative | positive | They won't come, will they? |
| No auxiliary (simple present/past) | do / does / did | He plays well, doesn't he? You met her, didn't you? |
| I am | aren't I | I am late, aren't I? |
| Let's (suggestion) | shall we | Let's go, shall we? |
| Imperative (order/request) | will you / won't you / can you | Close the door, will you? |
| Let me / Let him (asking permission) | will you | Let me help, will you? |
| Negative-sense words: never, hardly, scarcely, seldom, rarely, barely, few, little, nobody, nothing, none | positive tag | He never lies, does he? Few people came, did they? |
| everyone / someone / nobody / everybody | they | Everyone was happy, weren't they? |
| everything / nothing / something | it | Nothing happened, did it? |
| There is / There are | isn't there / aren't there | There is a problem, isn't there? |
| used to | didn't | He used to smoke, didn't he? |
| had better | hadn't | We had better leave, hadn't we? |
| Complex sentence with I think / I believe | tag follows the subordinate clause | I think he is right, isn't he? |
Detailed notes
Degrees of comparison: three patterns
- Positive: as + adjective + as — Ram is as tall as Shyam. The negative: not as/so ... as.
- Comparative: adjective-er / more + adjective + than — taller than, more useful than.
- Superlative: the + adjective-est / most + adjective + of/in — the tallest in the class.
Two planted errors cover most questions:
- Double comparative — more costlier, more better are always wrong: one marker only (costlier OR more costly).
- Wrong partner — a comparative must carry than; a superlative carries the and a group (in the class, of all).
'Than any other' constructions
When the subject belongs to the group it is compared with, use any other so the subject is not compared with itself:
- Mount Everest is higher than any other peak in the world.
- Delhi is larger than any other city in Haryana — wait, check membership: if the subject is NOT in the group, plain 'any' works: The Yamuna is longer than any river in Haryana only if the Yamuna is not a Haryana river. Ask: is the subject inside the group? Inside → any other; outside → any.
Question tags: the mirror rule
A tag copies the sentence's auxiliary, flips its polarity, and ends with a matching pronoun:
- She sings well, doesn't she? (positive sentence → negative tag; sings needs does)
- They haven't finished, have they? (negative → positive tag) The pronoun replaces the subject: nobody → they, everybody → they, this/that → it, these/those → they.
Special tags to memorise
| Sentence | Tag |
|---|---|
| Let's go for a walk | shall we? |
| Open the window | will you? |
| I am late | aren't I? |
| Nobody called | did they? |
| Nothing happened | did it? |
| He has a car (possession, Indian usage) | doesn't he? |
Note I am → aren't I — the only place English drops 'am not I'.
Attack method
- For comparison items, count the markers (more + -er = error) and check than/the + group.
- For tags, name the auxiliary, flip it, and swap the subject for its pronoun — in that order, every time.
In divided-part items the comparison error hides in the first half (Gold is more costlier...), while the tag error, when it appears, is always the last part. Scan the first part for double markers and the last part for the tag, and you cover both question types in one pass.
Quick revision
- as...as / -er than / the -est in; never more + -er together.
- Subject inside the group → than any other.
- Tag = auxiliary copy + polarity flip + subject pronoun.
- Let's → shall we; imperative → will you; I am → aren't I; nobody → they.
Types of questions asked
Every way this subtopic shows up in exams — how to recognise it, the formula or logic to use, and a solved example.
Type 1: One marker only (no double comparative)very common3 practice Q
An option or a part reads more + -er (more costlier, more better) or a superlative with more.
- Count the markers of comparison in the phrase.
- Two markers (more + -er) → error.
- Keep exactly one: costlier / more costly / the costliest.
Why it works: English never stacks the two ways of forming a comparative.
Example: Parts: Gold is more costlier / than silver, / but both are / widely used.
Gold is more costlier is the error → Gold is costlier.
Type 2: Than any other constructioncommon2 practice Q
A superlative-style comparison names the group the subject belongs to, and the options are any / any other / all other.
- Ask: is the subject a member of the group?
- Member → exclude itself: any other.
- Outsider → plain any is fine.
Why it works: a thing cannot be taller than itself, so the exam forces 'other'.
Example: Mount Everest is higher than ___ peak in the world. (any other/any/all other/others)
Everest is a peak → any other peak.
Type 3: Standard question tagsvery common2 practice Q
A complete sentence with a comma sits before the blank; the options are auxiliary + pronoun pairs.
- Name the sentence's auxiliary (does, have, is, will).
- Flip the polarity: positive sentence → negative tag.
- Replace the subject with its pronoun.
Why it works: every regular tag is just these three operations.
Example: She sings well, ___? (doesn't she/isn't she/does she/won't she)
sings → does; positive → negative → doesn't she.
Type 4: Special tags: let's, imperative, I am, nobodycommon3 practice Q
The sentence is a let's suggestion, a command, an I am statement, or has nobody/nothing as subject.
- Match the sentence type to the special-tag table.
- let's → shall we; command → will you; I am → aren't I.
- nobody/everybody → they; nothing → it.
Why it works: these five tags are fixed idioms; there is no rule to derive them from.
Example: I am late, ___? (aren't I/amn't I/not I/don't I)
The fixed tag for I am → aren't I.
Shortcut tricks
⚡ 'Other' check in comparative sentences
Whenever you see than any / than all, ask: Is the subject part of the group after 'than'? If yes, other (or else) is mandatory. Kolkata is bigger than any city in Nepal ✓ (different group); ...than any city in India ✗ → any other city.
Example: Spot the error: Sachin scored more runs / than any batsman / in the Indian team / that season.
Sachin belongs to the Indian team → than any other batsman.
⚡ Tag in two steps
Step 1: find the auxiliary (or supply do/does/did). Step 2: flip the polarity, remembering that never, hardly, seldom, few, little, nobody, nothing make the statement negative, so the tag is positive.
Example: She seldom visits us, ___?
seldom is negative; auxiliary for visits is does → does she?
Where students lose marks
Double comparatives: more stronger, most cleverest.
Comparing a thing with a person/place: The roads of Pune are better than Nagpur ✗ → than those of Nagpur.
Writing senior than, superior than, prefer ... than.
Dropping other in than any other.
Giving a negative tag after hardly / never / few.
Using amn't I or am I not informally; the standard tag for I am is aren't I.
Practice sets — 13 questions
Sets of 10, mixed across the question types above. Each answer comes with a step-by-step explanation.
Topic test · 13 questions
Suggested time 6 min · wrong answers go to your mistake notebook automatically.