Adverbs are essential components of the English language, enriching our sentences by describing how actions are performed. They add depth and nuance, allowing us to express ourselves with greater precision. Among the fascinating aspects of adverbs are their comparative and superlative forms, which enable us to make comparisons between different actions. Understanding how to use Adverbs Superlative And Comparative correctly is crucial for mastering English grammar and communication.
In essence, comparative adverbs are used to juxtapose two actions, highlighting which one is performed to a greater or lesser degree. On the other hand, superlative adverbs elevate this comparison to a broader scale, contrasting one action against a multitude of others to identify the action performed to the highest or lowest degree within that group.
Consider these examples to illustrate the difference:
-
The hare moved quicker than the tortoise.
Hare’s movement vs. Tortoise’s movement
Comparative Adverb -
The hare moved the quickest of all creatures in the race.
Hare’s movement vs. creature 1’s movement, creature 2’s movement, creature 3’s movement, and so on…
Superlative Adverb
Many comparative and superlative adverbs are derived from manner adverbs, which describe how an action is carried out. These manner adverbs often, but not always, end in ‘-ly’, such as quickly, quietly, and efficiently, but also include common adverbs like fast and hard.
This guide will thoroughly explore the formation and application of comparative and superlative adverbs. We’ll equip you with the knowledge to confidently construct and utilize these adverbs, enhancing your English fluency and accuracy. Are you ready to delve deeper into the world of adverbs? Let’s begin!
What are Comparative Adverbs?
Comparative adverbs are specifically designed to compare two distinct actions. They emphasize the difference in how these actions are performed, indicating whether one action is carried out to a greater or lesser extent than the other. Here are some examples to clarify their usage:
-
The greyhound runs faster than the bulldog.
Greyhound’s running vs. Bulldog’s running
-
Today, the bulldog ran faster than it did yesterday.
Bulldog’s running today vs. Bulldog’s running yesterday
-
The greyhound walks faster than the bulldog runs.
Greyhound’s walking vs. Bulldog’s running
Now, let’s examine the methods for constructing comparative adverbs and then explore their application within sentences, as demonstrated in the examples above.
How to Form a Comparative Adverb?
There are generally three forms of comparative adverbs, each serving to express a different type of comparison. The table below summarizes these forms:
| Type of Comparison | Structure | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Superiority (Action X > Action Y) | adverb–er | faster, harder, higher |
| more + adverb | more impressively, more interestingly, more efficiently | |
| Equality (Action X = Action Y) | as + adverb + as | as fast as, as impressively as, as quietly as |
| Inferiority (Action X < Action Y) | less + adverb | less quietly, less elegantly, less efficiently |
These structures might seem familiar because they closely mirror the formation of comparative adjectives in English. Let’s break down each type of comparative adverb in more detail:
Comparative Adverbs with ‘-er’ and ‘more’
Let’s first understand how to form comparative adverbs that indicate a greater degree of an action.
-
One-syllable Adverbs:
For adverbs consisting of only one syllable, the comparative form is typically created by adding the suffix -er. Consider these examples:
Adverb Comparative Form fast faster hard harder high higher late later* low lower near nearer *Remember the spelling rules for suffixes starting with a vowel! If the base word ends in ‘e’, simply add -r.
Alt Text: Table illustrating comparative adverbs formed by adding the ‘-er’ suffix to one-syllable adverbs such as fast, hard, high, late, low, and near.
Tip: Many adverbs in this category share the same form as adjectives but are distinguished by their function in a sentence:
- This sports car is fast. (Adjective: fast describes the car)
- The sports car drove fast. (Adverb: fast describes the action of driving)
-
Adverbs with Two or More Syllables:
For adverbs that have two or more syllables, especially those ending in ‘-ly’, we generally use more before the adverb to form the comparative. Here are some examples:
Adverb Comparative Adverb loudly more loudly gracefully more gracefully energetically more energetically Alt Text: Table showing comparative adverbs formed by adding ‘more’ before adverbs with two or more syllables, such as loudly, gracefully, and energetically.
Exception: The two-syllable adverb early forms its comparative as earlier.
Tip: Some adverbs have both a formal form ending in ‘-ly’ and a less formal form without ‘-ly’. These adverbs can have two comparative forms: one with more and another with -er.
Formal Adverb & Comparative Informal Adverb & Comparative slowly → more slowly (e.g., Drive more slowly!) slow → slower (e.g., Drive slower!) quickly → more quickly quick → quicker loudly → more loudly loud → louder Informal forms are more frequently used in spoken English but are also common in informal writing.
-
Irregular Comparative Adverbs:
Certain adverbs have irregular comparative forms that you need to memorize:
Root Adverb Comparative Adverb badly worse well better far farther/further* little less much more Alt Text: Table of irregular comparative adverbs including badly/worse, well/better, far/farther-further, little/less, and much/more.
* Farther is generally used for physical distance (e.g., “I drove farther”), while further is used for metaphorical or non-physical distance (e.g., “I further explained the problem”).
Comparative of Equality with ‘as’
Creating comparatives of equality with as is straightforward: simply place as before and after the adverb. This structure works for adverbs of any length and even irregular forms:
- fast → as fast as
- energetically → as energetically as
- badly → as badly as
Comparative Adverbs with ‘less’
To form comparative adverbs indicating a lesser degree of an action, use less before the adverb. This is applicable mainly to adverbs ending in ‘-ly’:
- loudly → less loudly
- energetically → less energetically
However, using ‘less’ comparatives is less common. Often, it’s more natural to rephrase the sentence using a comparison of superiority or a negative comparison of equality (using “not as…as”).
- 🆗 He spoke less loudly than she did. (Comparative adverb with less)
- ✅ She spoke more loudly than he did. (Comparison of superiority)
- ✅ He did not speak as loudly as she did. (Negative comparison of equality)
Important Note: For adverbs like fast and hard that do not end in ‘-ly’, there is no direct ‘less’ comparative form. In these cases, rephrasing is necessary:
- ❌ I run less fast than him.
- ✅ He runs faster than me.
- ✅ I do not run as fast as him.
How to Build Comparisons Using English Comparative Adverbs?
There are two primary sentence structures for using comparative adverbs in English. Comparisons of superiority (‘more’/-er) and inferiority (‘less’) follow one pattern, while comparisons of equality (‘as…as’) follow another.
‘More…than’ and ‘less… than’ Comparisons with Adverbs
For comparisons of superiority and inferiority, we use than after the comparative adverb. The basic structure is:
Subject 1 + Verb 1 + Comparative Adverb + than + Subject 2 + Verb 2
Examples:
- E-bikes move more quickly than electric scooters move.
- Electric scooters move less quickly than e-bikes move.
- She can play the guitar less skillfully than her brother can play.
- I can type faster than he can write by hand.
To make sentences more concise, we can omit repeated words. For example:
- Original: He is running faster than she is running.
- Improved: He is running faster than she is.
- Concise: He is running faster than she.
Leaving a repeated auxiliary verb (like is) can enhance clarity. If the verb is in a simple tense, use the auxiliary verb do:
- Original: E-bikes move faster than electric scooters move.
- Improved: E-bikes move faster than electric scooters do.
- Concise: E-bikes move faster than electric scooters.
If the same subject performs the same action at different times, you can omit the second subject entirely:
- Original: Today, he ran faster than he ran yesterday.
- Improved: Today, he ran faster than yesterday.
In context, the “than” clause itself can sometimes be omitted:
- After training, he started running much faster.
Implied comparison: Running speed after training vs. running speed before training.
Tip: Words and phrases can be added before the comparative adverb to intensify or mitigate the comparison:
- Intensifiers:
- She sings much louder than him.
- He works far more efficiently than her.
- Mitigators:
- He walks a bit slower now.
- She speaks a little more quietly today.
Explore a comprehensive list of intensifiers and mitigators for comparisons for more examples.
‘As… as…’ Comparisons with Adverbs
For comparisons of equality, use as… as around the adverb. This structure indicates that two actions are performed to the same degree:
Subject 1 + Verb 1 + as + Adverb + as + Subject 2 + Verb 2
Examples:
- He walks as slowly as she walks.
- Today, she ran as fast as she ran last week.
- He sings as badly as he dances.
Similar to ‘than’ comparisons, you can shorten ‘as…as’ comparisons by omitting repeated words:
-
Original: He walks as slowly as she walks.
-
Improved: He walks as slowly as she does.
-
Concise: He walks as slowly as she.
-
Original: Today, he ran as fast as he did yesterday.
-
Improved: Today, he ran as fast as he did yesterday.
-
Concise: Today, he ran as fast as yesterday.
Important: Negating an “as…as” comparison implies that the first action has less of the quality:
She does n’t sing as well as she dances.
Literal meaning: Her singing is not equal to her dancing.
Implied meaning: Her singing is worse than her dancing!
This is a polite and natural way to express a comparison of inferiority, often preferred over using ‘less’.
What are Superlative Adverbs?
Superlative adverbs are used to compare one action against three or more actions. They pinpoint the action that is performed to the highest degree (best) or lowest degree (worst) within a group. For instance:
-
The snail moves the most slowly of all garden creatures.
Snail’s movement vs. ladybug’s movement, earthworm’s movement, ant’s movement, etc.
-
She runs fastest in the mornings.
Her running in the morning vs. her running in the afternoon, her running in the evening, etc.
Let’s explore the different forms of superlative adverbs and their usage in sentences.
How to Form a Superlative Adverb in English?
Superlative adverbs are formed in a way that parallels superlative adjectives in English. There are two main types:
- Superlatives of superiority (highest degree) – e.g., the fastest, the most quietly, the best
- Superlatives of inferiority (lowest degree) – e.g., the least quietly, the worst
Both types usually include the word the, although there are cases where ‘the’ can be omitted, as discussed below.
Superlative Adverbs of Superiority: ‘-est’ and ‘most’
For one-syllable adverbs, add -est or -st to form the superlative of superiority:
| Adverb | Superlative Form |
|---|---|
| fast | the fastest |
| high | the highest |
| late | the latest* |
| near | the nearest |
*Remember the spelling rules for suffixes that start with a vowel!
Alt Text: Table showing superlative adverbs formed with ‘-est’ suffix for one-syllable adverbs, including fast/fastest, high/highest, late/latest, and near/nearest.
For adverbs with more than one syllable, use most before the adverb:
| Adverb | Superlative Form |
|---|---|
| quietly | the most quietly |
| patiently | the most patiently |
| courageously | the most courageously |
Alt Text: Table showing superlative adverbs formed with ‘most’ before adverbs with multiple syllables, including quietly/most quietly, patiently/most patiently, and courageously/most courageously.
Exception: The two-syllable adverb early becomes earliest in the superlative.
Similar to comparative adverbs, adverbs with informal forms (without ‘-ly’) can also have superlative forms with -est:
- Formal: He drives slowly. → She drives more slowly. → I drive the most slowly.
- Informal: He drives slow. → She drives slower. → I drive the slowest.
Some irregular adverbs have irregular superlative forms:
Adverb Superlative Form badly the worst well the best far the farthest / furthest little the least much the most
Alt Text: Table of irregular superlative adverbs, including badly/worst, well/best, far/farthest-furthest, little/least, and much/most.
Superlative Adverbs of Inferiority: ‘the least’
To form a superlative of inferiority, use the least before the adverb. This indicates the lowest degree of an action within a group:
| Adverb | Superlative of Inferiority |
|---|---|
| quietly | the least quietly |
| patiently | the least patiently |
| courageously | the least courageously |
Alt Text: Table showing superlative adverbs of inferiority formed with ‘the least’ before adverbs, including quietly/least quietly, patiently/least patiently, and courageously/least courageously.
Important: One-syllable adverbs do not have a superlative of inferiority. Rephrase these sentences to use the superlative of superiority instead:
- ❌ He walks the least fast in our group.
- ✅ He walks the slowest in our group.
How to Use a Superlative Adverb in a Sentence?
The typical sentence structure for superlative adverbs is:
Subject + Verb + Superlative Adverb
Examples:
- This chef cooks the best on weekends.
- He speaks the most quietly of all students in the class.
- This old laptop operates the least efficiently.
A few usage tips:
-
To compare one individual’s action to a group, use (out) of + the group:
- He speaks the most quietly of all the students in the class.
Comparison: His speaking vs. speaking of all other students.
- He speaks the most quietly of all the students in the class.
-
When comparing different actions by the same subject, you can often omit the before the superlative adverb:
-
✅ This chef cooks the best on weekends.
-
✅ This chef cooks best on weekends.
Comparison: This chef’s cooking on weekends vs. this chef’s cooking on other days.
-
However, when comparing different subjects, it’s generally better to include ‘the’:
-
✅ This laptop operates the least efficiently.
Comparison: This laptop’s operation vs. other laptops’ operation.
-
❌ This laptop operates least efficiently.
-
Summary
Key points to remember about comparative and superlative adverbs:
- Their formation is similar to comparative and superlative adjectives.
- Three types of comparative adverbs:
- Superiority: more + adverb + than… / adverb-er + than…
- Equality: as + adverb + as…
- Inferiority: less + adverb + than…
- Two types of superlative adverbs:
- Superiority: the most + adverb / the + adverb-est
- Inferiority: the least + adverb
- Irregular adverbs to remember:
- well → better → the best
- badly → worse → the worst
Ready to put your knowledge into practice? Try our comparative and superlative adverb exercises!
Continue Your Language Journey with Mango Languages on Social Media!
Follow Mango Languages on Facebook
Follow Mango Languages on Instagram
Follow Mango Languages on Twitter
Connect with Mango Languages on LinkedIn
Subscribe to Mango Languages on YouTube
