Adverbs are essential for adding detail and nuance to our sentences, describing how actions are performed. Among their many functions, adverbs play a crucial role in making comparisons. Comparative and superlative adverbs are specifically used to show the degree to which actions are performed, allowing us to express differences and rank actions against each other.
Let’s understand this better with a simple illustration:
- A snail moves slowly.
- A rabbit moves faster than a snail.
- A cheetah moves the fastest of all land animals.
In these sentences, “slowly,” “faster,” and “fastest” are all adverbs, each describing the manner of movement. “Faster” is a comparative adverb, showing that a rabbit moves with more speed than a snail. “Fastest” is a superlative adverb, indicating that a cheetah achieves the highest speed among all land animals.
This article will delve into the world of comparative and superlative adverbs, providing you with a comprehensive guide on how to form and effectively use them in your English sentences. Get ready to enhance your grammatical precision and expressive abilities!
What are Comparative Adverbs?
A comparative adverb is used to compare two distinct actions. It highlights the difference in how two actions are performed, indicating whether one action is carried out to a greater or lesser degree than the other. Consider these examples:
- He speaks louder than her.
- → His speaking vs. Her speaking
- She finished the race more quickly than she anticipated.
- → Her race finish time vs. Her anticipated finish time
- The economy is recovering less rapidly this year than last year.
- → This year’s economic recovery vs. Last year’s economic recovery
In each case, a comparative adverb (“louder,” “more quickly,” “less rapidly”) is employed to draw a comparison between two separate instances of actions.
Let’s explore the methods of forming comparative adverbs before examining their application in sentences.
Forming Comparative Adverbs
There are primarily three ways to construct comparative adverbs in English, each serving to express different degrees of comparison: majority, equality, and minority. The following table summarizes the formation rules for each type:
| Type of Comparative Adverb | Formation Structure | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Comparative of Majority | adverb + -er (for short adverbs) | faster, harder, sooner |
| more + adverb (for longer adverbs) | more gracefully, more efficiently, more clearly | |
| Comparative of Equality | as + adverb + as | as quickly as, as loudly as, as clearly as |
| Comparative of Minority | less + adverb | less quietly, less efficiently, less gracefully |
These structures closely mirror those used for comparative adjectives, making them easier to remember and apply. Let’s examine each type in more detail.
‘-er’ and ‘more’ Comparative Adverbs
These forms are used to express that one action is performed to a greater degree than another.
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One-Syllable Adverbs:
For adverbs consisting of only one syllable, we typically add the suffix -er to create the comparative form.Adverb Comparative Form Example Sentence fast faster Cheetahs run faster than lions. hard harder He worked harder this week than last week. high higher The bird flew higher and higher. late later* She arrived later than expected. low lower Prices are lower this month. near nearer The destination is nearer than I thought. *Remember the spelling rule: if the adverb ends in ‘e’, just add ‘-r’.
Tip: Many of these short adverbs share the same form as adjectives, but their function in a sentence differs. Adjectives describe nouns, while adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs.
- Adjective: This is a fast car. (Fast describes the noun car)
- Adverb: He drives fast. (Fast describes the verb drives)
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Two or More Syllable Adverbs:
For adverbs with two or more syllables, especially those ending in ‘-ly’ (manner adverbs), we generally use more before the adverb to form the comparative.Adverb Comparative Form Example Sentence loudly more loudly Could you speak more loudly, please? gracefully more gracefully She danced more gracefully than her partner. energetically more energetically He participated more energetically this time. Exception: The two-syllable adverb ‘early’ takes the ‘-er’ form: earlier.
Tip: Some adverbs exist in both formal ‘-ly’ and informal forms. Both can have comparative forms, either with ‘more’ or ‘-er’, respectively.
Formal Adverb & Comparative Informal Adverb & Comparative Example Sentence slowly → more slowly slow → slower Drive more slowly! / Drive slower! quickly → more quickly quick → quicker He finished more quickly. / He finished quicker. loudly → more loudly loud → louder Speak more loudly. / Speak louder. Informal forms are more common in spoken English.
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Irregular Comparative Adverbs:
Certain adverbs have irregular comparative forms that must be memorized.Adverb Comparative Form Example Sentence badly worse She performed worse than expected. well better He sings better than his brother. far farther/further* I drove farther than planned. / Let’s discuss this further. little less He eats less than he used to. much more She travels more than her colleagues. *’Farther’ is typically used for physical distance, while ‘further’ can refer to metaphorical or non-physical distance.
‘as…as’ Comparative Adverbs
The ‘as…as’ structure is used to indicate equality between two actions. It shows that two actions are performed to the same degree. Simply place ‘as’ before and after the adverb.
- fast → as fast as
- gracefully → as gracefully as
- badly → as badly as
This form works even with irregular comparative adverbs.
‘less’ Comparative Adverbs
To express that an action is performed to a lesser degree, we use less before the adverb.
- loudly → less loudly
- energetically → less energetically
While grammatically correct, ‘less’ comparatives are less frequent. Often, rephrasing to use ‘more’ or negated ‘as…as’ comparisons is preferred for clarity and natural flow.
- Less common: He works less efficiently than her.
- More natural: She works more efficiently than him.
- Also natural: He does not work as efficiently as her.
Important: For short adverbs like ‘fast’ and ‘hard’, ‘less’ comparatives are not standard. Rephrase using ‘more’ or negated ‘as…as’.
- Incorrect: She runs less fast than him.
- Correct: He runs faster than her.
- Correct: She does not run as fast as him.
Building Comparisons with Comparative Adverbs
There are two primary sentence structures for using comparative adverbs: ‘more/less…than’ and ‘as…as’.
‘More…than’ and ‘less…than’ Comparisons
These structures utilize the word than after the comparative adverb to establish the comparison. The basic sentence formula is:
Subject 1 + Verb 1 + Comparative Adverb + than + Subject 2 (+ Verb 2)
Examples:
- Solar panels generate electricity more efficiently than traditional power plants do.
- Electric cars operate less noisily than gasoline-powered cars do.
- He completed the project faster than she did.
To enhance conciseness and fluency, we can often eliminate redundant words, particularly repeated verbs or auxiliary verbs.
- Full: John is running more quickly than Jill is running.
- Concise: John is running more quickly than Jill is.
- Even more concise: John is running more quickly than Jill.
In simple tenses, the auxiliary verb ‘do’ can replace the omitted verb.
- Full: E-bikes move faster than electric scooters move.
- Concise: E-bikes move faster than electric scooters do.
- Even more concise: E-bikes move faster than electric scooters.
When the same subject performs the action at different times, the second subject can also be removed.
- Full: Today, the market grew faster than it grew yesterday.
- Concise: Today, the market grew faster than yesterday.
Context can even allow omitting the ‘than’ clause entirely, particularly when the comparison is implied.
- After the software update, the system operates more smoothly.
- → System operation after update vs. System operation before update
Tip: Words and phrases can be added before the comparative adverb to intensify (increase the degree of difference) or mitigate (decrease the degree of difference) the comparison.
- Intensifiers:
- She works much harder than him.
- He speaks far more eloquently than her.
- Mitigators:
- The train arrived a bit later than scheduled.
- He sings a little better after practice.
Refer to resources on qualifiers for comparative adjectives for a more extensive list of intensifiers and mitigators.
‘As…as…’ Comparisons
‘As…as…’ comparisons use the word as both before and after the adverb to denote equality in action performance.
Subject 1 + Verb 1 + as + Adverb + as + Subject 2 (+ Verb 2)
Examples:
- She sings as beautifully as she dances.
- He works as diligently as his colleagues do.
- Today, the weather is as warm as it was yesterday.
Similar to ‘more/less…than’ comparisons, redundancy can be removed for conciseness.
- Full: He works as diligently as his colleagues work.
- Concise: He works as diligently as his colleagues do.
- Even more concise: He works as diligently as his colleagues.
Important: Negating ‘as…as…’ comparisons implies that the first action has less of the quality.
- She doesn’t sing as well as she dances.
- → Literal: Her singing ≠ Her dancing.
- → Implied: Her singing < Her dancing.
This construction is a common and polite way to express a comparison of minority, often preferable to using ‘less’.
What are Superlative Adverbs?
A superlative adverb is used to compare one action against three or more actions. It indicates the action performed to the highest degree (the best or most) or the lowest degree (the worst or least) within a group.
- He runs the fastest in his class.
- → His running speed vs. All other students’ running speeds
- She speaks the most quietly of all the speakers.
- → Her speaking volume vs. All other speakers’ volumes
- This old computer runs the least efficiently of all our machines.
- → This computer’s efficiency vs. All other machines’ efficiencies
Let’s examine how to form superlative adverbs and integrate them into sentences.
Forming Superlative Adverbs
Superlative adverbs, like superlative adjectives, are formed to indicate the highest or lowest degree of an action. There are two primary types: superlatives of majority (highest degree) and superlatives of minority (lowest degree). Both types are typically preceded by the word the, although there are instances where ‘the’ can be omitted (explained below).
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Superlative Adverbs of Majority: ‘-est’ and ‘most’
For one-syllable adverbs, add -est or -st to form the superlative of majority.
Adverb Superlative Form Example Sentence fast the fastest Cheetahs run the fastest of all land animals. high the highest The bird flew the highest. late the latest* She arrived the latest among us. near the nearest The park is the nearest place to relax. *Remember the spelling rule: if the adverb ends in ‘e’, just add ‘-st’.
For adverbs with more than one syllable, use the most before the adverb.
Adverb Superlative Form Example Sentence quietly the most quietly He speaks the most quietly in the library. patiently the most patiently She waited the most patiently of all. courageously the most courageously He acted the most courageously in the crisis. Exception: ‘Early’, a two-syllable adverb, becomes earliest in the superlative.
Similar to comparatives, adverbs with informal forms can also take ‘-est’ for the superlative.
- Formal: He drives slowly → She drives more slowly → I drive the most slowly.
- Informal: He drives slow → She drives slower → I drive the slowest.
Irregular adverbs also have irregular superlative forms to memorize.
Adverb Superlative Form Example Sentence badly the worst He performed the worst of all contestants. well the best She sings the best in the choir. far the farthest/furthest He drove the farthest. / That’s the furthest we can go. little the least He eats the least among us. much the most She travels the most for work. -
Superlative Adverbs of Minority: ‘the least’
To form a superlative of minority, use the least before the adverb. This indicates the lowest degree of an action.
Adverb Superlative of Minority Example Sentence quietly the least quietly He speaks the least quietly in the group. patiently the least patiently She waited the least patiently of all. courageously the least courageously He acted the least courageously during the event. Important: One-syllable adverbs do not have a superlative of minority. Rephrase sentences to use superlatives of majority when needed.
- Incorrect: He walks the least fast in the class.
- Correct: He walks the slowest in the class.
Using Superlative Adverbs in Sentences
The typical sentence structure for superlative adverbs is:
Subject + Verb + Superlative Adverb
Examples:
- She sings the best on stage.
- He works the most diligently on weekdays.
- This model performs the least efficiently.
Tips for usage:
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To compare one action to a group, use (out) of + group.
- He speaks the most quietly of all the students in the class.
- → His speaking vs. All students in class speaking
- He speaks the most quietly of all the students in the class.
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When comparing different actions of the same subject, ‘the’ can often be omitted.
- Correct: This chef cooks the best on weekends.
- Also Correct: This chef cooks best on weekends.
- → Chef’s cooking on weekends vs. Chef’s cooking on other days
However, when comparing different subjects, it’s best to include ‘the’.
- Correct: This computer operates the least efficiently.
- → This computer’s operation vs. Other computers’ operations
- Less common: This computer operates least efficiently.
Summary
Key takeaways for comparative and superlative adverbs:
- They are used to compare how actions are performed, similar in formation to comparative and superlative adjectives.
- Comparative Adverbs:
- Majority: more + adverb + than… / adverb-er + than…
- Equality: as + adverb + as…
- Minority: less + adverb + than…
- Superlative Adverbs:
- Majority: the most + adverb / the + adverb-est
- Minority: the least + adverb
- Remember these common irregular forms:
- well → better → the best
- badly → worse → the worst
To solidify your understanding, practice with comparative and superlative adverb activities!
