Comparative Adverbs

Like adjectives, some adverbs can express the three degrees of comparison: positive, comparative, and superlative. Below are examples of the positive, comparative, and superlative forms of some adverbs:

Positive

The positive form of comparative adverbs describes an action without comparing it to anything. 

• Kelly came late.
• Jill will arrive soon.
• William Houstoun died early.

Comparative

The comparative form compares the action of two people, places, or things.

• Kelly came later than Amy.
• Jill will arrive sooner than Jack.
• Mr. Houstoun died earlier than Mr. Few.

Superlative

The superlative form of comparative adverbs compares the action of three or more people, places, or things.

• Of the three, Kelly came latest.
• Of the three, Jill will arrive soonest.
• Of the three, Houstoun died earliest.

Examples 1

Choose the correct comparative adverb form for each sentence.

1. Of the two boys, Jay laughed (harder, hardest).
2. Of your many jokes, that one was (funnier, funniest).
3. Of all choir members, Sergio sang (louder, loudest).
4. Of the two delegates, William Houstoun served (long, longer, longest).
5. Of all the Georgian delegates, William Leigh Pierce fought (hard, harder, hardest) for a stronger central government.

Solutions

1. Of the two boys, Jay laughed harder.
2. Of your many jokes, that one was funniest.
3. Of all the choir members, Sergio sang loudest. (We use the superlative form since we are comparing more than two voices.)
4. Of the two delegates, William Houstoun served longer. (We use the comparative form since there are two delegates.)
5. Of all the Georgian delegates, William Leigh Pierce fought hardest for a stronger central government. (We use the superlative form since we are comparing more than two delegates.)

Forming Comparison Adverbs

We form comparison adverbs the same way we form comparison adjectives. How we create the comparative and superlative forms of an adverb depends on how the adverb appears in its positive form. There are two main categories to remember.

One-Syllable Adverbs

We create the comparative form of most one-syllable adverbs by adding er to the end of the word. The superlative form is created by adding est.

Two-Syllable Adverbs

Most adverbs with two or more syllables don't have comparative or superlative forms. Instead, we put the word "more" (or "less") in front of the adverb to form the comparative, and the word "most" (or "least") to form the superlative.

Since most adverbs are formed by adding the suffix -ly to an adjective, the rule above applies to most comparative adverbs.

Irregular Comparison Adverbs

Some adverbs have irregular comparative and superlative forms. We must learn these if we haven't already.

We check the dictionary if we are unsure how to create the comparative or superlative form of any adverb.

Examples 2

Complete the comparison chart by adding the comparative and superlative forms of each adverb.

Solutions