How to use comparative and superlative adverbs in English?

Let’s first explore how to create comparative adverbs that mean more.

• Adverbs with 1 syllable:

  When an adverb has only one syllableNo definition set for syllableLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., add the suffixNo definition set for suffixLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. -er. Here are some examples:

  Adverb	Comparative form for both
  fast	faster
  hard	harder
  high	higher
  late	later*
  low	lower
  near	nearer

  * Remember the spelling rules for suffixes that start with a vowel! If the word ends with 'e,' the suffix will just be -r.

  Tip

  Most adverbs in this group look just like adjectives, but they are used differently:

  • This car is fast.

    → Fast describes the car, it is an adjective.

  • I drove fast.

    → Fast describes the action drive, it is an adverb.

• Adverbs with 2+ syllables:

  For adverbs with two or more syllables (which typically end in -ly), we add the word more before the adverb. Here are a few examples:

  Adverb	Comparative adverb
  loudly	more loudly
  gracefully	more gracefully
  energetically	more energetically

  Exception!

  For the adverb early, which has two syllables, use earlier for the comparative form.

  Tip

  Some adverbs have a formal form with -ly and a less formal form without -ly. These adverbs will also have two comparative forms, one with more and one 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

  The informal forms are mostly used in spoken English, but they are quite common.

• Irregular comparative adverbs:

  There are a few irregularNo definition set for irregularLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. adverbs with comparative forms that need to be memorized:

  Root form adverb	Comparative adverb
  badly	worse
  well	better
  far	farther or further*
  little	less
  much	more

  * Farther is used for physical sense (e.g. I drove farther.), while further is a figurative or metaphorical distance (e.g. I further explained the problem.).

Creating comparative adverbs that mean less in an action is quite simple: just add less before any adverb ending with -ly.

• loudly → less loudly

• energetically → less energetically

These kinds of comparative adverbs are rare, and it is usually better to rephrase the sentence to use comparison of majority or a negated as... as... comparison (a.k.a. "comparison of equality").

• 🆗 Wilfred speaks less loudly than Jane.

  → comparative adverb with less

• ✅ Jane speaks more loudly than Wilfred.

  → comparison of majority

• ✅ Wilfred does not speak as loudly as Jane.

  → negated comparison of equality

We use the word than after the comparative adverb to build comparisons around adverbs with more / -er or less. Use the basic formula below:

While these sentences are effective, we can make them more concise and polished by eliminating repeated words. For example:

It is common to leave a repeated auxiliary verb (is above) to make the sentence a little more clear. If the verb is in a simple tenses, you can add the auxiliary do to replace the deleted verb. For instance:

If the same actor performs the same action at two different times, you can eliminate the second subject too!

With enough context, you can even eliminate the than clause entirely:

We use the word as after the comparative adverb to build comparisons of equality. These show that two actions were performed equally. Follow the pattern below:

We can delete repeated words from these comparisons just like we saw above:

• Tom walks as slowly as Sue walks.

  • Tom walks as slowly as Sue does.

  • Tom walks as slowly as Sue.

• Today, the turtle ran as fast as he ran yesterday.

  • Today, the turtle ran as fast as he did yesterday.

  • Today, the turtle ran as fast as yesterday.

Superlative adverbs are formed much like superlative adjectives in English. There are two main types:

• superlatives of majority → with more of the quality than the others
  e.g. the fastest, the most quietly, the worst

• superlatives of minority → with less of the quality than the others
  e.g. the least quietly

Both types of superlative adverbs follow the word the, but there are some cases (discussed below) where the can be deleted.

Let’s look at the differences between the two types of superlative adverbs:

• Superlative adverbs of majority: ‘-est’ and ‘most’

  For adverbs with one syllable, add -est or -st to form a superlative adverb of majority:

  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! If the word ends with ‘e,’ the suffix will just be -r.

  For adverbs with more than one syllable, use the word most before the adverb instead:

  Adverb	Superlative form
  quietly	the most quietly
  patiently	the most patiently
  courageously	the most courageously

  Exception!

  • For the adverb early, which has two syllables, use earliest for the superlative.

  • As we saw with comparative adverbs, adverbs that have casual form without -ly can also have a superlative form with -est:

    • He drives slowly.→ She drives more slowly. → I drive the most slowly.

    • He drives slow.→ She drives slower. → I drive the slowest.

  Certain irregular adverbs have irregular forms that you’ll need to memorize.

  Adverb	Superlative form
  badly	the worst
  well	the best
  far	the farthest / furthest
  little	the least
  much	the most

• Superlative adverbs of minority: ‘the least’

  Form a superlative of minority by adding the least before the adverb to express ‘the bottom’ before the adverb.

  Adverb	Superlative minority (the bottom)
  quietly	the least quietly
  patiently	the least patiently
  courageously	the least courageously

  Important

  Adverbs with only one syllable do not have a superlative of minority! So you will need to rephrase these types of sentences:

  • ❌ Ted walks the least fast in my class.

  • ✅ Ted walks the slowest in my class.