Module 10: Describing Words: Adjectives and Adverbs - Lesson 10.7: Forms of Adverbs

Module 10: Describing Words: Adjectives and Adverbs - Lesson 10.7: Forms of Adverbs - Comparison of Adverbs

Lesson 10.7: Forms of Adverbs - Comparison of Adverbs

Welcome to Lesson 10.7, the concluding lesson of Module 10! In this final lesson on Adjectives and Adverbs, we will focus on the Comparison of Adverbs. Just as adjectives have comparative and superlative forms, many adverbs also have degrees of comparison to express different levels of intensity or manner. Understanding how to form and use comparative and superlative adverbs is important for making nuanced comparisons and expressing relative degrees with adverbs.

Comparison of Adverbs - Expressing Degrees of Manner, Degree, etc.

Similar to adjectives, many adverbs can be used in three degrees of comparison: Positive, Comparative, and Superlative. This allows us to compare how actions are performed or to what extent qualities are present, using adverbs.

Positive Degree (Adverb):
The positive degree of an adverb is its base form, used when no comparison is being made. It simply describes the manner, place, time, or degree of an action or quality without reference to another.

Function: To describe adverbial meaning in its basic form, without comparison.

Examples - Positive Degree Adverbs:
- She runs quickly. (describes how she runs, no comparison)
- He spoke softly. (describes how he spoke, no comparison)
- They arrived early. (describes when they arrived, no comparison)
- He works hard. (describes how he works, no comparison)
The positive degree is the adverb in its simplest form.
Comparative Degree (Adverb):
The comparative degree of an adverb is used to compare two actions or qualities. It indicates that one action is performed to a *greater* or *lesser* extent, or one quality is present to a *higher* or *lower* degree, compared to another.

Function: To compare two actions or qualities and show which is *more* or *less* in adverbial terms.

Forms of Comparative Adverbs:
- For most adverbs ending in '-ly': Use 'more' + positive form. (e.g., quickly -> more quickly, slowly -> more slowly, carefully -> more carefully, beautifully -> more beautifully, efficiently -> more efficiently).
- For some short adverbs (often same form as adjectives): Add '-er' to the positive form. (e.g., fast -> faster, hard -> harder, early -> earlier, late -> later, soon -> sooner). Note: some short adverbs like 'well' have irregular comparative forms.
- Irregular Comparative Adverb Forms: Some adverbs have irregular comparative forms. (e.g., well -> better, badly -> worse, far -> farther/further, little -> less).
Examples - Comparative Degree Adverbs in Sentences:
- She runs more quickly than her brother. (Comparing running speed of two people - using 'more' for '-ly' adverb).
- He spoke more softly today than yesterday. (Comparing speaking softness at two times - using 'more' for '-ly' adverb).
- They arrived earlier than expected. (Comparing arrival time to expectation - using '-er' for short adverb 'early').
- He works harder than anyone else in the office. (Comparing work effort to others - using '-er' for short adverb 'hard').
- She sings better than she used to. (Irregular comparative form of 'well' - 'better').
- He behaved worse than before. (Irregular comparative form of 'badly' - 'worse').
- They live farther away now than they did last year. (Irregular comparative form of 'far' - 'farther').
Comparative adverbs are often followed by 'than' to introduce the second item being compared.
Superlative Degree (Adverb):
The superlative degree of an adverb is used to compare three or more actions or qualities, indicating the action performed to the *greatest* or *least* extent, or the quality present to the *highest* or *lowest* degree within a group.

Function: To compare three or more items and show which is the *most* or *least* in adverbial terms within the group.

Forms of Superlative Adverbs:
- For most adverbs ending in '-ly': Use 'most' + positive form. (e.g., quickly -> most quickly, slowly -> most slowly, carefully -> most carefully, beautifully -> most beautifully, efficiently -> most efficiently).
- For some short adverbs: Add '-est' to the positive form. (e.g., fast -> fastest, hard -> hardest, early -> earliest, late -> latest, soon -> soonest). Note: Some short adverbs like 'well' have irregular superlative forms.
- Irregular Superlative Adverb Forms: Corresponding to irregular comparatives, some adverbs have irregular superlative forms. (e.g., well -> best, badly -> worst, far -> farthest/furthest, little -> least, much -> most). Note: 'most' is both superlative of 'much' and used with '-ly' adverbs.
Examples - Superlative Degree Adverbs in Sentences:
- She runs the most quickly of all the athletes. (Comparing running speed among a group - using 'most' for '-ly' adverb).
- He spoke the most softly in the entire room. (Comparing speaking softness in a group - using 'most' for '-ly' adverb).
- They arrived the earliest of everyone at the party. (Comparing arrival time in a group - using '-est' for short adverb 'early').
- He works the hardest in the team. (Comparing work effort in a group - using '-est' for short adverb 'hard').
- She sings the best in the choir. (Irregular superlative form of 'well' - 'best').
- He behaved the worst of all the children. (Irregular superlative of 'badly' - 'worst').
- They live the farthest from the city center. (Irregular superlative of 'far' - 'farthest').
Superlative adverbs are often preceded by the definite article 'the' and followed by a phrase indicating the group being compared (e.g., "of all the athletes," "in the room," "in the team").

Rules for Forming Comparative and Superlative Adverbs:

Here's a summary of the rules for forming comparative and superlative adverbs:

Adverbs ending in '-ly': Generally use 'more' for comparative and 'most' for superlative. (e.g., quickly, more quickly, most quickly; carefully, more carefully, most carefully; beautifully, more beautifully, most beautifully).
Short Adverbs (often same form as adjectives):
- Using '-er/-est': For some short adverbs, add '-er' for comparative and '-est' for superlative. (e.g., fast, faster, fastest; hard, harder, hardest; early, earlier, earliest; late, later, latest; soon, sooner, soonest).
- Irregular forms: Learn irregular forms for common short adverbs. (e.g., well, better, best; badly, worse, worst; far, farther/further, farthest/furthest; little, less, least; much, more, most).
Note on 'Well' and 'Badly': These are important irregular adverbs. Their comparative and superlative forms are derived from their related adjectives 'good' and 'bad' (good -> better -> best, bad -> worse -> worst), but used adverbially to describe the quality of actions. "She sings well." "She sings better than him." "She sings the best in the group." "He played badly." "He played worse today." "He played the worst of all."

Using Comparative and Superlative Adverbs Effectively:

Be clear about what you are comparing: Ensure it's clear what two actions or group of actions you are comparing.
Use 'than' after comparative adverbs: "She runs faster than him."
Use 'the' before superlative adverbs: "He works the hardest." (Often followed by 'in/of' phrase to specify group: "the hardest in the team," "the most quickly of all").
Choose the correct form: Follow the rules for '-er/-est' vs. 'more/most' and know irregular adverb forms.
Consider adverb placement: Adverb placement can sometimes shift emphasis even in comparative and superlative sentences (though less drastically than with positive degree adverbs).

Key takeaway: Adverbs have degrees of comparison: positive, comparative ('more' or '-er'), and superlative ('most' or '-est'). '-ly' adverbs use 'more/most', short adverbs often use '-er/-est', and some have irregular forms (like 'well/better/best'). Use 'than' with comparative adverbs and 'the' with superlative adverbs. Mastering adverb comparison enhances your ability to express nuanced degrees of manner, intensity, and other adverbial meanings.