Comparative and superlative adverbs help us make comparisons between how different actions are performed. Comparative adverbs compare two actions, while superlative adverbs compare one action to a set of other actions. Let’s explore this concept with a quick example:
- Cheetahs run faster than lions.cheetah runs vs. lion runs
→ comparative adverb
- Cheetahs run the fastest out of all animals.cheetah runs vs. animal 1 runs, animal 2 runs, animal 3 runs, …
→ superlative adverb
Most comparative and superlative adverbs describe how something is done, which means they are formed from manner adverbs like quickly, quietly, or fast. In English, most adverbs of manner end with -ly, though there are some common exceptions.
In this post, we’ll cover the important aspects of comparative and superlative adverbs, guiding you on how to effortlessly create and use them in your sentences. Ready for an adventure? Let’s dive in!
What are comparative adverbs?
A comparative adverb is used to compare two actions. For example:
- The rabbit runs faster than the turtle.rabbit runs vs. turtle runs
- The turtle ran faster today than he did on Tuesday.turtle runs today vs. turtle runs Tuesday
- The rabbit walks faster than the turtle runs.rabbit walks vs. turtle runs
Let’s look first at how to form comparative adverbs, then we will look at how to use them in sentences like the ones above.
How to form a comparative adverb?
There are three types of comparative adverbs. The chart below shows how to form each type.
| Comparative of majority (action X > action Y) | adverb -er faster , harder, ... |
|---|---|
more adverb more impressively , more interestingly, ... | |
| Comparative of equality (action X = action Y) | as adverb as fast , as impressively, as quietly, ... |
| Comparative of minority (action X < action Y) | less adverb less quietly , less elegantly, ... |
Do these look familiar? The patterns are very similar to the patterns of comparative adjectives in English! Let’s go through these three types of comparative adverbs in detail:
Comparative adverbs with ‘-er’ and ‘more’
Let’s first explore how to create comparative adverbs that mean more.
Adverbs with 1 syllable:
When an adverb has only one syllable, add the suffix -er. Here are some examples:
Adverb Comparative form for both fastfasterhardharderhighhigherlatelater*lowlowernearnearerAdverbs 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 loudlymore loudlygracefullymore gracefullyenergeticallymore energeticallyIrregular comparative adverbs:
There are a few irregular adverbs with comparative forms that need to be memorized:
Root form adverb Comparative adverb badlyworsewellbetterfarfarther or further*
littlelessmuchmore
Comparative of equality with ‘as’
Creating comparatives of equality with as is very simple: just add as before any adverb.
fast → as fast
energetically → as energetically
badly → as badly
Notice that this works even for adverbs that have irregular more forms!
Comparative adverbs with ‘less’
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
How to build comparisons using English comparative adverbs?
There are two main ways to build comparisons using English comparative adverbs. Comparisons of majority (more) and minority (less) follow one pattern, while comparatives of equality (as) follow another. Let's have a look:
‘More…than’ and ‘less… than’ comparisons with adverbs
We use the word than after the comparative adverb to build comparisons around adverbs with more / -er or less. Use the basic formula below:
subject 1
verb 1
comparative adverb
subject 2
verb 2
While these sentences are effective, we can make them more concise and polished by eliminating repeated words. For example:
- John is running more quickly than Jill is.
- John is running more quickly than Jill.
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:
- E-bikes move faster than electric scooters do.
- E-bikes move faster than electric scooters.
If the same actor performs the same action at two different times, you can eliminate the second subject too!
- Today, the turtle ran faster than yesterday.
With enough context, you can even eliminate the than clause entirely:
‘As… as…’ comparisons with adverbs
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:
subject 1
verb 1
adverb
subject 2
verb 2
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.
What are superlative adverbs?
A superlative adverb is used to compare one action to three or more actions. It shows the highest (best in the group) or lowest (worst in the group) degrees of an action. For example:
- The snail moves the most slowly of all creatures.snail moves vs. duck moves, cat moves, spider moves…
- Nelly runs fastest on Thursdays.Nelly runs on Thursday vs. Nelly runs on Monday, on Tuesday, on Wednesday…
Let’s go through the types of superlative adverbs in English and how to use them in sentences!
How to form a superlative adverb in English?
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 worstsuperlatives 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 fastthe fastesthighthe highestlatethe latest*nearthe nearestFor adverbs with more than one syllable, use the word most before the adverb instead:
Adverb Superlative form quietlythe most quietlypatientlythe most patientlycourageouslythe most courageouslyCertain irregular adverbs have irregular forms that you’ll need to memorize.
Adverb Superlative form badlythe worstwellthe bestfarthe farthest / furthestlittlethe leastmuchthe mostSuperlative 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)quietlythe least quietlypatientlythe least patientlycourageouslythe least courageously
How to use a superlative adverb in a sentence?
Usually we use superlative adverbs in a sentence with this structure:
subject
verb
superlative adverb
A couple of tips:
If you want to make a comparison between one individual’s action and several other individuals’ actions, you can use (out) of + other individuals:
Joe talks the most quietly of all the boys in his class.Joe talks vs. all the boys in Joe’s class talkIf you are comparing different actions performed by the same actor, you can often delete the from the superlative adverb:
✅ This chef cooks the best on Saturdays.
✅ This chef cooks best on Saturdaysthis chef on Saturday vs. this chef on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday…But if you are comparing different actors, it is best to use the superlative with the.
- ✅ This computer operates the least efficiently.this computer operates vs. computer 1, computer 2, computer 3…
- ❌ This computer operates least efficiently.
Summary
Here are the main things to remember about comparative and superlative adverbs in English:
Comparative and superlative adverbs are formed a lot like comparative and superlative adjectives in English. The main difference is in how we use them.
Three types of comparative adverbs:
Comparative of Majority: more + adverb + than... / adverb-er than...
Comparative of Equality: as + adverb + as...
Comparative of Minority: less + adverb + than...
Two types of superlative adverbs:
Superlative of Majority: the most + adverb / the + adverb-est
Superlative of Minority: the least + adverb
And remember these common irregular adverbs:
well→ better → the best
poorly→ worse → the worst
Want to practice using comparative and superlative adverbs? Try out our comparative and superlative adverb activities!
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