Comparative adverbs compare or contrast two things, modifying verbs, while superlative adverbs compare three or more things. They have their own forms, with many comparative adverbs using the suffix “-er” and superlative adverbs using “-est”. It’s important to recognize when to use a suffix or “more”/”less”. Charts can help language learners understand and memorize these forms.
A comparative adverb is a specific type of adverb that compares or contrasts two things. An adverb is a specific part of speech that modifies a verb. This is in contrast to a similar part of speech called an adjective, which modifies a noun. Both adverbs and adjectives have comparative forms, which allow speakers and writers to compare a pair of items.
Besides the comparative adverbs, there is also another form used to compare three or more things, called the superlative adverb. Comparative and superlative adverbs each have their own forms, and language beginners will often examine graphs of both types of adverbs to get an idea of the common forms for each. Many comparative adverbs have the suffix “–er”, while many superlative adverbs have the suffix “–est”.
Some simple examples of comparative adverbs include “harder” and “softer,” as well as “faster” and “slower.” Any of these can be used to modify a verb. For example, the adverb “loud,” when used to modify a single verb, often uses the conventional suffix “–ly,” as in: “The bird sang loud.” The use of the same verb in a comparative sentence might look like this: “the two birds both sang, but the first sang louder than the other”.
It’s important to note that many of these examples of comparative adverbs can also be used to modify nouns. For example, you can say “that’s a fast car” or “that car goes fast.” In a comparative sentence, one could say “that car goes faster than the other”.
An important aspect of using a comparative adverb is recognizing whether the adverb uses a suffix or an additional help word such as “more” or “less”. An example of a comparative adverb that uses “more” or “less” instead of a suffix is ”effective.” For example, the correct form for this in a comparative sentence is “the first method worked more effectively than the second.” Some language learners find it difficult to understand when to use suffixes and when to use the words “more” or “less” instead. A major rule is that a writer or speaker should never use a suffix and the words “more” or “less” together.
Detailed charts of comparative adverbs, or even a general dictionary, can help language learners understand when to use a suffix and when to use other forms. These charts help people memorize many of the comparative and superlative adverbs. They also help distinguish them from comparative and superlative adjectives and other parts of speech.
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