56Int043002bbackup Roland Trego revised 5/25/2014 10:42:12 AM

Comparison of Adjectives and Adverbs

1. An adjective usually tells what kind of. We need some red wine. (What kind of wine do we need?)
It describes a noun (a person, place, or thing). It says what something is like.
This wine is good. (What is the wine like?)
2. An adverb usually tells how (how much, how far, how long), when, where, or why. It can
describe (tell more about) a verb, an adjective, or another adverb.
He drives slowly. How does he drive? The adverb tells more about drive (a verb).
He is a very slow driver. How slow a driver is he? The adverb describes slow (an adjective).
He drove very slowly. How slowly did he drive? The adverb describes slowly (an adverb).
3. To form adverbs, you usually add -ly to the adjective.
adjective adverb adjective adverb
frequent frequent ly quick quickly
clear clearly slow slowly
4. Some adjectives and adverbs are irregular.
adjectives This is a good wine. She is a better teacher. This is the best grammar text.
adjectives This is a bad composition. She is a worse driver than he is. They are the worst
students in the class.
adverbs He speaks well. She speaks better than he does. Of all the students, he writes the best.
adverbs Manager #1 handled the situation badly. Manager #2 handled it worse than
Manager #1. Manager #3 handled it the worst.
adverbs It is located far from here. (Where is it located?) They drove farther than we did.
Sheila swam the farthest; she swam all the way across the river!
5. To form the comparative of adverbs ending in - ly, insert more/ less before the adverb. To form the
superlative of adverbs ending in - ly, insert the most/the least before the adverb.
frequent l y more frequently/less frequently the most frequently/the least frequently
clearl y more clearly/less clearly the most clearly/the least clearly
6. If an adjective and adverb are the same or have one syllable, the comparative and superlative forms
are the same.
adjectives Flying is fast. It is faster than driving. It is the fastest way to go.
adverbs He drove fast. He drove faster than I did. She drove the fastest of us all.
adjective adverb adjective adverb
fast fast faster the fastest
hard hard harder the hardest
high high higher the highest
7. Some comparative adverbs have two forms which are both correct. Since you are an ESL student,
its probably best to use the -ly form so you dont get confused.
I drive more quickly (or: quicker) than you. He speaks more slowly (or: slower) than I do.
adjective comparative OR: Notes:
quick more quickl y quicker adjectives: fast = rapid = quick
slow more slowl y slower comparative adverbs:
loud more loudl y louder faster = more rapidly = quicker = more quickly
adverb superlative OR:
quickly the most quickly the quickest superlative: the fastest = the quickest =
slowly the most slowly the slowest the most rapidly =the most quickly