UNIT 45
Adverbs: Comparatives and Superlatives
Grammar Explanations:
1. Use the comparative form of adverbs to focus on differences between actions.
Use the comparative without than when it is clear which things you are comparing.
The Bulls played better than the Lakers.
Jordan played more skillfully than O’Neal.
He played less aggressively, though.
2. Use the superlative form of adverbs to single out something about an action.
We often use the superlative with expressions beginning with of, such as of any player.
Bryant worked the hardest.
He scored the most frequently of the players on the team.
3. There is more than one way to form the comparative and superlative of adverbs.
a. For one-syllable adverbs, use adverb + -er or the + adverb + -est.
Be careful! Some adverbs have irregular comparative and superlative forms.
b. For most adverbs and of two or more syllables, use more/less + adverb or the
most/the least or the … -est.
c. Some adverbs use either more/less or –er and the most /the least or the…-est.
Adverb
fast
hard
well
Comparative
faster
harder
better
Superrlative
the fastest
the hardest
the best
badly
skillfully
quickly
worse
more/less skillfully
more quickly quicker
the worst
the most/the least skillfully
the most quickly the quickest
4. Repeat the same comparative to talk about change-an increase or a decrease:
comparative adverb
+and + comparative aderb
or
more/less + and + more/less + adverb
Bryant is playing better and better as the season continues.
(His performance keeps improving.)
He is shooting more and more accurately.
(His shooting keeps getting more accurate.)
5. Use a double comparative to show cause and effect:
the + comparative adverb + the + comparative adverb
The harder he played, the better he performed.
(When he played harder, his performance improved.)
Complete. Read this conversation between friends. Complete it with the comparative
or superlative forms of the words in parentheses. Add the and than where necessary.
A: Did you hear about that new speed-reading course? It helps you read __________
and _________ (fast).
B: I don’t believe it! The ________ (fast) you read, the ________(little) you understand.
A: The ad says that after the course you will read ten times ______________(rapidly)
and understand five times more. And the best thing is that you won’t have to work any
__________(hard).
A: I’d like to see that. All through high school, I read _________________ (slowly) of
all the students in my class, but I read _______________(clearly) and
_______________(long)
of any of my classmates.
B: Maybe you could read even _________________(quickly) that and still remember
details. That way, you’d have more time to go to the gym.
A: Did you read the course description completely?
B: I read it _________________(completely) I read most things.
Edit. Read this student’s report about a basketball game. Find and correct seven
mistakes in the use of adverbs.
Last night I watched the Lakers and the Bulls. Both teams played more aggressive I’ve ever
seen them. In fact, they played the better of all the games that I have ever watched this
season. In the first half, Michael Jordan sprained his left ankle, and Shaquille O’Neal was
out of the game because of fouls. But they still didn’t start the second half any slower that
the first. With Jordan out, Kukoc scored the most frequenter of all the players. He’s been
playing more and more better as the season goes on. In fact, more he plays, the better he
looks. The Bulls won 97 to 88. The Lakers seemed to get tired at the end. They played little
and less consistently as the game went on.