Comparison: adverbs (worse, more easily)

Adverbs: comparative and superlative forms

Adverbs do not normally change in form, but a few have comparative and superlative forms. These are usually short adverbs and so they normally have comparative and superlative forms with -er and -est.

Some of the most common comparative and superlative adverbs are:

soon sooner soonest	fast faster fastest
hard harder hardest	near nearer nearest
early earlier earliest	far farther/further farthest/furthest
late later latest

• Teachers always say that students must work harder.
• The kids were playing in the garden, seeing who could jump highest.

warning

We don’t use more or most together with an -er or -est ending:

• Children learn things faster than adults.
• Not: … more faster than adults.
• Who ran slowest in the race?
• Not: Who ran most slowest

Adverbs with more and most

Adverbs with two or more syllables form the comparative and superlative with more and most:

• We need to treat the environment more carefully.
• It was the most beautifully designed chair.

Comparative adverbs: using than

When we mention the second person or thing in the comparison, we use than. We do not use that or as. If the second person mentioned takes the form of a personal pronoun, we normally use the object form of the pronoun (me, you, him, her, us, them):

• I can’t keep up with him – he runs much faster than me.
• Not: faster that me or faster as me

In more formal situations, instead of than + object pronoun, we can use than + subject pronoun + be, do or a modal verb:

• My wife drives more carefully than I do.
• She can read music much more quickly than I can.

Well and badly

The adverb well has the same comparative and superlative forms as the adjective good (better, best). The adverb badly has the comparative and superlative forms worse, worst:

• [talking about playing tennis]
• I played better yesterday but I need to improve my serve.
• A lot of people behaved badly at the party, but she behaved worst of all.