English Grammar > Adverbs

With adverbs ending in –ly, you must use more to form the comparative, and most to form the superlative.

Adverb	Comparative	Superlative
quietly	more quietly	most quietly
slowly	more slowly	most slowly
seriously	more seriously	most seriously

EXAMPLES

• The teacher spoke more slowly to help us to understand.
• Could you sing more quietly please?

With short adverbs that do no end in –ly and comparative and superlative forms are identical to adjectives: add –er to form the comparative and –est to form the superlative. If the adverb ends in e, remove it before adding the ending.

Adverb	Comparative	Superlative
hard	harder	hardest
fast	faster	fastest
late	later	latest

EXAMPLES

• Jim works harder than his brother.
• Everyone in the race ran fast, but John ran the fastest of all.

Some adverbs have irregular comparative and superlative forms.

Adverb	Comparative	Superlative
badly	worse	worst
far	farther/further	farthest/furthest
little	less	least
well	better	best

EXAMPLES

• The little boy ran farther than his friends.
• You’re driving worse today than yesterday!
• He played the best of any player.