Comparison of Adverbs

Adverbs tell us how an action is done. When we want to compare how two or more people do something, we change the adverb to its comparative or superlative form.

What You'll Learn

• How to form the comparative of short adverbs by adding -er (faster, harder)
• How to form the superlative of short adverbs by adding -est (fastest, hardest)
• When to use the comparative (comparing two) and the superlative (comparing three or more)

When to Use

1. Comparing two people or things (comparative): "Ali runs faster than Ben."
2. Comparing three or more (superlative): "Of the three boys, Ali runs the fastest."
3. Comparing how two actions are done: "She kicked the ball harder than her teammate."
4. Finding the top performer in a group: "Among all the swimmers, Mei Ling swam the fastest."

How to Form

Short Adverbs: Add -er or -est

Short adverbs that look the same as their adjective form simply add -er for the comparative and -est for the superlative.

Spelling Rule for -y Endings

If the adverb ends in -y, change the y to i before adding -er or -est.

Comparative vs Superlative

Key Rules

1. Add -er to compare two: When comparing how two people do something, add -er to the short adverb. "Tom jumped higher than Sam."

2. Add -est to compare three or more: When comparing three or more, add -est and put the before it. "Of the four children, Priya climbed the highest."

3. Use "than" with comparatives: The word than always follows a comparative adverb. "The MRT moves faster than the bus."

4. Use "the" with superlatives: Put the before a superlative adverb. "Who arrived the earliest this morning?"

5. Change -y to -i before adding -er/-est: If the adverb ends in -y, change it to -i first. "Early" becomes "earlier" and "earliest", not "earlyer" or "earlyest".

Common Mistakes

Clue Words

Comparative clue words (comparing two)

than, between the two, compared to, of the two

Superlative clue words (comparing three or more)

the, of all, among all, in the class, in the group, of the three/four/five

Tip: If you see "than", use -er. If you see "of all" or "the" before a blank, use -est. This simple check works for all short adverbs!

Practice Tips

1. The "than" or "of all" test: Look for the word than (use -er) or of all / among (use -est). This tells you which form to pick straight away.

2. Count the people or things: If the sentence compares two, use the comparative (-er). If it compares three or more, use the superlative (-est).

3. Say it aloud: Read the sentence with both forms. "She ran faster than him" sounds right. "She ran fastest than him" sounds wrong. Trust your ear!

4. Check the spelling: Remember to change -y to -i before adding -er or -est. Write out "early, earlier, earliest" a few times until it feels natural.

Quick Reference