ADVERBS OF MANNER AND ADVERBS USED IN COMPARISONS

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ADVERBS OF MANNER AND ADVERBS USED IN COMPARISONS
1. Adverbs of manner

Adverbs of manner are the largest group of adverbs. Most adverbs of manner are closely related to corresponding adjectives. Although some words can be used as either adjectives or adverbs, in most cases, adverbs of manner are formed by adding ly to the corresponding adjectives.

a. Spelling rules for adding ly
In most cases, ly is simply added to the positive form of the adjective. For example:

Adjective Adverb of Manner
bad badly
complete completely
normal normally
surprising surprisingly

i. Adjectives ending in ic
However, when the adjective ends in ic, the syllable al is usually added before the ly ending. For example:

Adjective Adverb of Manner
dramatic dramatically
scientific scientifically
specific specifically


ii. Adjectives ending in le
When the adjective ends in le preceded by a consonant, the final e is usually changed to y, to form the ly ending. For example:

Adjective Adverb of Manner
favorable favorably
humble humbly
simple simply

When the adjective ends in le preceded by a vowel, in most cases, ly is simply added to the positive form of the adjective. For example:

Adjective Adverb of Manner
agile agilely
sole solely

However, in the case of the adjective whole, the final e is removed before the ending ly is added:

Adjective Adverb of Manner
whole wholly


iii. Adjectives ending in ll
When the adjective ends in ll, only y is added. For example:

Adjective Adverb of Manner
dull dully
full fully
shrill shrilly


iv. Adjectives ending in ue
When the adjective ends in ue, the final e is usually omitted before the ending ly is added. For example:

Adjective Adverb of Manner
due duly
true truly


v. Adjectives ending in y
When the adjective ends in y preceded by a consonant, the y is usually changed to i before the ending ly is added. For example:

Adjective Adverb of Manner
busy busily
easy easily
happy happily

However, in the case of the adjectives shy and sly, ly is simply added to the positive form of the adjective:

Adjective Adverb of Manner
shy shyly
sly slyly

When the adjective ends in y preceded by a vowel, in most cases, ly is simply added to the positive form of the adjective. For example:

Adjective Adverb of Manner
coy coyly
grey greyly

However, in the case of the adjective gay, y is changed to i before the ending ly is added:

Adjective Adverb of Manner
gay gaily


See Exercise 1.

It should be noted that while most adverbs which end in ly are adverbs of manner, other types of adverb may also end in ly. For instance, consequently and subsequently are connecting adverbs. The following are adverbs of frequency which are formed by adding ly to the corresponding adjectives.

Adjective Adverb of Frequency
frequent frequently
rare rarely
usual usually


b. Adverbs which do not use the ending ly
The adverb of manner well appears unrelated to the corresponding adjective, good. Good and well both have the comparative form better and the superlative form best.

Adjective Adverb of Manner
good well

It should be noted that in addition to being used as an adverb, the word well can also be used as an adjective with the meaning healthy. The adjective well is most often used as a predicate adjective.
e.g. Well used as an Adjective: I hope you are well.
Well used as an Adverb: He did well on the examination.
In the first example, well is a predicate adjective, modifying the pronoun you. In the second example, well is an adverb of manner, modifying the verb did.

The following table gives examples of adverbs of manner, location, time and frequency which have the same forms as the corresponding adjectives.

Adjective Adverb of Manner
fast fast
hard hard
little little
loud loud or loudly
much much
straight straight

Adjective Adverb of Location
far far
high high
low low
near near
wide wide

Adjective Adverb of Time
early early
first first
late late
long long

Adjective Adverb of Frequency
daily daily
monthly monthly
weekly weekly
yearly yearly


See Exercise 2.

It should also be noted that there are several adjectives ending in ly which have no corresponding adverbs:

friendly
likely
lively
lonely
silly
ugly

When it is desired to use one of these words to modify a verb, an adverb phrase of manner may be used. In the following examples, the adverb phrases are underlined.
e.g. He behaved in a friendly manner.
They acted in a silly way.

The following table gives examples of pairs of adverbs which are closely related, but which have different meanings.

Adverbs With and Without ly Endings

Adverb Meaning Adverb Meaning
hard with effort hardly scarcely
high opposite of low highly very; very well
late opposite of early lately recently
near opposite of far nearly almost
wide opposite of narrow widely commonly

The meanings of these adverbs are illustrated in the following examples.
e.g. I worked hard.
I have hardly enough time to finish.

He threw the ball high into the air.
He is highly successful in what he does.

The class began late.
The weather has been cold lately.

I held my breath as the squirrel crept near to get the nuts.
I have nearly finished reading the book.

I opened the door wide.
That theory is widely believed.

c. The differing functions of adjectives and adverbs
When an adverb differs in form from a corresponding adjective, it is necessary to distinguish between the functions of adjectives and adverbs in order to determine which form should be used in a given situation.

Whereas adjectives modify nouns, pronouns, and expressions which serve the same grammatical functions as nouns; adverbs modify verbs, adjectives and adverbs.

i. Adjectives which modify nouns compared with adverbs which modify verbs
The following examples illustrate the distinction which must be made between adjectives which modify nouns and adverbs which modify verbs. The adjectives and adverbs are printed in bold type, and the words which are modified are underlined.
e.g. Adjective: It has been a quiet afternoon.
Adverb: The afternoon passed quietly.

Adjective: She is a good musician.
Adverb: She plays the flute very well.

In the first pair of sentences, the adjective quiet modifies the noun afternoon, whereas the adverb quietly modifies the verb passed. In the second pair of sentences, the adjective good modifies the noun musician, whereas the adverb well modifies the verb plays.

In informal English, adjectives are sometimes used to modify verbs.
e.g. She plays good.
In this example, the adjective good is used to modify the verb plays. However, this use of adjectives is considered to be grammatically incorrect.

See Exercise 3.

ii. Adjectives which modify nouns compared with adverbs which modify adjectives
The following examples illustrate the distinction which must be made between adjectives which modify nouns and adverbs which modify adjectives.
e.g. Adjective: a large wooden building
Adverb: a largely wooden building

Adjective: conspicuous dark clouds
Adverb: conspicuously dark clouds

In the first pair of phrases, the adjective large modifies the noun building, and the adverb largely modifies the adjective wooden. Thus, the phrase a large wooden building has the meaning a big wooden building, whereas the phrase a largely wooden building has the meaning a building mostly made of wood.

In the second pair of phrases, the adjective conspicuous modifies the noun clouds, and the adverb conspicuously modifies the adjective dark. Thus, the phrase conspicuous dark clouds means that the clouds themselves are noticeable; whereas the phrase conspicuously dark clouds means that the darkness of the clouds is noticeable.

See Exercise 4.

iii. Predicate adjectives which modify the subjects of verbs compared with adverbs which modify verbs
As pointed out previously, certain verbs, called linking verbs, can be followed by predicate adjectives. A distinction must be made between predicate adjectives which modify the subjects of linking verbs, and adverbs which modify verbs.

A few linking verbs, such as the verb to be, can be followed by predicate adjectives, but cannot be modified by adverbs of manner. In the following examples using the verb to be, the nouns which are modified are underlined.
e.g. He is happy.
The wind was strong.
In these examples, the predicate adjectives happy and strong modify the subjects he and wind.

However, there are several verbs which can be used either as linking verbs followed by predicate adjectives, or as non-linking verbs modified by adverbs of manner. The following examples illustrate the use of the verb to appear as a linking verb and as a non-linking verb.
e.g. Linking Verb: His uncle appeared kind.
Non-linking Verb: His uncle appeared punctually at ten o'clock.

In the first example, kind is a predicate adjective which modifies the noun uncle. In the second example, punctually is an adverb of manner which modifies the verb appeared.

The verbs below can be used either as linking or non-linking verbs:

to appear to become
to feel to grow
to look to remain
to smell to sound
to taste to turn

If the subject of the verb is to be modified, a predicate adjective is required after such verbs; whereas if the verb is to be modified, an adverb is required. In the pairs of examples below, the verbs to grow, to look and to turn are used first as linking verbs followed by adjectives, and then as non-linking verbs modified by adverbs. The adjectives and adverbs are printed in bold type, and the words which are modified are underlined.

e.g. Adjective: As he became old, he grew slow at remembering dates.
Adverb: The tree grew slowly.

Adjective: They looked anxious.
Adverb: We looked anxiously up the street.

Adjective: The weather turned cold.
Adverb: She turned coldly away from the salesman.

In these examples, the predicate adjectives slow, anxious and cold modify the subjects he, they and weather; whereas the adverbs of manner slowly, anxiously and coldly modify the verbs grew, looked and turned.

See Exercise 5.


2. Adverbs used in comparisons

a. The formation of comparative and superlative forms of adverbs
It should be noted that many adverbs, such as sometimes, never, here, there, now, then, first, again, yesterday and daily have no comparative or superlative forms.

i. Adverbs used with More and Most
Most adverbs used in comparisons, including those formed from corresponding adjectives by adding the ending ly, form the comparative with the word more, and the superlative with the word most. For example:

Positive Form Comparative Form Superlative Form
carefully more carefully most carefully
easily more easily most easily
frequently more frequently most frequently
slowly more slowly most slowly
softly more softly most softly


ii. Adverbs used with the endings er and est
Adverbs which have the same positive forms as corresponding adjectives generally also have the same comparative and superlative forms as the corresponding adjectives. For example:

Positive Form Comparative Form Superlative Form
early earlier earliest
fast faster fastest
hard harder hardest
high higher highest
late later latest
long longer longest
low lower lowest
near nearer nearest
straight straighter straightest

The adverb of time soon also uses the endings er and est:

Positive Form Comparative Form Superlative Form
soon sooner soonest

It should be noted that adverbs formed by adding ly to one-syllable adjectives are sometimes used with the endings er and est.
e.g. We walked slower and slower.
They sang the softest.

However, in modern English, it is generally considered to be more correct to write:
We walked more and more slowly.
They sang the most softly.

iii. Irregular adverbs
The irregular adverbs have the same comparative and superlative forms as the corresponding irregular adjectives:

Positive Form Comparative Form Superlative Form
badly worse worst
far farther or further farthest or furthest
little less least
much more most
well better best


b. Positive forms of adverbs used in comparisons
The constructions employed when adverbs are used in comparisons are very similar to those employed when adjectives are used in comparisons.

i. The construction with As ... As
When used in making comparisons, the positive form of an adverb is usually preceded and followed by as. This construction is summarized below, followed by examples.

as + positive form + as
of adverb

I can run as fast as you can.
He moves as slowly as a snail.
Her eyes shone as brightly as stars.

If desired, an adverb may be placed before the first occurrence of as:

adverb + as + positive form + as
of adverb

I can run twice as fast as you can.
Her eyes shone almost as brightly as stars.


ii. Ellipsis
Ellipsis is often employed in comparisons using adverbs. For instance, in the second half of such comparisons, instead of repeating the verb, the first auxiliary may be used, or the verb may be omitted entirely. In the following examples, the words which would usually be omitted are enclosed in square brackets.
e.g. I can run as fast as you can [run].
He moves as slowly as a snail [moves].
Her eyes shone as brightly as stars [shine].

c. Comparative forms of adverbs used in comparisons

i. The construction with Than
When used in making comparisons, the comparative form of an adverb is usually followed by than. This construction is summarized below, followed by examples.

comparative form + than
of adverb

He can swim farther than I can.
She sings more beautifully than her sister does.

As is the case with comparisons using adjectives, comparisons using adverbs can be combined with phrases or clauses.
e.g. She performs better in front of an audience than she does in rehearsal.
They walked faster when they were on their way to school than they did
when they were on their way home.

In the first example, the two situations being compared are distinguished by the phrases in front of an audience and in rehearsal. In the second example, the two situations being compared are distinguished by the clauses when they were on their way to school and when they were on their way home. The use of ellipsis should be noted. In the first example, the auxiliary does is used instead of repeating the verb performs. In the second example, the auxiliary did is used instead of repeating the verb walked.

See Exercise 6.

ii. Progressive comparisons
The comparative forms of adverbs can be used in progressive comparisons. For adverbs with the ending er, the following construction is used:

comparative form + and + comparative form
of adverb of adverb

e.g. The plane flew higher and higher.
The team performed better and better.

The meanings expressed in these examples can also be expressed as follows:
e.g. The plane flew increasingly high.
The team performed increasingly well.

For adverbs which form the comparative with more, the following construction is used:

more + and + more + positive form
of adverb

He solved the problems more and more easily.
We visited them more and more frequently.

The meanings expressed in these examples can also be expressed as follows:
e.g. He solved the problems increasingly easily.
We visited them increasingly frequently.

iii. The construction with Less and Less
A similar construction, employing the expression less and less, can also be used. The expressions less and less and more and more have opposite meanings.

less + and + less + positive form
of adverb

He solved the problems less and less easily.
We visited them less and less frequently.

The meanings expressed in these examples can also be expressed as follows:
e.g. He solved the problems decreasingly easily.
We visited them decreasingly frequently.

See Exercise 7.

iv. The construction with The ..., the ...
Two clauses, each beginning with the, and each containing a comparative form of an adjective or adverb, can be used together in order to indicate a cause and effect relationship between two different things or events. This construction is summarized below, followed by examples.

comparative 1st part of comparative 2nd part of
The + form of adverb + comparison, + the + form of adverb + comparison
or adjective or adjective

The more they eat, the fatter they get.
The faster we skated, the warmer we felt.

The following are further examples of the use of this type of construction. In these examples, the comparative forms are underlined.
e.g. The more cleverly we hid the Easter eggs, the more enthusiastically the children searched for them.
The more I scold her, the worse she behaves.
As shown in the examples, in this type of construction the two clauses beginning with the must be separated by a comma.

d. Superlative forms of adverbs used in comparisons

i. The construction with The
When used in making comparisons, the superlative form of an adverb is usually preceded by the. This construction is summarized below, followed by examples.

the + superlative form
of adverb

He jumped the highest of all the boys in the class.
Our team plays the best of all the teams in the league.
They sing the most sweetly of all the choirs I have heard.

See Exercises 8 and 9.

In the case of adverbs which form the superlative with the ending est, the superlative is sometimes preceded by a possessive adjective, instead of by the definite article, the. In the following examples, the possessive adjectives are printed in bold type.
e.g. He ran his fastest.
I did my best.

ii. The construction with The Least
Adverbs may also be preceded by the expression the least. This construction is summarized below, followed by examples. The words least and most have opposite meanings.

the + least + positive form
of adverb

She speaks the least loudly of all the children.
This bus runs the least often.