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Adjectives and Adverbs: Forms for Comparison

A common error in using adjectives and adverbs arises from using the wrong form for comparison.

Incorrect Example: She is the poorest of the two women.

Correct Examples:
She is poor. (positive form)
She is the poorer of the two women. (comparative form)
She is the poorest of them all. (superlative form)

Some words have irregular comparative and superlative forms.

Examples:
bad/worse/worst
good/better/best

Incorrect Example: She is the best candidate of the two for the job.

Correct Example: She is the better candidate of the two for the job.

Many one-syllable adjectives and adverbs may be compared by adding —er or —est.

Examples:
sweet/sweeter/sweetest
nice/nicer/nicest
silly/sillier/silliest
big/bigger/biggest

Usually, with words of three or more syllables, don’t add —er or —est. Use more or most in front of the words. Never use both the —er or —est suffix and more or most.

Example: efficient/more efficient/most efficient

Incorrect Example: He is more efficienter at using the PowerPoint program than his boss is.

Correct Example: He is more efficient at using the PowerPoint program than his boss is.


When comparing with an —ly adverb, keep the —ly and add more or most.

Incorrect Example: She spoke quicker than he did.

Correct Examples: She spoke quickly.
She spoke more quickly than he did.

Incorrect Example: Talk quieter.

Correct Examples: Talk quietly.
Talk more quietly.


Quiz: Are these sentences correct or incorrect?

1. You are the funnest person I know.
2. I can run more faster than you can.
3. I can run more quickly than you can.
4. My brother is the youngest of the two of us.
5. She is the best of the two sisters at braiding hair.

Answers

1. Incorrect (most fun)
2. Incorrect (faster)
3. Correct
4. Incorrect (younger)
5. Incorrect (better)

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Posted on Sunday, April 1st, 2007, at 3:45 am

When to Add “ly” at the End of a Word

Do you wonder when to add -ly to a word? For example, should you say, “He speaks slow” or “He speaks slowly”? What about, “He speaks slower than his brother”? Is this correct? Let’s find out.

Adjectives describe nouns and pronouns. They may come before the word they describe: “That is a cute puppy.” Adjectives may also follow the word they describe: “That puppy is cute.”

Adverbs modify adjectives, verbs, and other adverbs. If an adverb answers how and can have an -ly attached to it, place it there.

Example: She thinks slow/slowly. Slowly answers how she thinks.

Example: We performed bad/badly. Badly answers how we performed.

Example: She thinks fast/fastly. Even though fast answers how she thinks, there is no such word as fastly.

When comparing, don’t drop the —ly. Simply add more or less in front of the adverb.

Example: Answer the questions more quickly/quicker to win the prize.

English grammar has one tricky caveat that seems like an exception to these easy rules: If the verb is one of these four senses–taste, smell, look, feel–don’t ask how. Instead, ask if the sense verb is used actively. If so, attach the -ly. If the sense verb is not used actively, which is more common, don’t attach -ly.

Example: Roses smell sweet/sweetly. Do roses actively smell with noses? No, so no -ly.

Example: The woman looked angry/angrily. Is the woman actively looking with eyes? No, only her appearance is being described.

Example: She feels bad/badly about the news. She is not feeling with fingers so no -ly.

Example: She feels bad/badly since burning her fingers.
In this sentence, she is feeling with fingers so the word is being used actively; therefore, add the -ly.

Pop Quiz

1. I feel bad/badly about telling that secret.
2. Walk slower/more slowly, please.
3. You look sad/sadly about the news.

Answers:
1. bad
2. more slowly
3. sad

To comment on this grammar tip, click on the title.

Posted on Tuesday, March 27th, 2007, at 6:49 pm

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