Form and Comparison of Adverbs
Adverbs are used to express how something is done (adjectives express how someone or something is).
Example: The dog sleeps quietly. The dog is absolutely quiet.
Form
In general: adjective + -ly
| adjective | adverb |
| slow | slowly |
Exceptions in spelling
| exception | example |
| silent e is dropped in true, due, whole | true → truly |
| y becomes i | happy → happily |
| le after a consonant is dropped | sensible → sensibly |
| after ll only add y | full → fully |
Adjectives ending in -ic: adjective + -ally (exception: public-publicly)
| adjective | adverb |
| fantastic | fantastically |
Adjectives ending in -ly: use ‘in a … way / manner’ or another adverb with similar meaning
| adjective | adverb |
| friendly | in a friendly way
in a friendly manner |
| likely | probably |
Exceptions
| adjective | adverb (meaning) | adverb (meaning) |
| good | well | |
| difficult | with difficulty | |
| public | publicly | |
| deep | deep (place) | deeply (feeling) |
| direct | direct | directly (=soon) |
| hard | hard | hardly (=seldom) |
| high | high (place) | highly (figurative) |
| late | late | lately (=recently) |
| most | most | mostly (=usually) |
| near | near | nearly (=almost) |
| pretty | pretty (=rather) | prettily |
| short | short | shortly (=soon) |
| The following adjectives are also used as adverbs (without modification): | daily, enough, early, far, fast, hourly, little, long, low, monthly, much, straight, weekly, yearly, … |
Exercise on the form of adverbs
Comparison
Comparison (-er/-est)
| | Comparative ending in -er | Superlative ending in -est |
| one-syllable adverbs (hard) | harder | hardest |
| adverbs with the same form as adjectives (early) | earlier | earliest |
Comparison (more / most)
| | Comparative formed with more | Superlative formed with most |
| adverbs ending in -ly (happily) | more happily | most happily |
Irregular comparisons
| positive form | comparative | superlative |
| well | better | best |
| badly | worse | worst |
| ill | worse | worst |
| little | less | least |
| much | more | most |
| far (place + time) | further | furthest |
| far (place) | farther | farthest |
| late (time) | later | latest |
Exercise on comparison of adverbs
Changed: 08th Jun 2005 22:43
URL: http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/adjectives-adverbs/adverbs
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