Positive, Comparative and Superlative Adverbs

Adverb: An adverb describes (modifies) a verb, an adjective and adverb in a sentence except noun and pronoun. And adverbs often tell when, where, why, or under what conditions something happens or happened. Adverbs frequently end in -ly; however, many words and phrases not ending in -ly serve an adverbial function and -ly ending is not a guarantee that a word is an adverb. The words lovely, lonely, motherly, friendly, neighborly, for instance, are adjectives. Adverbs as like adjectives have three degrees of comparison – the positive, the comparative and the superlative. The different degrees of comparison are formed in different ways; concentrate on the rules below to know about positive, comparative and superlative adverbs in English 

 Positive, Comparative and Superlative Adverbs

COMPARISON OF ADVERBS
Rule 1: Short adverbs having just one syllable form the comparative and the superlative by the adding –er and –est to the positive.

Hard (Positive)	harder (Comparative)	hardest (Superlative)
Soon	sooner	soonest
Fast	faster	fastest
Late	later	latest
Loud	louder	loudest
Clean	cleaner	cleanest
Clear	clearer	clearest
Low	lower	lowest
High	higher	highest

Note that almost all adverbs which are also used as adjectives belong to this class.

Rule 2: Adverbs ending in –ly
Adverbs which end in –ly take more for the comparative and most for the superlative.

Softly (positive)	more softly (Comparative)	most softly (Superlative)
Happily	more happily	most happily
Swiftly	more swiftly	most swiftly
Ably	more ably	most ably
Truly	more truly	most truly
Greedily	more greedily	most greedily
Efficiently	more efficiently	most efficiently
Certainly	more certainly	most certainly
Painfully	more painfully	most painfully
Joyfully	more joyfully	most joyfully

EXCEPTION: The adverb early is an exception to this rule.

• Early (positive) earlier (comparative) earliest (superlative).

Rule 3: Irregular Adverbs
Some adverbs form their comparative and superlative degrees in an irregular manner:

Far (Positive)	Farther, further (Comparative)	Farthest, furthest (Superlative)
Late	later (comparative)	Last, latest
Well	better	best
Badly	worse	worst
Little	less	least
Much	more	most

Rule 4: Un-gradable adverbs below

IMPORTANT: It should be noted that only adverbs of time, degree and manner have three degrees of comparison. Adverbs such as now, then, once, there, where, why, how, not, never, ever etc., cannot be compared and hence they do not have the three degrees of comparison.

IMPORTANT: Adverb conjunction adverb:
Two adverbs sometimes joined by the Conjunction
Again and again

• You should read good books again and again.

Far and near

• His work spread far and near.

Now and then And now and again  

• I write to him now and then.

Over and over

•  He needs all the Novels over and over.

Out and out

• I believe that Mr. Ali is out and out the best teacher.

To and fro 

• He walked to and fro.