Comparison Of Adverbs

1. Mr. Homer decided wisely.

2. Mr. Plympton decided more wisely.

3. The judge decided most wisely.

The above sentences show us that adverbs ending in ly may be compared by prefixing more and most to the positive to form the comparative and the superlative.

This is generally true of adverbs ending in ly.

1. Fred started early.

2. Henry started earlier.

3. John started the earliest.

By a study of these sentences we see that some adverbs are compared by adding the suffixes er and est to the positive to form the comparative and the superlative.

We learn from the adverbs already compared that adverbs have three degrees of comparison, the positive, the comparative, and the superlative.

Write sentences containing the adverbs earnestly, sweetly, and often, in the positive, the comparative, and the superlative degrees.

Some adverbs are irregular in their comparison.

The following are illustrations.

It is evident that some of these adverbial forms may be used as other parts of speech.

We should ever bear in mind the fact that the use of a word determines what part of speech it is.

Write sentences using as many of the above forms as you can, both as adjectives and as adverbs.

1. The more you study, the more rapidly you will advance.

In this sentence we find the used not as an article, but as an adverb.

1. There were giants in those days.

2. There came a voice from heaven.

3. There was a heavy fall of rain yesterday.

In these sentences there is not an adverb of place, but rather an introductory adverb, used to introduce the thought in each sentence.

The use of there in these sentences allows the subject to follow the verb, and thus emphasizes the thought.

I saw the vessel when it entered the port.

In this sentence when modifies the meaning of entered, and connects the clause with the principal statement. It is therefore a conjunctive adverb.

A conjunctive adverb is an adverb used also as a conjunction.