Regular Comparative and Superlative Adverbs — More/Most
Practice forming comparative and superlative adverbs that end in -ly with more/most: more clearly, more carefully, the most quickly.
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He explained the problem ___ than the teacher did.
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more clearly
Adverbs ending in -ly take 'more' for the comparative. 'Than' signals a comparison, so the plain 'clearly' and the superlative 'most clearly' don't fit.
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She drives ___ than her husband.
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more slowly
Adverbs ending in -ly take 'more' for the comparative — 'more slowly'.
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He answered ___ than the other candidates.
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more intelligently
Adverbs ending in -ly take 'more' for the comparative. 'Than' rules out the plain form and the superlative.
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He reacted ___ than anyone had expected.
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more calmly
'Than' calls for a comparative, and -ly adverbs form it with 'more'.
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He explained it ___ the second time, and everyone understood.
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more simply
A comparison with an earlier attempt needs the comparative — 'more simply'.
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My new car starts ___ than the old one did.
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more easily
-ly adverbs take 'more' for the comparative — 'more easily'.
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She spoke ___ than usual because she was nervous.
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more quickly
'Than usual' calls for a comparative — 'more quickly'.
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Getting better at tennis
I started playing tennis two years ago, and I have improved a lot. At first I moved around the court {1} than everyone else, and I hit the ball {2} than I do now. My coach told me to watch the ball {3} and to breathe {4} between points. This season I serve {5} than last year, and I run {6} too. I still lose to my brother, but I lose {7} than I used to. Of everyone in our small club, he plays {8}.
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1. more slowly — -ly adverbs form the comparative with 'more'.
2. worse — The comparative of 'badly' is irregular — 'worse'.
3. more carefully — An instruction about how to watch — 'more carefully'.
4. more calmly — -ly adverb, comparative with 'more'.
5. harder — 'Hard' is a short adverb and takes -er.
6. faster — 'Fast' keeps its form and takes -er.
7. less often — 'Less' marks a decrease in frequency.
8. the best — The superlative of the adverb 'well' is 'the best'.
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Two very different brothers
My two brothers could not be more different. Daniel does everything {1} — he is always the first to finish. Mark works {2}, but he checks everything {3}, so he makes fewer mistakes. Daniel speaks {4} than Mark in front of strangers, though Mark explains things {5}. They both drive, but Daniel drives {6} than Mark, which worries our mother. Of the two of them, Mark listens {7}.
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1. faster — 'Fast' takes -er and keeps the adjective form.
2. more slowly — -ly adverb, comparative with 'more'.
3. more carefully — -ly adverb, comparative with 'more'.
4. more confidently — 'Than Mark' calls for a comparative.
5. more clearly — -ly adverb, comparative with 'more'.
6. less safely — 'Less' marks the opposite direction of a comparison.
7. better — The comparative of the adverb 'well' is 'better'.
Regular Adverbs: More and Most
Most English adverbs are built by adding -ly to an adjective ('careful' → 'carefully', 'clear' → 'clearly'), and this entire group forms its comparative with more and its superlative with the most — never with -er/-est. This matches the rule for long adjectives, since most -ly adverbs derive from adjectives that already require more/most.
Of all the students, she works most carefully.
She finished her exam the most quickly of all the candidates.
A frequent error is treating -ly adverbs like short adjectives and adding -er/-est directly — 'clearlier', 'carefullest' — neither of which exists in standard English. Because the adverb is already a derived form (adjective + -ly), adding a second suffix produces an unpronounceable, non-existent word; 'more'/'most' is the only option.
Common Mistakes
✗ She performed beautifullier. → ✓ most beautifully.
Last updated: · Satori Editorial