Short-Form Adverbs — Faster, Harder, Later, Earlier
Practice the small group of adverbs identical to their adjective form (fast, hard, late, early) that take -er/-est directly, unlike regular -ly adverbs.
-
She runs ___ than her brother.
Show answer
faster
The adverb 'fast' has the same form as the adjective and takes -er — 'faster', never 'more fast'.
-
She arrived ___ than the others.
Show answer
later
'Late' is a short adverb and takes -er — 'later', not 'more late'. 'Lately' means 'recently'.
-
He finished the exam ___ than everyone else.
Show answer
sooner
'Soon' is a short adverb and takes -er — 'sooner', never 'more soon'.
-
She arrived ___ than the meeting started.
Show answer
earlier
'Early' takes -ier — 'earlier', not 'more early'. 'Earliest' is the superlative.
-
He runs much ___ than me.
Show answer
faster
'Much' + comparative: 'much faster'. 'Fast' never takes 'more'.
-
Of the three brothers, Sam works ___.
Show answer
hardest
'Hard' is a short adverb: comparative 'harder', superlative 'hardest'.
-
She types ___ than I do.
Show answer
faster
'Fast' keeps the same form as the adjective and takes -er — 'faster'.
-
He arrived ___ of everyone at the meeting.
Show answer
earliest
'Of everyone' signals a superlative: 'early' → 'earliest'.
-
The meeting went on ___ than any of us expected.
Show answer
longer
'Long' is a short adverb and takes -er — 'longer', never 'more long'.
Short-Form Adverbs: Same as the Adjective
A closed set of common adverbs — fast, hard, late, early — has exactly the same form as the corresponding adjective, with no -ly ending at all. These adverbs form their comparative and superlative directly with -er/-est, exactly like short adjectives, not with more/most.
He works harder than anyone in the office.
She arrived earlier than the meeting started.
The most common error is applying the -ly-adverb rule (more/most) to this group by analogy, producing 'more fastly' or 'more hardly' — forms that do not exist. 'Hardly' in particular is a trap: it looks like the adverb of 'hard', but it is an entirely separate word meaning 'almost not' ('I hardly know him'), with no comparative form of its own. When the meaning is 'with more effort or force', the correct comparative is simply 'harder'.
Common Mistakes
✗ He works more hardly than anyone else. → ✓ harder. ('hardly' ≠ comparative of 'hard')
Last updated: · Satori Editorial