How to Use Superlative Adverbs Correctly

In the English language, superlative adverbs are parts of speech that describe the highest degree or the lowest degree of certain actions. Superlative adverbs mostly function to compare a person, place, or thing to three or more other people, places, or things. In some cases, superlative adverbs can also describe the superlative degree of certain adjectives and adverbs.

Superlative adverbs are closely related to superlative adjectives, which describe the superlative comparison between nouns. Yet like all adverbs, superlative adverbs may only modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. For example, in the sentence, "Of all the swimmers, Chloe swam fastest,” the superlative adverb is “fastest.” Had the sentence been, “Chloe is the fastest swimmer,” “fastest” would be functioning as a superlative adjective because it is modifying the noun “swimmer” instead of the verb “swam.”

You can easily transform most common adverbs into superlative forms so long as you follow three basic rules.

1. 1. Add “-est” to most one-syllable adverbs. You can change most one-syllable adverbs into superlative adverbs by adding “-est” to them. Examples include "fast" becoming "fastest," "loud" becoming "loudest," "slow" becoming "slowest," and "quick" becoming "quickest."
2. 2. Preface adverbs ending in “-ly” with "most" and "least." If an adverb ends in the suffix “-ly,” you can usually create an adverbial superlative by placing the intensifiers "most" or "least" in front of the adverb. Examples include "most carefully" and "least thoughtfully.”
3. 3. Irregular adverbs become irregular superlatives. Some superlative adverbs simply must be memorized. These irregular forms include "well" becoming "best" in its superlative form, "badly" becoming "worst" in its superlative form, and "little" becoming "least" in its superlative adverb form.

Avoid these common mistakes when using superlative adverbs.

1. 1. Using the superlative form to compare only two things: Superlative adverbs are for comparing three or more people, places, or things. When only comparing two things, use the comparative form of an adverb. Common comparative adverbs include “better,” “more,” “smaller,” and “later.”
2. 2. Using adverbs to describe nouns: Nouns can be described in superlative terms, but this must be done using adjectives, not adverbs. Superlative forms of adjectives include words like "smartest," "smallest," and "youngest."
3. 3. Misusing irregular adverbs: Irregular superlatives must be memorized to avoid common errors. For example, avoid using "littlest" (an adjective) when you mean to say "least" (an adverb).

The following sentences show how superlative adverbs can provide different functions in English grammar.

1. 1. “She sang the most impressively of all the competitors.”
2. 2. “Catherine moves the least gracefully on stage.”
3. 3. “Hansa was the best prepared for the test.”

Comparative adverbs and superlative adverbs each play key roles in modifying verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs, but they bear one crucial distinction.

• Comparative adverbs compare exactly two things. Use comparative adverbs to compare two concrete entities, as in "you played better than he did," where "better" is the comparative adverb. You can also use comparative adverbs to compare one concrete thing to something more conceptual. For instance: "You played better than the rest."
• Superlative adverbs compare three or more things. The superlative form of an adverb (or an adjective) must only be used when comparing a minimum of three entities. For example, you might say, "The last song on the album sounded best."

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