Grammar in focus
Form
| Adverb | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| short: fast, hard, early, late | faster, harder, earlier, later (than) | the fastest, the hardest ... |
| ending in -ly: slowly, carefully | more slowly, more carefully (than) | the most slowly, the most carefully |
| irregular: well / badly / far | better / worse / farther | the best / the worst / the farthest |
Use
- Compare two actions: She runs faster than me. He drives more carefully than his wife.
- Compare with the whole group: She dances the best of the group.
- Equality: as + adverb + as. He doesn't run as fast as me.
- Progress: The more you practice, the better you play.
Adjective or adverb?
Adjective describes a noun: a fast car. Adverb describes a verb: she runs fast. Good → adjective; well → adverb (better for both).
Watch out
- No double forms:
more faster→ faster.more better→ better. - Use than, not that: harder than me.
gooder→ better.badder→ worse.
En español
Adverbios cortos + -er (faster); los terminados en -ly llevan more (more slowly). Well → better → best. Comparación + than (que); igualdad con as ... as.
US vs UK
This book teaches American English. These are the differences you will notice with British English on this topic.
Informal American speech often uses slower/quicker as adverbs; exams prefer more slowly.
El habla americana usa slower/quicker; los exámenes prefieren more slowly.
Same comparative; a little (US) vs a bit (UK) is a tendency.
Mismo comparativo; a little vs a bit.
Quick as an adverb is informal American.
Quick como adverbio es americano informal.
Exam practice
- Five parts, like a certification exam: multiple choice, open cloze, error identification, sentence transformation and US vs UK.
- Typed answers accept American spelling and contractions (don't = do not).
- Every item has feedback in English and Spanish. Items and options change order on every attempt.
- Only Exam mode saves your score to your progress. You pass with 70%.
Practice mode
No timer. Check each part as you go and read the feedback.
Exam mode
25 minutes. Feedback at the end. Your best score is saved.