How to Spot Comparative Adverbs

Adverb usage is one of the most complicated aspects of the English language to master. An adverb modifies and adds depth to a verb already in a sentence. A comparative adverb is one that helps the verb compare one subject to another within the sentence.

Instructions

1. Read the sentence you are focusing on several times. One of the most important aspects of spotting the adverb is understanding what is happening within the sentence. If the sentence is complex, it may take several reads.

2. Find the subject of the sentence. The subject will be the person or thing the action is happening to. If the sentence is particularly confusing, circle the subject. Next, locate the action in the sentence. This will come to you in the form of the sentence's verb or verbs.

3. Learn that the most common type of comparative adverbs are -ly words. These normally come after the verb and are used to compare the subject to something else. For example: "Tony drives more quickly than his sister does." "Quickly" is the comparative adverb because "more quickly" compares Tony's driving to his sister's.

4. Look for -er adverbs as another form of comparative adverbs. These perform the same function as the -ly words, only they work better, grammatically, with other words. For example: "Maria works harder than anyone in class."

5. Watch for irregulars, or words that don't fit into the -ly or -er categories. For example: "Leah spells worse than Anna."