- often, oftener or more often,
- oftenest or most often.
198. Several adverbs have irregular comparison.
| Positive | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| far | farther | farthest |
| forth | further | furthest |
| ill | worse | worst |
| badly | ||
| nigh | nigher | nighest |
| next | ||
| well | better | best |
| late | later | latest |
| last | ||
| little | less | least |
| much | more | most |
These adverbs in the main have the same forms as the adjectives studied in [§ 185] above. Note, however: (1) that good and bad are never adverbs; (2) that ill and well, better and best, worse and worst, may be either adverbs or adjectives. Rather is now used in the comparative only.
USE OF THE COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE
199. The comparative degree, not the superlative, is used in comparing two persons or things.
The superlative is used in comparing one person or thing with two or more.
| Right: | Mary is the more agreeable of the two. |
|---|---|
| Mary is the most agreeable of all the family. | |
| Wrong: | I like both Mary and Jane, but I am fondest of Mary. |
| I am studying Latin, history, and geometry, but I dislike the latter. |
The same principle applies to adverbs.
- John runs faster than Tom. [Here the acts of two persons are compared.]
- Which of you three can run fastest? [Here the acts of more than two are compared.]