Similar to the majority of two-syllable prototypical English adjectives, most English adverbs take the adverbs more and most in the comparative and superlative forms. For example:
- awkwardly – more awkwardly – most awkwardly
- fiercely – more fiercely – most fiercely
- merrily – more merrily – most merrily
- often – more often – most often
- sternly – more sternly – most sternly
The adverbs more and most also function as adverb phrase modifiers within comparative and superlative adverb phrase constructions. For a handful of English adverbs, however, degrees of modification are expressed through suffixes or irregular comparative and superlative forms. For example:
- badly – worse – worse
- early – earlier – earliest
- far – farther/further – farthest/furthest
- fast – faster – fastest
- hard – harder – hardest
- late – later – latest
- little – less – least
- well – better – best
Irregular adverbs in English cannot take other adverb phrases as adverb phrase modifiers including more and most. For example:
- Correct – Incorrect
- worse – more worse
- fastest – more fastest
- later – most later
- less – more less
- best – most best
Comparative and superlative adverbs cannot typically take additional adverb phrases functioning as adverb phrase modifiers.
