We explain what comparative adverbs are, their function, examples and use in sentences. Also, other types of adverbs.
What is a comparative adverb?
It is known as comparative adverbs to one of the adverb classes of the English language, that is, the words that they serve as a modifier for verbs, adjectives or other adverbs, and even for sentences whole. Its name comes from the Latin word adverbium, made up of the words ad- (“Towards”) and verbum (“verb”).
Adverbs are words of very little variable form and endowed with their own lexical meaning, which normally refers to the specific circumstances in which the actions of the sentence occur.
This may refer to the place, form or time in which the events occurred, or even the perspective from which they are viewed, or the comparison and comparison relationships that the issuer can establish between them. Comparative adverbs deal with the latter.
These adverbs allow establishing relationships of similarity, difference, superiority or inferiority between the terms of the sentence (or several), and together with the exclamatory, doubtful and affirmative and negative adverbs, make up the so-called epistemic adverbs, which express a subjective or mental reality of the issuer, rather than an external, objective and concrete reality, as they do. the adverbs of place.
Examples of comparative adverbs
The following are examples of comparative adverbs: more, less, equal, better, worse, much, so, as, in addition to the adverbial phrases less than, greater than, equal to, as much as, better than, worse than, and so on.
Sentences with comparative adverbs
Some sentences with comparative adverbs are:
- My sister is way stronger than me.
- That building is so high as a mountain.
- These shoes feel equal with the others.
- My friend dances better than nobody.
- Our team plays worst than the rival.
- We couldn’t practice as much as we wanted.
Other types of adverb
Apart from comparative adverbs, there are different types of adverb, such as:
- Adverbs of place. Those that introduce a spatial relationship in the sentence, that is, that indicate where a referent is located or where an event occurs. For example: there, here, there, outside, up, down, inside, between, etc.
- Adverbs of manner. Those that express the way in which something is done or the way things happen. For example: fast, good, bad, better, quick, regularly, etc.
- Time adverbs. Those that incorporate a temporal relationship in the sentence, that is, when an action is performed. For example: before, after, later, while, formerly, etc.
- Adverbs of doubt. Those that introduce in the sentence a sense of probability, possibility or uncertainty, that is, a doubt of the issuer. For example: maybe, probably, possibly, maybe, etc.
- Adverbs of order. Those that express a chronological or continuity relationship within the sentence, that is, what goes first and what goes after, or what is more important. For example: first, then, after, etc.
- Affirmative and negative adverbs. Those who affirm or deny what is said in the sentence, that is, who express a degree of conformity of the issuer with respect to what is said. For example: yes, no, certainly, exact, never, never, etc.
- Interrogative and exclamatory adverbs. Those that give rise to questions or exclamations. They are easily recognized because they should always be accentuated. For example: where, when, how, what, who, etc.