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191
Simple adverbs are after, here, well, now, soon, etc.
In derived adverbs the most common suffix is
-ly, by means of which new adverbs are coined from
adjectives and participles: occasionally, lately, immediately, constantly, purely, slowly, charmingly.
The less common snffixes are the following:
-wise
-ward(s)
-fold
-like
-most
-way(s)
clockwise, crabwise, corkscrew -wise, education- wise
onward(s), backward(s), homeward(s), eastward(s)
twofold, manifold
warlike
innermost, outermost
longways, sideways
Of these suffixes the first two are more ptoductive than the rest.
Compound adverbs are formed of two stems:
sometimes, somewhere, everywhere, downstairs, etc.
Composite phrasal adverbs consist of two or more word-forms, as
a great deal, a little bit, far enough, now and then, from time to time, sort of, kind of, a hell of, a lot of, a
great deal of.
Morphological characteristics
§ 240. The only pattern of morphological change for adverbs is the same as for adjectives, the degrees of
comparison. The three grades are called positive, comparative, and superlative degrees.
Adverbs that are identical in form with adjectives take inflections following the same spelling and phonetic
rules as for adjectives:
early
late
hard
slow
- earlier
- later
- harder
- slower
- earliest
- latest
- hardest
- slowest
Several adverbs ending in -ly (quickly, loudly) form comparatives according to the same pattern, dropping
their adverb-forming suffix. These adverbs acquired the form in -ly only recently and retained the older forms
of the comparative and superlative:
quickly
loudly
- quicker
- louder
- quickest
- loudest
However most disyllabic adverbs in
-ly and all polysyllabic ones form the comparative and superlative
analytically, by means of more and most:
wisely
softly
deeply
- more wisely
-
more softly
-
more deeply
- most wisely
- most softly
- most deeply
The adverb often occurs with both types of comparison:
often
oftener
more often
As with adjectives, there is a small group of adverbs with comparatives and superlatives formed from