Some adverbs have degrees of comparison.

(a)of purpose.

Here's the thermometer: they've left itfor the doctor to seeinstead of shaking it down. (Shaw) — Вот термометр; его не стряхнули, чтобы доктор мог посмотреть температуру. Не stepped asidefor me to pass. (Du Maurier) — Он отошел, в сторону, чтобы я могла пройти.

(b)of result.

The pleasure of accompanying you was too great a temptation for me to resist. (Collins) — Удовольствие сопровождать вас было так велико, что я не мог ему противиться.

But he had consented, and it was too latefor him now to re­cede. (Trollope) — Но он уже дал согласие, и теперь было поздно отступать.

Не spoke loud enoughfor you to hear. — Он говорил доста­точно громко, чтобы вы могли его слышать. His experience of women was great enoughfor him to be awarethat the negative often meant nothing more than the preface to the affirmative. (Hardy) — Он достаточно хорошо знал женщин, чтобы понимать, что отказ бывает часто лишь преддверием к согласию.

 

§ 35. With the expressions to be sorry, to be glad the infinitive is used only if the subject of the sentence represents at the same time the doer of the action expressed by the infinitive.

I am glad (pleased)to have got a ticket for the concert.

I am gladto have seen you. (Dreiser)

I am very sorryto have done a man wrong, particularly when it can't be undone. (Dickens)

In other cases a clause is used with to be glad and to be sorry.

I am glad you got a ticket for the concert. "I am glad you think so," returned Doyce, with his grey eye look­ing kind and bright. (Dickens)

 

Chapter XI

THE ADVERB

 

§ 1. The adverb is a part of speech which expresses some circumstances that attend an action or state, or points out some characteristic features of an action or a quality.

The function of the adverb is that of an adverbial modifier. An adverb may modify verbs (verbals), words of the category of state, adjectives, and adverbs.

Annette turned her necklazily, touched one eyelash and said: "He amuses Winifred." (Galsworthy)

And glancingsidelong at his nephew he thought... (Galswor­thy)

For a second they stood with handshard clasped. (Galswor­thy)

And now the morning grew so fair, and all things were sowideawake. (Dickens)

The man must have haddiabolically acute hearing. (Wells)

 Harris spokequite kindly and sensibly about it. (Jerome)

§ 2. As to their structure adverbs are divided into:

(1)simple adverbs (long, enough, then, there, etc.);

(2)derivative adverbs (slowly, likewise, forward, headlong, etc.); (The most productive adverb-forming suffix is -ly. There are also some other suffixes: -wards, -ward; -long, -wise.)

(3)compound adverbs (anyhow, sometimes, nowhere, etc.);

(4)composite adverbs (at once, at last, etc.).

(a)If the adverb is a word of one syllable, the comparative degree 's formed by adding -er and the superlative by adding -est.

fast — faster — fastest        hard — harder — hardest

(b)Adverbs ending in -ly form the comparative by means of more and the superlative by means of most.

wisely — more

wisely — most wisely  

beautifully — more

 beautifully — most beautifully

(c) Some adverbs have irregular forms of comparison:

well — better — best

badly — worse — worst

much — more — most

little — less — least

 

§ 4. According to their meaning adverbs fall under several groups:

(1)adverbs of time (today, tomorrow, soon, etc.);

(2)adverbs of repetition or frequency (often, seldom, ever; never, sometimes, etc.);

(3)adverbs of place and direction (inside, outside, here, there, back­ward, upstairs, etc.);

(4)adverbs of cause and consequence (therefore, consequently, ac­cordingly, etc.);

(5)adverbs of manner (kindly, quickly, hard, etc.);

(5)adverbs of degree, measure and quantity (very, enough, half, too, nearly, almost, much, little, hardly, rather, exceedingly, quite, once, twice, firstly, secondly, etc.).

Three groups of adverbs stand aside: interrogative, relative and conjunctive adverbs.

Interrogative adverbs (where, when, why, how) are used in special questions.

Conjunctive and relative adverbs are used to introduce subordinate clauses.¹

Some adverbs are homonymous with nouns, adjectives, prepo­sitions, conjunctions², words of the category of state³ and modal words⁴.

         See Chapter XVII, The Complex Sentence.

²       See Chapter XII, The Preposition.

³       See Chapter VI, The Words of the Category of State.

⁴       See Chapter X, The Modal Words.