“Quicker” and “more quickly” seem to highlight the same direction or command in English. It would be helpful to read through this article to find out more about the two forms. We’ll teach you all the differences you need to know.
What Is The Difference Between “Quicker” And “More Quickly”?
“Quicker” is the comparative adjective we use to show that something is “quick” compared to another thing. “More quickly” is a comparative adverb because “quickly” is an adverbial form. They are both correct, and their meanings are almost identical when we use them.
The only real difference comes from the adjective and adverb forms. It’s common to describe someone or something as “quick” when you expect them to move fast.
However, we typically use “quickly” to describe an action because it’s an adverb. Though there are plenty of informal cases where “quick” also works as an adverb, so the two words overlap.
If you’re not sure what the difference between an adjective and an adverb is, you can refer to the following:
- Adjective: I am quicker than her.
- Adverb: You move more quickly than I thought.
The adjective works to describe someone or something, while the adverb works to modify a verb (in this example, we modify “move”).
Is “More Quickly” Grammatical Correct?
It might help to learn a little bit more about “more quickly” and whether it’s correct to use.
“More quickly” is grammatically correct. “Quickly” is an adverb, and we can use it to compare two things based on which thing is moving “quickly” compared to the other. “More” works as the comparative form here because “quickly” is two syllables.
Remember, adverbs work to modify verbs in sentences. Therefore, it’s appropriate to use “more quickly” when we are accompanying it with another verb. For example, you’ll want to use “move more quickly” or “go more quickly” since they both have verbs present.
The standard rule to follow when using the comparative form is to include an “-er” ending after a word if it’s only one syllable. We are working with two syllables in the case of “quickly,” so it’s more common to write “more” before it.
When Should I Use “More Quickly”?
These examples should help you to understand more about it:
- I would like for us to be going more quickly. Do you think you can handle that?
- You should be doing this more quickly! I don’t have time to wait around for you.
- If you move more quickly, you’re more likely to get to the end of your day and get the chance to go home.
- There is no need to move more quickly now. I’m going as quick as I can, and that’s okay.
- I should try this more quickly to make sure I can get it done on time.
- Would you get here more quickly? I can’t keep waiting around at an empty table.
- I need you here more quickly than you’re estimated arrival time.
“More quickly” is an adverbial comparison. We use it when we are modifying a verb in the sentence (i.e. “move more quickly”). It works to show that the current speed of the verb isn’t “quick” enough for our liking.
When Should I Use “Quicker”?
And here are some examples to show you how “quicker” might work:
- If you’re not willing to move any quicker, maybe we should just call it a day!
- I think you can go quicker than that! You should keep trying until you figure it out.
- Are you not able to go quicker? That’s a bit ridiculous! I think you have a chance.
- Being quicker isn’t always being better! You need to know when to go slow to win races like this.
- I wish I could be quicker! Then maybe more people would be happy to look up to my prowess.
- She’s quicker at getting her homework done than me! I like to be thorough, though.
- You’re not going to be quicker than him forever! One of these days, he’s going to beat you!
“Quicker” is a comparative adjective. We can use it to compare two things with each other to determine which one is “quicker” than the other. This is all about time and speed, and it allows us to make a comparison whenever it’s used.
Is “More Quickly” Or “Quicker” Used The Most?
Perhaps you’d be interested to see some statistics to see which of the two words is more common.
According to Google Ngram Viewer, “quicker” is the more popular choice of the two. However, there isn’t much difference between them overall, and there are still plenty of written cases where the comparative adverb “more quickly” is also used.
You might also notice that “more quickly” was briefly the more popular choice toward the end of the 1900s. This shows that both forms are correct and recognized by native speakers, so you usually won’t go wrong no matter which one you choose to use.
Is It Ever Correct To Use “Quicklier”?
It might help to see whether we can combine the comparative adjective rules for the adverb “more quickly.”
“Quicklier” is never correct. Remember, we use “more” when an adjective or adverb is longer than one syllable. We only use the “-er” ending when the word is one syllable. Therefore, “quicklier” is never going to be correct, and you should avoid using it.
There are no exceptions to this. If you’re going to use either of the words in this article, you can only use “quicker” or “more quickly.” There are no combinations between the two that work.
Is “More Quick” Correct?
Finally, we need to look at how comparative adjective rules work.
“More quick” is not correct. When writing with one-syllable adjectives, we always make sure to add an “-er” ending to the word if we’re changing it into the comparative form. We do not add “more” to the beginning of the adjective until it is two or more syllables in length.
These examples will remind you of that fact:
- Correct: I want to be quicker next time.
- Incorrect: Can you be more quick?
- Correct: I should have been quicker than her!
- Incorrect: I don’t know how to be more quick!
You may also like: “Quicker” vs. “Faster” – Difference Explained (+Examples)
Martin holds a Master’s degree in Finance and International Business. He has six years of experience in professional communication with clients, executives, and colleagues. Furthermore, he has teaching experience from Aarhus University. Martin has been featured as an expert in communication and teaching on Forbes and Shopify. Read more about Martin here.
What is the comparative and superlative of quickly?
Although the comparative (quicklier) and superlative (quickliest) one-word forms exist and are and have been in limited use, the two-word forms (more quickly and most quickly) are much more common.
What is the comparative form of fast?
faster fastest
What is superlative adjective of fast?
Generally speaking, you should use the superlative only when you have three or more things in comparison. Usually, comparatives will end in -er, and superlatives will end in -est. Let’s look at a few examples: Fast – fastER – fastEST. Slow – slowER – slowEST.
Is quickly an adjective or an adverb?
rapidly; with speed; fast.
What kind of an adverb is quickly?
Fast is both an adjective and an adverb. Quick is an adjective and the adverb form is quickly….Fast, quick or quickly?
| It was a fast train. We need to have a quick chat before the meeting. | Fast and quick are adjectives. |
|---|---|
| You walk very fast! Not: … very fastly. We should do it as quickly as possible. | Fast and quickly are adverbs. |
Which adverb is quickly?
Quickly is the usual adverb from quick:I quickly realized that I was on the wrong train. My heart started to beat more quickly. Quick is sometimes used as an adverb in very informal language, especially as an exclamation:Come on! Quick!
What are some good adverbs?
abnormally absentmindedly accidentally actually adventurously afterwards almost always annually anxiously arrogantly awkwardly bashfully beautifully bitterly bleakly blindly blissfully boastfully boldly bravely briefly brightly briskly broadly busily calmly carefully carelessly cautiously certainly cheerfully clearly …
Is good a adverb?
The rule of thumb is that good is an adjective and well is an adverb. Good modifies a noun; something can be or seem good.
Is down a adverb?
The word down can be used in a number of ways: as a preposition (followed by a noun), as in ‘She was walking down the street’, as an adverb, e.g. ‘She lay down and fell asleep’, after the verb ‘to be’, as in ‘Shares were sharply down at the end of trading today’, and as an adjective, as in ‘He’s been feeling a bit down …
How do you identify an adverb in a sentence?
An adverb is a word that modifies (describes) a verb (he sings loudly), an adjective (very tall), another adverb (ended too quickly), or even a whole sentence (Fortunately, I had brought an umbrella). Adverbs often end in -ly, but some (such as fast) look exactly the same as their adjective counterparts.
What type of adverb is down?
Down can be used in the following ways: as a preposition (followed by a noun): She was walking down the street. as an adverb (without a following noun): She lay down and fell asleep. after the verb ‘to be’: Oil prices are down.
What type of verb is down?
As detailed above, ‘down’ can be a noun, a preposition, an adverb, an adjective or a verb. Preposition usage: The ball rolled down the hill. Preposition usage: The bus went down the street.
What’s a word for Down?
What is another word for down?
| over | downward |
|---|---|
| downwards | earthward |
| groundward | netherward |
| to the floor | to the ground |
| below |
What is an adjective for down?
adjective. downward; going or directed downward: the down escalator.
What does chaos mean?
1a : a state of utter confusion the blackout caused chaos throughout the city. b : a confused mass or mixture a chaos of television antennas.
Is there a symbol for chaos?
The universal symbol of Chaos is a Circle with arrows pointing in all directions. That is how everyone recognizes Chaos as a symbol.
How do you describe chaos?
a state of utter confusion or disorder; a total lack of organization or order. any confused, disorderly mass: a chaos of meaningless phrases. the infinity of space or formless matter supposed to have preceded the existence of the ordered universe.
Is chaos a bad word?
In everyday language “chaos” implies the existence of unpredictable or random behavior. The word usually carries a negative connotation involving undesirable disorganization or confusion. Chaos is indeterminism at its best — a concept totally foreign and unwelcome in Laplace’s world.
What is someone who loves chaos?
Discordianisim is a religous philosophy favoring chaos, and Anarchy a political one. However, the person in question does not have to be an actual adherent to either to be labled as such in a metaphorical way.
What are three synonyms for chaos?
other words for chaos
- anarchy.
- disarray.
- discord.
- disorder.
- lawlessness.
- pandemonium.
- tumult.
- turmoil.
What’s the opposite word of chaos?
What is the opposite of chaos?
| calm | ease |
|---|---|
| properness | hush |
| restfulness | respite |
| sereneness | relaxedness |
| quietude | quiescence |
What is another word for chaos?
In this page you can discover 48 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for chaos, like: disorder, confusion, pandemonium, turmoil, bedlam, chasm, lawlessness, anarchy, uproar, mayhem and mess.
What words are related to chaos?
chaos
- disorder, disarray, disorganization, confusion, mayhem, bedlam, pandemonium, madness, havoc, turmoil, tumult, commotion, disruption, upheaval, furore, frenzy, uproar, hue and cry, babel, hurly-burly.
- a maelstrom, a muddle, a mess, a shambles, a mare’s nest.
- anarchy, entropy, lawlessness.
- West Indian bangarang.
What is the word for creating chaos?
other words for create chaos Compare Synonyms. desolate. despoil. destroy. devastate.
What I create is chaos meaning?
a situation in which everything is confused and in a mess. bring/cause/create chaos: There have been severe floods, bringing chaos to the region. total/complete/utter/absolute chaos: The new road construction has caused total chaos in the city.
What does hullabaloo mean?
: a very noisy and confused situation. : a situation in which many people are upset and angry about something. See the full definition for hullabaloo in the English Language Learners Dictionary. hullabaloo.
What’s another word for mayhem?
Mayhem Synonyms – WordHippo Thesaurus….What is another word for mayhem?
| chaos | turmoil |
|---|---|
| disorder | confusion |
| tumult | uproar |
| pandemonium | commotion |
| bedlam | disturbance |
Is mayhem the same as chaos?
As nouns the difference between mayhem and chaos is that mayhem is a state or situation of great confusion, disorder, trouble or destruction; chaos while chaos is (obsolete) a vast chasm or abyss.
What is the opposite meaning of mayhem?
What is the opposite word for Mayhem? peace. mayhem and peace. calm. mayhem and calm.
What is another word for mischief?
In this page you can discover 85 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for mischief, like: misbehavior, atrocity, transgression, wrongdoing, roguishness, puckish, mischievous, mischief-making, malevolent, knavery and waggishness.
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#1
Hi, everyone. I have a question about the comparative «quickly» and «early.»
I’ve read some other threads about similar topics, but I am still confused.
I make some sentences here.
1. The earlier I go to bed, the earlier I get up in the morning,
2. The more quickly I walk, the more quickly she walks.
I think here both early and quickly are adverb.
Yet, why can’t we use quicklier?
And, why can’t we use more early?
Thank you.
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#2
You can say quicker but more quickly is more often used. It’s actually common in US Army slang to say quicklier. You will often hear people say something like «move more quicklier.» That’s the only place I have ever heard it though.
The morphological reasons for these conventions are complex and not really worth knowing. It’s better to just remember that quicklier isn’t a word that anyone uses and likewise for more early.
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#4
The difference between «quickly» and «early» is that «quickly» is formed from an adjective (quick) plus the adverbial ending —ly. We never use -er/-est to make comparatives/superlatives of adverbs formed in that way.
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#5
Thank you very much.
To apricots:
Thank you for suggestion.
I think sometimes I might know how to use a grammar, yet when I cannot figure out a formula for how it works, I will be confused.
To The Newt:
Thank you. I read this thread before and I was still confused, as I didn’t know how to explain the different rules between «early» and «quickly.»
To Loob:
Thank you for your answers. I have never thought about it this way.
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#6
Vipyyy, the confusion arises because most adverbs end in «-ly», and quickly is typical; it’s an adverb. (The related adjective is quick.) We often add «-er» to adjectives to form comparatives (like «quicker»), but not to adverbs (we say «more quickly»).
Early, in spite of the «-ly» ending, isn’t normally adverb; it’s an adjective, and you can form the comparative by adding «-er» and changing the «y» to an «i»: earlier.
In case you wondered: Yes, there are other adjectives that end in «-ly» and form comparatives the same way; surly and curly come to mind.
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#7
I agree with Parla.
Quickly is an adverb so it would be odd to add -er to adverbs, whereas early is an adjective and with adjectives, you can form the comparative by adding -er.
Of course, you change the -y in -i because there is a consonant before.
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#8
Just on a point of detail — we do add -er/-est to adverbs not formed from adjectives plus —ly: John ran fast, but Jim ran faster.
(I’d say that ‘earlier’ is definitely an adverb in vipyyy’s sentence.)
Last edited: Jun 4, 2015
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#9
I agree with Parla.
Quickly is an adverb so it would be odd to add -er to adverbs, whereas early is an adjective and with adjectives, you can form the comparative by adding -er.
Of course, you change the -y in -i because there is a consonant before.
?? He ran faster than me. I jumped higher than him. I waited longer than I would have wished. She talked louder than me. There are many adverbs where -er is added to the stem to make a comparative. It’s just that the stem is sometimes found by removing the -ly, and «quicker» is the comparative adverb for «quickly». Although «more quickly» is one way of forming the comparative, there’s nothing at all wrong with «quicker». And «early» isn’t an adjective in «He went to bed early.»
The difference between «quickly» and «early» is that «quickly» is formed from an adjective (quick) plus the adverbial ending —ly. We never use -er/-est to make comparatives/superlatives of adverbs formed in that way
.
I hope you didn’t mean that, Loob. But if you meant we don’t stick -er on the end of the full adverb (quicklier) but do sometimes stick it onto the stem (quicker) then I’m happy.
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#10
Umm — I thought that was what I’d said, Andy.
The point I was trying to make in post 4 was:
~ The adverb quickly [unlike the adverb early] is formed from an adjective [quick] by the addition of the adverb suffix -ly;
~ therefore we don’t use -er/est to make the comparative & superlative of the adverb quickly.
~ That is because we don’t use -er/est to make the comparative & superlative of any adverb formed from an adjective by the addition of the adverb suffix -ly.
Sorry if it wasn’t clear.
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#11
Yes.
That is because we don’t use -er/est to make the comparative & superlative of any adverb formed from an adjective by the addition of the adverb suffix -ly.
but we do sometimes, although we have to remove the -ly first — quicker is the obvious one. I’ll have to have a think about others.
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#12
For me, there are two distinct words: quickly [adverb] and quick [adjective and sometimes so-called ‘flat’ adverb*].
Quickly forms the comparative and superlative with more/most.
Quick — whether as adjective or adverb — forms the comparative and superlative with -er/-est.
I don’t think we’re really disagreeing — I think we’re just looking at things from different ends of the telescope.
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* also noun, but let’s not go there….
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#13
Loob, «he ran quickly», «she ran quicker» (not from «he ran quick»).
«He loved her dearly», «he loved her dearer than any other» (not from «he loved her dear»).
«He followed John closely», «he followed John closer than the other runners» (not from «he followed John close»).
All of those could use the «more quickly» form, but the «quicker» forms are all used and I can’t see that they are derived from a flat adverb. They do, however, all have single-syllable stems and there are many similar -ly adverbs where this does not work.
We do agree about not transforming -ly to -lier in -ly adverbs derived from adjectives.
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#14
Where we differ is that I’d take out the «not» from all your parentheses: I would see the adverb quicker in «she ran quicker» as deriving from the adverb quick as in «she ran quick», and so on.
But that’s a minor point in relation to this thread — we definitely agree on the main issue!
Last edited: Jun 5, 2015
Quicker is the comparative of quick, which is an adjective; more quickly is the comparative of quickly, which is an adverb.
Informally, quick is also used as adverb, with the meaning of «at a fast rate, quickly.» These are the examples reported by the NOAD (third edition).
He’ll find some place where he can make money quicker.
Get out, quick!
answered Jun 27, 2011 at 23:25
apadernoapaderno
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4
I think quicker is sometimes used as an adjective, but as an adverb both are used to the same effect. From Google’s Ngram, it seems that quicker used to be more common but that more quickly is slightly commoner now.
answered Jun 27, 2011 at 22:51
HenryHenry
19.5k3 gold badges53 silver badges70 bronze badges
4
As I know that the word ‘quick’ is as well an adjective and as well an adverb e.g: I am quick in observing(as an adjective) and look quick(as an adverb) so from this sentences we can understand that ‘quicker and more quickly’ both are correct and are used comparative degree e.g: my cousin writes more quickly/quicker than my friend.
answered Jul 23, 2014 at 9:15
- Aghwan: 𐕒𐕡𐕚𐔼-𐕒𐕡𐕚𐔼 (usi-usi)
- Albanian: shpejt (sq)
- Arabic: بِسُرْعَة (bisurʕa), عَاجِلًا (ʕājilan)
- Egyptian Arabic: بِسُرْعَة (besurʿa)
- Hijazi Arabic: بِسُرْعَة (bisurʿa), قَوَام (gawām)
- Libyan Arabic: فيسع
- Moroccan Arabic: بالزربة (b-ez-zarba)
- South Levantine Arabic: بِسُرْعَة (bsurʿa)
- Armenian: արագ (hy) (arag)
- Assamese: সোনকালে (xünkale)
- Azerbaijani: tez (az), cəld (az), tezbazar
- Bashkir: тиҙ (tið), шәп (şäp)
- Belarusian: ху́тка (xútka), шы́бка (šýbka), шпа́рка (špárka), бо́рзда (bórzda), пру́дка (prúdka), ско́ра (skóra)
- Bengali: জলদি (bn) (jôldi), তাড়াতাড়ি (taṛataṛi)
- Breton: buan (br)
- Bulgarian: бъ́рзо (bg) n (bǎ́rzo)
- Burmese: အမြန် (a.mran), မြန်မြန် (mranmran)
- Catalan: ràpidament (ca), de pressa (ca), prest (ca)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 迅速地 (zh) (xùnsù de), 快速地 (zh) (kuàisù de), 急速地 (zh) (jísù de), 趕快地／赶快地 (zh) (gǎnkuài de)
- Czech: rychle (cs), honem (cs), valem
- Dagbani: biribbirib
- Danish: hurtig (da), hurtigt
- Dutch: snel (nl), vlug (nl), gauw (nl), spoedig (nl), gezwind (nl)
- Egyptian: (ꜣs)
- Esperanto: rapide (eo)
- Estonian: kiiresti (et)
- Faroese: skjótt
- Finnish: nopeasti (fi), äkkiä (fi)
- French: rapidement (fr), vite (fr)
- Galician: rápido (gl), rapidamente (gl), lixeiro (gl)
- Georgian: სწრაფად (sc̣rapad), ჩქარა (čkara), უცბად (ucbad)
- German: schnell (de), rasch (de), geschwind (de)
- Greek: γρήγορα (el) (grígora)
- Ancient: τάχα (tákha), ταχέως (takhéōs), θοῶς (thoôs)
- Guaraní: pya’e
- Hawaiian: wikiwiki
- Hebrew: מַהֵר (he) (mahér)
- Hindi: झटपट (hi) (jhaṭpaṭ), जल्दी से (hi) (jaldī se)
- Hungarian: gyorsan (hu)
- Icelandic: fljótt
- Ido: rapide (io)
- Indonesian: dengan cepat
- Interlingua: rapido, rapidemente
- Irish: go haibéil
- Italian: rapidamente (it) m
- Japanese: 速く (ja) (はやく, hayaku), どんどん (ja) (dondon)
- Kazakh: тез (kk) (tez)
- Khmer: ញាប់ (km) (ñŏəp), ត្រឹង (km) (trəng), ត្រុយ (km) (troy)
- Korean: 빨리 (ko) (ppalli), 어서 (ko) (eoseo)
- Kurdish:
- Central Kurdish: بەھەڵەداوان (behelledawan), بە پەلەوە (be pelewe), بەگورجی (begurcî)
- Northern Kurdish: zû (ku), bi lez (ku), lezgîn (ku)
- Kyrgyz: тез (ky) (tez)
- Lao: ໄວໆ (wai wai), ກຸ່ນ (kun), ໄວ (wai)
- Latin: citō, celeriter
- Latvian: ātri
- Lithuanian: greitai
- Macedonian: брзо (brzo)
- Malay: dengan cepat, lekas, lajak, segera, chedera
- Malayalam: പെട്ടെന്ന് (ml) (peṭṭennŭ)
- Maore Comorian: haraka
- Middle English: quykly
- Mongolian:
- Cyrillic: хурдан (mn) (xurdan), түргэн (mn) (türgen)
- Mongolian: ᠬᠤᠷᠳᠤᠨ (qurdun), ᠲᠦᠷᠭᠡᠨ (türgen)
- Navajo: hah, haneetehee
- Ngazidja Comorian: ha mbwiri, ha haraka, haraka
- Norman: vite (Jersey), rapidement (Jersey)
- Northern Thai: ᩅᩮᩥ᩠ᨿ
- Norwegian: fort (no)
- Ojibwe: wewiib
- Old English: hrædlīċe
- Old Norse: skjótt, fljótt
- Old Portuguese: toste
- Oriya: ଶୀଘ୍ର (or) (śighrô)
- Pashto: زر (ps) (zǝr), ژر (ps) (žәr)
- Persian: تند (fa) (tond), بهسرعت (be-sor’at), سریعاً (fa) (sari’an), جلدی (fa) (jaldi) (informal), بهتندی (be-tondi)
- Plautdietsch: fluks
- Polish: szybko (pl), prędko (pl), bystro
- Portuguese: rápido (pt), rapidamente (pt)
- Punjabi:
- Gurmukhi: ਛੇਤੀ (chetī)
- Shahmukhi: چھیتِی (chetī)
- Romani: sig
- Romanian: rapid (ro), repede (ro)
- Russian: бы́стро (ru) (býstro), ско́ро (ru) (skóro)
- Sanskrit: आशु (sa) (āśu), मक्षू (sa) (makṣū)
- Scottish Gaelic: gu grad
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic: бр̑зо
- Roman: bȓzo (sh)
- Shan: ၽႂ်း (pháue)
- Slovak: rýchlo
- Slovene: hítro (sl)
- Spanish: rápido (es), con velocidad, rápidamente (es), con prontitud, con celeridad, con presteza, deprisa (es)
- Sylheti: ꠎꠟ꠆ꠖꠤ (zoldi)
- Tajik: тез (tez), зуд (tg) (zud)
- Tatar: тиз (tiz)
- Telugu: త్వరగా (te) (tvaragā)
- Thai: เร็ว (th) (reo), ไว (th) (wai)
- Tocharian B: ramer
- Turkish: çabuk (tr), tez (tr)
- Turkmen: çalt
- Ukrainian: шви́дко (uk) (švýdko), би́стро (uk) (býstro), ско́ро (skóro), пру́дко (prúdko), ху́тко (xútko), шпа́рко (špárko), бо́рзо (uk) (bórzo)
- Urdu: جلدی سے (jaldī se), جلدی (jaldī)
- Uyghur: تېز (tëz)
- Uzbek: tez (uz), tezda (uz)
- Vietnamese: nhanh (vi), mau (vi), lẹ (vi)
- Walloon: radmint (wa), raddimint (wa), vitmint (wa), abeydimint (wa)
- West Frisian: hurd, fluch, gau (fy)
- Yiddish: געשווינד (geshvind), גיך (gikh)