In fact there are quite a lot of two-syllable adjectives where we have a choice:Ĭlever, common, cruel, gentle, likely, narrow, pleasant, polite This is only to be expected, as that is following the standard rule for two syllable adjectives ending in -y.īut it's certainly true that 'more friendly' is also used, and especially in the past.
Here are a few more to add to porsche's list:īubbly, curmudgeonly, prickly, comely, manly, deadly, silly, chillyĮven though sillily and chillily do seem to exist (although being red-lined by Firefox), I personally would never use them and would stick to the 'in a ~ way / manner' formula, and that's certainly what we teach our EFL students.Īs for comparative and superlative, all the dictionaries I've checked (including Merriam-Webster, Oxford, American Heritage, Longman) list - 'friendlier, friendliest', none saying anything about 'more friendly'. I have to agree with the majority of native speakers on this thread, 'friendlily', even though listed by Oxford and Merriam-Webster, sounds awkward, and I have no problems with 'in friendly way', 'in a friendly manner' or 'in a friendly fashion' - Īs porsche has already mentioned, 'friendly' is by no means unique in this regard there are quite a lot of adjectives ending in -ly that don't normally take an extra -ily.
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