Study smarter, not harder: V+adj?

[Hantth]

As I know, a verb should come with an adverb, not adjective (except for linking verbs). I don't know why people say: "Study smarter, not harder". Study is not a linking verb, and smart is an adjective.

 

[jutfrank]

I think the simplest way for a learner to understand this is to see these comparative words as adverbs.

drive faster
eat better
work harder
study smarter

 

[dunchee]

... and smart is an adjective.

What jutfrank said. Some dictionaries, not all, do have the entry of 'smart' as an adverb:

• https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/smart (It was Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.)
• https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smart
• https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/smart
• https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/smart

and more.

 

[Phaedrus]

As I know, a verb should come with an adverb, not adjective (except for linking verbs). I don't know why people say: "Study smarter, not harder". Study is not a linking verb, and smart is an adjective.

Given the choice between "more smartly" and "smarter" in the sentence in question, the latter form is needed for parallelism's (not just idiomaticity's) sake:

Study smarter, not harder.
?* Study more smartly, not harder.

Note that "more hardly" is not even an option here, the adverb "hardly" having a completely different meaning from the adverb "hard."

 

[Hantth]

Thank you all for your explanation. I also see: "Study smart, not hard", so "smart" should be considered an adverb here. It does sound better than "smartly".

 

[tedmc]

I prefer using the positive, "study smart, not hard" rather than the comparative, which you are supposed to make a comparison.