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Section Outline
Adjectives and adverbs are both descriptive words and phrases. They are used to clarify, explain, describe and otherwise delimit the meaning of other parts of speech and sentence elements. Although regular adverbs are generally recognized by an "ly" ending, irregular forms can cause confusion. When considering the proper form of a modifier, ask yourself what word is being modified. Basic uses of adjectives and adverbs
(Bedford 26a/Hodges' 4a) Adjective: She gave the swing a gentle push. "Gentle" is an adjective that modifies push. What kind of push did she give? A gentle one. Adverb: She pushed the swing gently. "Gently" is an adverb that modifies the verb "pushed." How did she push the swing? Gently. Adverb: She pushed the swing with a gently soothing rhythm. "Gently" is an adverb that modifies the adjective "soothing." How soothing was the rhythm? Gently soothing. Complements
(Bedford 26b/Hodges' 4b) Fear is irrational. The roast beef smells funny. Quentin is not as happy as he appears. Subject complements usually follow a linking verb: is, seems, appears, smells, tastes, feels. An object complement completes the meaning of the direct object of the clause. Because a direct object is always a noun or a pronoun, it can be modified only by an adjective. I declare the games finished. The direct object is "games." Winston considered the judges careful. Here Winston is describing the judges as careful. Contrast with "Winston considered the judges carefully." In this sentence, Winston is giving the judges his careful consideration. How, or in what manner, did he consider them? Carefully. The first sentence uses the verb "consider" as a linking verb. How did he consider them? In other words, how did the judges seem to him? Careful. Comparatives and superlatives
(Bedford 26c/Hodges' 4c) Karen is the smaller of the twins. Colleen studied longer than Kate did. Colleen studied more thoroughly than Kate did. Superlatives involve a distinction among three or more subjects. They generally end in "est" or follow the qualifying adverb "most." Bethany is the tallest of the triplets. Nicole earned the highest grade in the class. This assumes that there are at least three grades given in the class. Irregular comparative and superlative forms are learned early in life. We know "good, better, best." and "many, more, most." A dictionary can provide comparative and superlative forms for adjectives. There are a few adverbs which also follow these forms Examples include the following comparative and superlative forms: To try harder, the hardest To live longer, longest To do better, the best Double negatives (Bedford
26d/Hodges' 4e) Correct: Mariah shouldn't eat any grains Incorrect: She shouldn't eat no grains. In fact, readers today may take the opposite meaning from the second sentence, believing that Mariah should eat grains. We can't do nothing about that misunderstanding. If the writer means to say that nothing can be done, then the correct form is this: We can't do anything about that misunderstanding. The first form suggests that we must do something, that we can't simply sit back and ignore the misunderstanding.
Tutorial
1. Marie did good/well on the first test. Correct answer: well Well is an adverb that describes how Marie did (how she performed) on the test. Good is an adjective; it can modify only a noun or a pronoun. Return to tutorial questions
2. Do you think she is prejudice/prejudiced? Correct answer: prejudiced Prejudice can be either a noun (She shows her prejudice through her choice of words.) or a verb (I don't want to prejudice you against the film before you see it.). The first choice, "prejudice," can only be a noun. The second choice is an adjective formed by adding "ed" to the noun. In the same way that you would say she was biased (the noun bias plus the "ed" ending), you may say she is prejudiced. Adjectives may also be formed by adding "ed" to a verb: This seat is taken. The door is closed. Return to tutorial questions
3. Were the games judged fair/fairly? Correct answer: fairly Fairly is an adverb that tells how the games were judged. It modifies "were judged," the verb of the sentence. Return to tutorial questions
4. My sister says she feels good/well today. Correct answer: well Although "well" can function as an adverb (She plays the piano well.) it serves as an adjective in this sentence. The transitive verb "feels" calls for a subject complement, an adjective which describes the subject "sister." The adjective "well" generally describes a person's health; it serves as the opposite of "ill." Return to tutorial questions
5. She didn't take any/no medicine this morning. Correct answer: any The contraction "didn't" includes the negative "not". The construction "She didn't take no medicine" would be a double negative. Return to tutorial questions
6. Sandy is the smaller/smallest of the twins. Correct answer: smaller The word "twins" suggests that Sandy is being compared to just one other person. A comparison calls for a comparative adjective form, (with an "er" ending) rather than a superlative one (with an "est" ending). Return to tutorial questions
7. Speak soft/softly in the library. Correct answer: softly "Softly is an adverb that modifies the verb "speak." It explains how a person should speak in the library. Return to tutorial questions
8. I considered the boys rude/rudely. Correct answer: rude "Rude" is an object complement that modifies the direct object of the sentence, "boys." Because a direct object is always a noun or a pronoun, it can be modified only by an adjective. Return to tutorial questions
9. The boys acted rude/rudely in the theater. Correct answer: rudely "Rudely" is an adverb which describes how the boys acted in the theater. It modifies the verb "acted." Return to tutorial questions
10. My mother felt bad/badly about selling my Barbie dolls. Correct answer: bad The transitive verb "felt" calls for a subject complement, a modifier that describes mother, the subject of the sentence. A subject complement must be an adjective, because a subject is always a noun or a pronoun. Return to tutorial questions
11. Of the three boys, Ron is the taller/tallest. Correct answer: tallest The superlative (est) form of the adjective "tall" is needed to modify a person or object included in a group of three or more. When choosing between comparative and superlative adjectives, look for clues in the sentence that suggest how many persons or things are being discussed. Return to tutorial questions
12. Can you divide that piece of pie equally/equal among us? Correct answer: equally "Equally" is an adverb that modifies the verb "divide." It suggests how the pie is to be divided. Return to tutorial questions
13. It was a real/really disturbing film. Correct answer: really "Really" is an adverb that modifies the adjective "disturbing". An adverb can modify an adjective, but an adjective such as "real" cannot serve this function. The casual usage of "real" as an adverb has become so widespread that it may sound correct to the ear. It is not. Return to tutorial questions
14. I feel good/well about my mother's new job. Correct answer: Good As a transitive verb, "feel" connects the subject "I" with the subject complement "good." The subject complement tells us more about the subject; it must be an adjective rather than an adverb. Return to tutorial questions
15. We played hard/hardly, but we still lost. Correct answer: hard In this sentence "hard" is an adverb that modifies the verb "played." The context of the sentence suggests that the team played well or with great effort. The incorrect choice "hardly" does not fit with the meaning of the sentence, because it suggests that the team did not play much at all. The adverb "hard" is classified by grammarians as a hard adverb; hundreds of years ago it ended in an "e" and was in that manner distinguishable from the adjective "hard." Return to tutorial questions
16. She looked weary/wearily out the window. Correct answer: wearily The verb "look" can be a transitive verb, but in this sentence it is an active verb. In this example, the verb "look" is synonymous with "stared." So the adverb "wearily" tells us how she looked, that is, how she used her eyes. If "look" were used as a transitive verb, it would connect the subject to a subject complement and would therefore call for an adjective. Contrast this item with the following sentence, in which "look" serves as a transitive verb:Sharon looked so calm as she walked toward the podium. Return to tutorial questions
17. Ebony felt careful/carefully among the bushes, hoping to recover her lost ring. Correct answer: Carefully Like the verb "look," the verb "to feel" can be transitive or active. When it connects the subject of the sentence with a subject complement that tells us more about the subject, the sentence calls for an adjective. In this sentence, however, the verb presents an action. Ebony is using her hand to search for a ring. So the movement must be described with the adverb "carefully." When choosing the correct modifier, look for clues in the meaning of the sentence. Contrast the active form of "feel" with the transitive form in the following sentence: Ebony felt terrible about having lost her grandmother's wedding ring. Return to tutorial questions
18. Because they are bred for hunting, most retrievers smell quite good/well. Correct answer: well The meaning of this sentence suggests that the verb "smell" is active and not transitive. The modifier "well" is an adverb that tells how retrievers smell, or how they use their noses. The sentence offers no commentary on how pleasant retrievers appear to our olfactory sense. If it were intended to convey that information, then the transitive form would be correct: With regularly bathing to remove the oil from their fur, most retrievers smell pretty good. Return to tutorial questions
19. Benny wants no/any ice cream on his pie. Correct answer: no This example further refines the use of negatives in a sentence. In this case "no" is the only negative used, so it is correct. Although it would be incorrect to couple "no" with another negative (as in "Benny doesn't want no ice cream on his pie."), it may serve by itself as a negative modifier. Return to tutorial questions
20. The novel described a chilling/chillingly lifelike ghost. Correct answer: chillingly "Chillingly" is an adverb that modifies the adjective "lifelike." Only an adverb can modify an adjective. Return to tutorial questions
21. The reading assignment wasn't terribly/terrible long. Correct answer: Terribly "Terribly" is an adverb that modifies the subject complement "long." Return to tutorial questions
22. Vivian is the most happy/happiest clown in the troupe. Correct answer: most happy You would not use the redundant term "most happiest." "Most happy" is the correct superlative form of the adjective "happy." It is used to point out a distinction in a group of three or more people or things. End of tutorial
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