ADJECTIVES and

ADVERBS
 Basic Grammar Review – 1
O Modifiers

O Adjectives
O Adverbs
O A common way of expanding the basic
sentence is with modifiers---words that add to
the meaning of other words.
O Simplest modifiers are adjectives and
adverbs.

O Adjectives modify nouns.

O Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other
adverbs.

O The clown’s sad smile touched us deeply.

 Adverbs
O Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives,
and other adverbs. (You can
recognize adverbs easily because
many of them are formed by adding
-ly to an adjective, though that
is not always the case.) The
most common question that
adverbs answer is how.
O I go there occasionally.
O I occasionally go there.
O Occasionally I go there.
O Rule 1
Generally, if a word answers the question how, it is an
adverb. If it can have an -ly added to it, place it there.

Examples:
O She thinks slowly.
She thinks how? slowly.
O She is a slow thinker.
Slow does not answer how, so no -ly is attached. Slow
is an adjective here.
O She thinks fast.
Fast answers the question how, so it is an adverb.
But fast never has an -ly attached to it.
O We performed badly.
Badly describes how we performed.
O Rule 2

O A special -ly rule applies when four

of the senses - taste, smell, look, feel
- are the verbs. Do not ask if these
senses answer the question how to
determine if -ly should be attached.
Instead, ask if the sense verb is
being used actively. If so, use the -ly.
Examples:
O Roses smell sweet.
Do the roses actively smell with noses? No, so no
-ly.
O The woman looked angry.
Did the woman actively look with eyes or are we
describing her appearance? We are only describing
appearance, so no -ly.
O The woman looked angrily at the paint
splotches.
Here the woman did actively look with eyes, so the
-ly is added.
O She feels bad about the news.
She is not feeling with fingers, so no -ly.
Rule 3

O When referring to health, use well rather than

good.

Example:
O I do not feel well. You do not look well today.

Note: You may use good with feel when you are not
referring to health.

Example:
O I feel good about my decision to learn Spanish.
Rule 4

O A common error in using adjectives and

adverbs arises from using the wrong form
for comparison. For instance, to describe
one thing we would say poor, as in, "She is
poor." To compare two things, we should say
poorer, as in, "She is the poorer of the two
women." To compare more than two things,
we should say poorest, as in, "She is the
poorest of them all."
O Let's look at verbs first.

O "She sang beautifully." Beautifully is

an adverb that modifies the verb
sang. It tells us how she sang.

O "The player played carelessly."

Carelessly is an adverb that modifies
the verb played. It tells us how the
player played.
Adverbs modify adjectives and
other adverbs as well.
O "That woman is extremely nice." Nice is
an adjective that modifies the noun
woman. Extremely is an adverb that
modifies nice; it tells us how nice she is.
How nice is she? She's extremely nice.

O "It was a terribly hot afternoon." Hot is

an adjective that modifies the noun
afternoon. Terribly is an adverb that
modifies the adjective hot. How hot is
it? Terribly hot.
O Not all adverbs are flexible. They are
ADVERBS, not part of the verb; as,
1. Ben speaks well.
2. Ken did not answer the telephone.
3. Kevin never leaves work early.
O So, generally speaking, adverbs answer
the question how. (They can also answer
the questions when, where, and why.)
Adverbs modify other adverbs also.
O She sang very beautifully.
O They moved quite slowly down the
road.
O He is almost always hungry.
Identify the Adverbs
Exercise:
1. He drove his employees hard.
2. Alice sometimes goofs off.
3. He clearly articulates each word.
4. She often makes mistakes.
5. Anita never asks questions.
6. Dennis will sometimes correct her errors.
7. Jane reads very slowly.
8. The resume should be typed accurately.
9. It should also include your educational
background.
10. She can also concentrate on her job.
Identify the Verbs and Adverbs in the given
sentences.
1. Greg desperately wanted a vacation.
2. So he cautiously asked his boss for time off.
3. She answered him regretfully.
4. She seriously needed his help.
5. He patiently explained his needs.
6. His mind had been wandering aimlessly.
7. His work was being done sloppily.
8. His boss looked at Greg hesitantly.
9. Then she calmly told him to go.
10. He politely thanked her.
Adjectives
 Adjectives

O Any word or group of words that adds information

to a noun or pronoun.

O “I ate a meal”. Meal is a noun. We don’t know

what kind of meal; all we know is that someone
ate a meal.
O "I ate an enormous lunch.“
O Lunch is a noun, and enormous is an
adjective that modifies it. It tells us what
kind of meal the person ate.

Adjectives usually answer one of a few

different questions: "What kind?" or
"Which?" or "How many?“

For example:
O "The tall boy is learning a new program.“
O Tall tells us which boy we're talking
about. New tells us what kind of program
we're talking about.
O "The tough professor gave us the final
exam."

O "Fifteen students passed the midterm exam;

twelve students passed the final exam."
Fifteen and twelve both tell us how
many students; midterm and final both
tell us which exam.
So, generally speaking, adjectives
answer the following questions:

Which?
What kind of?
How many?
Identify the Adjectives
1. A roving reporter phoned in her story.
2. It concerned a growing controversy.
3. The demanding editor wanted the details.
4. The reporter interviewed a politician accused of
graft.
5. She asked provoking questions.
6. The alleged criminal did not evade the questions.
7. He had been offered a tempting bribe.
8. Refusing, he called the FBI.
9. They had been investigating the suspected
politician.
10. He claimed to be an honest man.
Division
Three classes of adjectives:
1. Adjectives of Quality
2. Adjectives of Quantity
3. Adjectives of Number
 1. Adjectives of Quality
O Show the ‘kind or quality’ of a person
or thing; as,
O Kolkata is a large city.
O He is an honest man.
O The foolish old crow tried to sing.
O This is the Grammar of the English
language.
2. Adjectives of Quantity
O Show ‘how much’ of a thing is
meant; as,
O I ate some rice.
O He showed much patience.
O He has little intelligence.
O He has lost all his wealth.
O He did not eat any food.
O The whole sum was expected.
O There has not been sufficient rain this
year.
3. Adjectives of Number
O Show how much/many persons or things
are meant, or in what order a person or
thing stands; as,

O The hand has five fingers.

O There are no pictures in this book.
O I have taught you many things.
O Sunday is the first day of the week.
O There are several mistakes in your
exercise.
 Fill in the words in brackets as adjective or
adverb.
1. The bus driver was _______ injured. (serious)
2. Kevin ______ is clever. (extreme)
3. This food at the new restaurant tastes
_______ . (awful)
4. Be _____ with this glass of milk. It's hot.
(careful)
5. Robin looks _____. What's the matter with
him? (sad)
6. Jack is _____ upset about losing his keys.
(terrible)
7. This steak smells ______ . (good)
8. Our basketball team played _____ last Friday.
(bad)
9. Don't speak so _____ . I can't understand you.
 Adjectives of Number
O Three kinds;
1. Definite Numeral Adjectives
2. Indefinite Numeral Adjectives
3. Distributive Numeral Adjectives
1. Definite Numeral Adjectives:
O Which denote an exact number; as,
O One, two, three, etc ………. Called
Cardinals denoting how many.

O Which denote the order of things in a

series.
O First, second, third, etc ….. Called Ordinals
denoting the order of things.
2. Indefinite Numeral Adjectives:
O Which do not denote an exact number; as,
O All
O Many
O Few
O Some
O Any
O Certain
O Several
O Sundry
3. Distributive Numeral Adjectives:
O Which refers to each one of a
number; as,
O Each boy must take his turn.
O Every word of it is false.
O Either pen will do.
O On either side is a narrow lane.
O Neither of the accusation is true.
Turn each of these words into an adjective
by providing an appropriate suffix and then
come up with an appropriate sentence.
1. Care 11. Compare
2. Express 12. Terror
3. Luck 13. verb
4. Boast 14. Glory
5. Admit15. Biology
6. Spine 16. Insist
7. Photograph 17. Mood
8. Infinity 18. Planet
9. Sense 19. Bible
10. Magic