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There are several words which are used both as adjectives and as adverbs.
Some adjectives formed by adding ly to nouns are also used as adverbs.
Examples are: early, daily, weekly, yearly, hourly, quarterly, half-yearly etc.
This is a weekly journal. (Here the adjective weekly modifies the noun journal.)
It comes out weekly. (Here the adverb weekly modifies the verb comes.)
We boarded an early train. (Here the adjective early modifies the noun train.)
I get up early. (Here the adverb early modifies the verb get up.)
Adjectives ending in -ly
Note that the following words can be used only as adjectives and not as adverbs: beastly, costly, cowardly, deadly,
friendly, likely, brotherly, kingly, leisurely, lovely, lively, womanly, princely, scholarly, silly, ugly and unlikely.
She offered some friendly advice. (Here the adjective friendly modifies the noun advice.)
There are no adverbs friendly/friendlily. Instead we use an adverb phrase.
She offered some advice in a friendly manner.
Words used both as Adjectives and Adverbs
The following words may be used both as adjectives and adverbs. Some examples are given below; for more detailed
information, check in a good dictionary.
Fast
Modern man leads a fast life. (Here the adjective fast modifies the noun life.)
He drove the car fast. (Here the adverb fast modifies the verb drove.)
Half
Each of us has half ownership in the property. (Here the adjective half modifies the noun ownership.)
She was half crying, half laughing. (Here the adverb half modifies the verbs crying and laughing.)
She is half Spanish, half French. (Here the adverb half modifies the adjectives Spanish and French.)
Straight
Dont expect to get a straight answer from her. (Here the adjective straight modifies the noun answer.)
She went straight home. (Here the adverb straight modifies the verb went.)
Just
The train just left. (Adverb)
He arrived just in time. (Adverb)
God is just. (Adjective)
Late
The meeting is scheduled for late evening. (Adjective)
He arrived late. (Adverb)
She worked late. (Adverb)
Low
We are low on supplies. (Adjective)
Her voice was low. (Adjective)
She turned the gas down low. (Adverb)
The helicopter flew low over the trees. (Adverb)
Most
This is the most expensive gadget I have bought. (Adverb)
Most people enjoy playing with kids. (Adjective)
Clear
They moved clear across the country. (Adverb)
She has a clear complexion. (Adjective)
Clean
He is very clean in his habits. (Adjective)
We want to play the game clean. (Adverb)
"I ate a meal." Meal is a noun. The reader does not know what kind of meal
this is, leaving a lot of room open for interpretation.
"I ate an enormous meal." Meal is a noun, and enormous is an adjective that
modifies it. It tells us what kind of meal the person ate. By using adjectives,
the writer gives the reader a better understanding of the noun.
Adjectives clarify the noun by answering one of the following different questions: "What kind?"
or "Which?" or "How many?" For example:
"The tall girl is riding her bike." Tall tells the reader which girl the writer is
talking about.
Our old van needs to be replaced soon. Old tells the reader what kind
of van the writer is describing.
"The tough professor gave us the final exam." Tough tells the reader what
kind of professor we're talking about. Final tells the reader which exam.
"Fifteen students passed the midterm exam; twelve students passed the final
exam." Fifteen and twelve both tell the reader how
many students; midterm and final both tell the reader which exam.
Which?
How many?
be
feel
taste
smell
sound
look
appear
seem
Some examples:
"The dog is black." Black is an adjective that modifies the noun dog, but it
comes after the verb is. (Remember that "is" is a form of the verb "be.") What
kind of dog is it? A black dog.
"Brian seems sad." Sad describes the noun, Brian, not the
verb, seems. Sad answers the question which way does Brian seem?
"The milk smells rotten." What kind of smell does the milk have? A rotten
one.
"The speaker sounds hoarse." Hoarse answers the question which way does
the speaker sound?
The ice-cream looks melted. Here, melted does not describe the verb looks.
It describes the noun ice cream. What kind of ice cream does it look like?
Melted ice cream.
Alex feels sleepy. What kind of way does Alex feel? Sleepy.
"She sang beautifully." Beautifully is an adverb that modifies sang. It tells the
reader how she sang.
Adverbs answer the question how. They can also answer the questions when, where, and why.
They all went there for the party. There is where they all went to the party.
The swim team practices every morning to develop good habits. To develop
good habits acts as an adverbial infinitive phrase that explains why the swim
team practices every morning. Answering the question why usually requires
an infinitive phrase.
How?
When?
Where?
Why?
"The dog smells clean." Here, clean describes the dog itself. It's not that he smells something
clean; it's that he's had a bath and does not stink. Clean describes what kind of smell comes from
the dog making it an adjective.
"The dog smells carefully." Here, carefully describes how the dog smells, making it an adverb.
We imagine him sniffing cautiously.
Or:
Kai dressed for the quick recital. Here, quick describes the noun, recital, making it
an adjective. What kind of recital? A quick one.
Kai dressed quickly for the recital. Quickly describes the way Kai dressed, making it
an adverb because it modifies the verb dressed. How did Kai dress? Quickly.
Or:
Look at the nice bed. Nice modifies the noun, bed, in this sentence, making it an adjective.
Look at the nicely made bed. Nicely modifies the adjective, made, in this sentence, making it
an adverb.
Or:
Joseph seems strange and upset. Strange and upset modify the proper noun, Joseph, in this
sentence, so strange and upset are both adjectives.
Joseph seems strangely upset. Strangely modifies the adjective, upset, in this sentence,
so strangely is an adverb.
In general, when a word has the ending -ly, it will act as an adverb. Pay close attention to how
the noun is modified, as this is the final criteria when deciding between an adjective and adverb.
This worksheet discusses the differences between adjectives and adverbs. It defines adjectives
and adverbs, shows what each can do, and offers several examples of each in use. Click here for
some examples.
1. Bad or Badly?
When you want to describe how you feel, you should use an adjective So you'd say, "I
feel bad." Saying "I feel badly" would be like saying you play football badly. "I feel
badly" would mean that you are unable to feel, as though your hands were numb. Here
are some other examples:
o "The dog smells badly." Here, badly means that the dog does not do a
good job of smelling.
o "The dog smells bad." Here, "bad" means that dog needs a bath.
N.B. Sometimes people say "I feel badly" when they feel that they have done something
wrong. Let's say you dropped your friend's favorite dish, and it broke into a million
pieces. You might say, "I feel really badly about what happened."
2. Good or Well?
Good is an adjective, so you do not do good or live good, but you do well and live well.
Remember, though, that an adjective follows sense-verbs and be-verbs, so you also feel
good,look good, smell good, are good, have been good, etc. So:
"My mother looks good." This does not mean that she has good eyesight; it means that
she appears healthy.
"I feel really good today." Again, this does not mean that I touch things successfully. It
means rather that I am happy or healthy.
N.B. Many people confuse this distinction in conversation, and that's okay. You will hear
people say, "I feel well" when they mean that they feel good. However, if you're talking
about action verbs, you'd say "well." "I did well on my exam." "She plays tennis well."
3. Sure or Surely?
o "The Senator spoke out surely." Here, surely describes how the senator
spoke.
N.B. Surely can also be used as a sentence-adverb. For example, "Surely, you're joking."
Here, surely describes the entire sentence "you're joking." The sentence more or less
means, "You must be joking."
4. Near or Nearly?
Near can function as a verb, adverb, adjective, or preposition. Nearly is used as an adverb
to mean "in a close manner" or "almost but not quite." Here are some examples that
demonstrate the differences between various uses of near and nearly.
o "I'll be seeing you in the near future." Here, near describes the noun
"future."
o "The cat crept near." Near is an adverb that describes where the cat
crept.
o "Don't worry; we're nearly there." Here, nearly describes how close we
are.
o "I want the couch near the window." Near is a preposition at the head
of the phrase "near the window."
ADJECTIVE OR ADVERB
THE DIFFERENCE
An adjective tells us more about a noun. Example: an expensive car, a clever girl
Double forms
Verb + adverb
Adjective + adverb
Adverb + adverb
Definitions
Examples:
That is a cute puppy.
She likes a high school senior.
Examples:
He speaks slowly (tells how)
He speaks very slowly (the adverb very tells how slowly)
She arrived today (tells when)
She will arrive in an hour (this adverb phrase tells when)
Let's go outside (tells where)
We looked in the basement (this adverb phrase tells where)
Bernie left to avoid trouble (this adverb phrase tells why)
Jorge works out strenuously (tells to what extent)
Jorge works out whenever possible (this adverb phrase tells to what
extent)
Rule 1. Many adverbs end in -ly, but many do not. Generally, if a word can
have -ly added to its adjective form, place it there to form an adverb.
Examples:
She thinks quick/quickly.
How does she think? Quickly.
Rule 2. Adverbs that answer the question how sometimes cause grammatical
problems. It can be a challenge to determine if -ly should be attached. Avoid
the trap of -ly with linking verbs such as taste, smell, look, feel, which pertain
to the senses. Adverbs are often misplaced in such sentences, which require
adjectives instead.
Examples:
Roses smell sweet/sweetly.
Do the roses actively smell with noses? No; in this case, smell is a linking
verbwhich requires an adjective to modify rosesso no -ly.
Examples:
You did a good job.
Good describes the job.
Rule 4. The word well can be an adjective, too. When referring to health, we
often use well rather than good.
Examples:
You do not look well today.
I don't feel well, either.
A common error in using adjectives and adverbs arises from using the wrong
form of comparison. To compare two things, always use
a comparative adjective:
Rule 6. There are also three degrees of adverbs. In formal usage, do not
drop the -ly from an adverb when using the comparative form.
Rule 7. When this, that, these, and those are followed by a noun, they are
adjectives. When they appear without a noun following them, they are
pronouns.
Examples:
This house is for sale.
This is an adjective.