Adjectives and Adverbs

Verb Noun Adjective Adverb Pronoun Preposition Conjunction

Interjection

Verb Noun Adjective Adverb Pronoun Preposition Conjunction

Interjection

Verb Noun Adjective Adverb Pronoun Preposition Conjunction

Interjection

Adjectives and Adverbs

Adjectives are words that describe nouns or pronouns. They may come before the word they describe (That is a cute puppy.) or they may follow the word they describe (That puppy is cute.). Delicious Solid Melodic Red Adverbs are words that modify everything but nouns and pronouns. They modify adjectives, verbs, and other adverbs. A word is an adverb if it answers how, when, or where.

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Puny

Adjectives and Adverbs

Adjectives are words that describe nouns or pronouns. They may come before the word they describe (That is a cute puppy.) or they may follow the word they describe (That puppy is cute.). Delicious Solid Melodic Red Adverbs are words that modify everything but nouns and pronouns. They modify adjectives, verbs, and other adverbs. A word is an adverb if it answers how, when, or where.

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Delightfully Expertly Randomly Sloppily

Puny

Adjectives
The Basic Rule in Adjectives Adjectives modify nouns. To modify means to change in some way. For example:
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I ate a meal. Meal is a noun. We dont know what kind of meal; all we know is that someone ate a meal.
I ate an enormous lunch. Launch is a noun, and enormous is an adjective that modifies it. It tells us what kind of meal the person ate.

Adjectives
Adjectives usually answer one of a few different questions: "What kind?" or "Which?" or "How many?" For example: - "The tall girl is riding a new bike." Tall tells us which girl we're talking about. New tells us what kind of bike we're talking about. - "The tough professor gave us the final exam." Tough tells us what kind of professor we're talking about. Final tells us which exam we're talking about.

- "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.

Adjectives
Different Types of Adjectives Opinion Size Age Shape Color

Origin
Material Purpose

Adjectives
Different Types of Adjectives Opinion Size Age Shape Color

Origin
Material Purpose

Adjectives
Different Types of Adjectives Opinions
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An opinion adjective explains what you think about something (other people may not agree with you).

Examples: silly, beautiful, horrible, difficult

Adjectives
Different Types of Adjectives Size
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A size adjective, of course, tells you how big or small something is.

Examples: large, tiny, enormous, little

Adjectives
Different Types of Adjectives Age
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An age adjective tells you how young or old something or someone is.

Examples: ancient, new, young, old

Adjectives
Different Types of Adjectives Shape
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A shape adjective describes the shape of something.

Examples: square, round, flat, rectangular

Adjectives
Different Types of Adjectives Color
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A color adjective, of course, describes the color of something.

Examples: blue, pink, reddish, grey

Adjectives
Different Types of Adjectives Origin
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An origin adjective describes where something comes from.

Examples: French, lunar, American, eastern, Greek

Adjectives
Different Types of Adjectives Material
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A material adjective describes what something is made from.

Examples: wooden, metal, cotton, paper

Adjectives
Different Types of Adjectives Purpose
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A purpose adjective describes what something is used for. These adjectives often end with -ing.

Examples: sleeping (as in sleeping bag), roasting (as in roasting tin)

Adjectives
Possessive Adjectives
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A possessive adjective tells us that someone owns (or possesses) something.

My, your, his and her are all possessive adjectives.

Examples: This is my brother.

Where is your sister?

How much did his car cost?

Adjectives
Compound Adjectives A compound adjective is an adjective that comprises more than one word. Usually, hyphens are used to link the words together to show that it is one adjective.

Adjectives
Compound Adjectives Examples:
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Please request a four-foot table. (Four-foot is an adjective describing the table. A hyphen is used to link four and foot to show that it is one adjective.) It is a 6-page document Claire worked as a part-time keeper at the safari park. That is an all-too-common mistake.

Adjectives
Compound Adjectives from Proper Nouns
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Often adjectives are formed from proper nouns (i.e., the names of things), which should be written using capital letters. In these circumstances, there is no need to group the words together using hyphens.

Examples: Did you manage to get the Billy Elliot tickets? (The words Billy Elliot are one adjective describing the tickets. As the capital letters group the words, there is no need to use a hyphen.)

Adverbs
The Basic Rules in Adverbs 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. For example:
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"She sang beautifully." Beautifully is an adverb that modifies sang. It tells us how she sang.

"The cellist played carelessly." Carelessly is an adverb that modifies played. It tells us how the cellist played.

Adverbs
Adverbs also modify adjectives and other adverbs.
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"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. "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.

So, generally speaking, adverbs answer the question how. (They can also answer the questions when, where, and why.)

Adverbs
Other rules: Most of the time, adjectives come before nouns. However, they come after the nouns they modify, most often when the verb is a form of the following: be, feel, taste, smell, sound, look, appear, and seem

Adverbs
Some examples:
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"The dog is black." Black is an adjective that modifies the noun dog, but it comes after the verb. (Remember that "is" is a form of the verb "be.") "Brian seems sad." Sad is an adjective that modifies the noun Brian. "The milk smells rotten." Rotten is an adjective that modifies the noun milk. "The speaker sounds hoarse." Hoarse is an adjective that modifies the noun speaker.

Adverbs
Different Types of Adverbs Adverbs of Time Adverbs of Place Adverbs of Manner Adverbs of Degree

Adverbs of Frequency

Adverbs
Different Types of Adverbs Adverbs of Time
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An adverb of time tells us when something is done or happens. We use it at the beginning or at the end of a sentence. We use it as a form of emphasis when we place it at the beginning. Adverbs of time include afterwards, already, always, immediately, last month, now, soon, then, and yesterday.

Examples:
He collapsed and died yesterday. His factory was burned down a few months ago. Last week, we were stuck in the lift for an hour.

Adverbs
Different Types of Adverbs Adverbs of Place
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An adverb of place tells us where something is done or happens. We use it after the verb, object or at the end of a sentence. Adverbs of place include words such as above, below, here, outside, over there, there, under, upstairs.

Examples: We can stop here for lunch. The schoolboy was knocked over by a school bus. They rushed for their lives when fire broke out in the floor below.

Adverbs
Different Types of Adverbs Adverbs of Manner
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An adverb of manner tells us how something is done or happens. Most adverbs of manner end in ly such as badly, happily, sadly, slowly, quickly, and others that include well, hard, fast, etc

Example: The brothers were badly injured in the fight. They had to act fast to save the others floating in the water. At the advanced age of 88, she still sang very well.

Adverbs
Different Types of Adverbs Adverbs of Degree
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An adverb of degree tells us the level or extent that something is done or happens. Words of adverb of degree are almost, much, nearly, quite, really,so, too, very, etc.

Examples: It was too dark for us to find our way out of the cave. (Before adjective) The referee had to stop the match when it began to rain very heavily. (Before adverb) The accident victim nearly died from his injuries.

Adverbs
Different Types of Adverbs Adverbs of Frequency
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An adverb of frequency tells us how often something is done or happens. Words used as adverbs of frequency include again, almost, always, ever, frequently,generally, hardly ever, nearly, nearly always, never, occasionally, often,rarely, seldom, sometimes, twice, usually, and weekly.

Examples: They were almost fifty when they got married. He hardly ever say something nice to his wife. While overseas, he frequently phoned home.

Adjectives and Adverbs

Recognizing Adjectives and Adverbs
ADJECTIVES Happy kids ADVERBS Playing happily

Smooth rock Good night

Efficient workers Casual dress Quick meeting Real butter

Running smoothly Eating well

Working efficiently Dressing casually Talking quickly Really hot

Adjectives and Adverbs

Recognizing Adjectives and Adverbs
ADJECTIVES Happy kids ADVERBS Playing happily

Smooth rock Good night

Efficient workers Casual dress Quick meeting Real butter

Running smoothly Eating well

Working efficiently Dressing casually Talking quickly Really hot

Forming Adverbs from Adjectives

1. In a large number of the cases, the adverbs can be formed by simply adding -ly to the adjective.
ADJECTIVE Cheap Quick Strong ADVERB Cheaply Quickly Strongly

Forming Adverbs from Adjectives

2. If the adjective ends in with y, replace the y with an I and add -ly
ADJECTIVE Ready Merry Easy ADVERB Readily Merrily Easily

Forming Adverbs from Adjectives

3. If the adjective ends with -le, replace the e at the end with y.

ADJECTIVE Understandable Forcible Possible

ADVERB Understandably Forcibly Possibly

Forming Adverbs from Adjectives

4. If the adjective ends with -ic, add -ally.

ADJECTIVE Idiotic Tragic Basic

ADVERB Idiotically Tragically Basically

Forming Adverbs from Adjectives

5. Some adjectives do not change form at all. These are called Irregular Adverbs.
ADJECTIVE Fast Straight Hard ADVERB Fast Straight Hard

Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

POSITIVE Happy Old Careful Clever Good COMPARATIVE Happier Older More Careful Cleverer Better SUPERLATIVE Happiest Oldest Most Careful Cleverest Best

Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

The comparative form of an adjective is used for comparing two people or things (e.g. he is taller than me), while the superlative is used for comparing one person or thing with every other member of their group (e.g. he was the tallest boy in the class). Adjectives make their comparative and superlative forms in different ways, depending on the base adjective itself. Heres a quick-reference guide to the spelling of comparative and superlative adjectives:

Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

Adjectives with one syllable In general, if the adjective has one syllable, then the letters -er or -est are added: warm quick tall warmer quicker taller warmest quickest tallest

Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

Adjectives with one syllable ending in e If the adjective has one syllable and ends in e, just add -r or -st: late nice large later nicer larger latest nicest largest

Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

Adjectives with two syllables Adjectives with two syllables vary. Some add -er/-est or -r/-st: feeble feebler feeblest

Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

Some use the words more for the comparative and most for the superlative: famous more famous most famous

Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

Many can do either, like clever: clever cleverer/more clever cleverest/most clever

Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

Adjectives with three syllables or more If the adjective has three syllables or more, then the words more and most are used: interesting attractive more interesting more attractive most interesting most attractive

Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

Adjectives that change their spelling Some adjectives change their spelling when forming the comparative and superlative: Some one-syllable adjectives that end with a single consonant (e.g. big, wet, sad, fat) double this consonant before adding -er or -est: big wet sad bigger wetter sadder biggest wettest saddest

Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

If the adjective ends in y (e.g. happy, greedy, or tidy), change the y to an i and add -er or est: happy greedy tidy happier greedier tidier happiest greediest tidiest

Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

Some common adjectives have irregular comparative and superlative forms that you just have to learn: bad good little (of a quantity) much worse better less more worst best least most

Double Comparatives
Dont use more or most with er or est X Yesterday was more hotter than today. X That was the most dirtiest story I ever heard. X You are the bestest friend ever!

Absolute Concepts
Dont use comparatives or superlatives with absolute concepts Absolutes have only two possibilities, on or off, yes or no, with nothing in between These words express absolute concepts that cannot be modified
X The most perfect student in the class X A very unique idea (say very unusual instead)

Absolute Concepts
Some other examples: More priceless Quite on Quite unique Soft of dead A little bit pregnant Extremely perfect Completely anonymous