ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS

This short guide provides an overview and rules to using both adjectives and adverbs.
ADJECTIVES Adjectives Modify Nouns

Adjectives are placed directly before a noun:

Examples:
Tom is an excellent singer.
I bought a comfortable chair.

Adjectives are also used in simple sentences with the verb 'to be'. In this case, the
adjective describes the subject of the sentence:
Examples:
Jack is happy.
Peter was very tired.
Adjectives are used with sense verbs or verbs or appearance (be, feel, taste, smell, sound,
appear, become, get, look and seem) to modify the noun which comes before the verb:
Examples: The fish tasted awful.
The meat smelled rotten.
ADVERBS: Adverbs Modify Verbs, Adjectives and Other Adverbs. They tell you How,
Where, When or How much something is done. Example: How does he she sing? - She sings
beautifully.
Adverbs are easily recognized because the end in '-ly' (with a few exceptions!):
Examples:
Adjective -> careful / Adverb -> carefully
Adjective -> quick / Adverb -> quickly

Adverbs are often used at the end of a sentence to modify the verb:
Examples: Jack drove carelessly.
Tom played the match effortlessly.
Jason complained about his classes constantly.
Adverbs are used to modify adjectives: In this case, the adverb is placed before the
adjective.
Examples: They seemed extremely satisfied.
She paid increasingly high prices.
I was suddenly surprised by Alice.

Adverbs are also used to modify other adverbs:

Examples:
The people in the line moved incredibly quickly.
She wrote the report unusually neatly.

Some adjectives don't change in the adverb form. They are adjectives and adverbs: fast,
hard - hard ,early, late, weekly, montly

Good is probably the most important exception. The adverb form of 'good' is 'well'.
Example: He plays well NOT!!: He plays tennis good.

Do not use 'very' with adjectives that express an increased quality of a basic adjective
Example: good - fantastic NOT!!: She is a very fantastic woman.

Adverbs of frequency expressing infrequency are not usually used in the negative or
question form. NOT!!: Does she rarely eat fish? They don't seldom go to the cinema.

The Five Types of Adverbs

1. Adverbs of Manner: Adverbs of manner provide information on how someone does
something. They are placed after the verb or entire expression (at the end of the sentence).
For example: Their teacher speaks quickly. Jack drives very carefully.
2. Adverbs of Time: Adverbs of time provide information on when something happens. They
are placed after the verb or entire expression (at the end of the sentence). For example:
She visited her friends last year. We'll let you know our decision next week.
3. Adverbs of Frequency: Adverbs of frequency provide information on how often something
happens. They are placed before the main verb (not the auxiliary verb). For example: He
often goes to bed late. Do you sometimes get up early? They usually get to work at eight
o'clock.

4. Adverbs of Degree: Adverbs of degree provide information concerning how much of

something is done. They are placed after the verb or entire expression (at the end of the
sentence). For example: She'll attend the meeting as well. They like playing golf a lot.
5. Adverbs of Comment: Adverbs of comment provide a comment, or opinion about a
situation. They are placed at the beginning of a sentence. For example: Luckily, I was
able to come to the presentation. Fortunately, there were enough seats left for the concert.
Adverb Formation
Adverbs are usually formed by adding '-ly' to an adjective.
For example: quiet - quietly, careful - carefully,
careless - carelessly
Adjectives ending in '-le' change to '-ly'.
For example: possible - possibly, probable - probably,
incredible - incredibly
Adjectives ending in '-y' change to '-ily'.
For example: lucky - luckily, happy - happily, angry - angrily
Adjectives ending in '-ic' change to '-ically'.
For example: basic - basically, ironic - ironically, scientific - scientifically
Important Exceptions to Adverb Placement
Some adverbs are placed at the beginning of a sentence to provide more emphasis.
For example: Now you tell me you can't come!
Adverbs of frequency are placed after the verb 'to be' when used as the main verb of the
sentence.
For example: Jack is often late for work.
Some adverbs of frequency (sometimes, usually, normally) are also placed at the beginning of
the sentence for emphasis. For example: Sometimes I visit my friends in London.