MODIFIERS-ADJECTIVE/ADVERB

CONFUSION AND MODIFIERS-

ADJECTIVE AFTER VERBS OF SENSATION
MODIFIERS-ADJECTIVE/ADVERB CONFUSION

Adjectives modify noun (N) and pronouns

His recent accident caused a sudden change in his behaviour.

ADJ N ADJ N

He is intelligent.
PRON ADJ

Adverbs modify verbs (V)

He had an accident recently and his behaviour changed suddenly

VERB ADV VERB ADV

He spoke intelligently.
VERB ADV
Adverbs also modify adjectives

He grew an especially small tree.

ADV ADJ

He was a highly motivated young man.

ADV ADJ

It was a cleverly planned operation.

ADV ADJ
Adverbs also modify other adverbs

She could run very quickly.

ADV ADV

NOTES:

a. Most adverbs end in-ly

b. Some words have the same form for the adjective and adverb:

Adjective Adverb
Late late
Fast fast
Hard hard

c. The adverb for the adjective good is well

MODIFIERS-ADJECTIVE AFTER VERBS OF SENSATION
These verbs of sensation or sense verbs, are verb that
describes one of the five senses: sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste.
They are generally followed by adjectives, not by adverbs. Verbs such
as look, seem, taste, feel, smell, appear, and sound are sensory (sense)
verbs. In English, it is important to use adjectives rather than adverbs
with sense verbs.

He feels bad
Verb Adj

The soup smells delicious

Verb Adj

She looked nervous before the test

Verb Adj

These are also called “predicate adjectives”.

PART OF SPEECH: ADVERB

An adverb is usually defined as a word that

gives more informatiom about a verb, an
adjective, or another adverb. Adverbs describe
verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in terms such
qualities as time, frequency, and manner.
Adverbs can be divided into adverb of place,
adverb of time, adverb of frequency, and adverb
of manner.
ADVERB AS MODIFIER

Adverb modify verb

Generally, adverbs make sense directly after the

verbs they modify, but they can also be moved around
the sentence. It can go at the beginning of the sentence,
before the verb, or between a helping verb and the main
verb.

I walk my dog daily.

Daily I walk my dog.
I daily walk my dog.
I have daily walked my dog.
Adverb modify adjective

Adverbs that modify adjectives must go directly before the adjectives they
modify.
The strangely quiet classroom made the teacher wonder what had happened.

An adverb can tell to what extent another adverb modifies a word. An adverb
thatmodifies an adjective is called an intensifier.
My sister runs very fast. (Very tells how fast she runs.)
Almost daily my teacher gives us a quiz. (Almost tells how daily.)

Adverb modify another adverb

Adverbs that modify other adverbs must go directly before the adverbs they
modify.

It seems like my dog can run unusually quickly when she's chasing a
cat.
TYPES OF ADVERB

Adverb of time
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 placeitat 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.

Adverb of place

An adverb of place tells us where something is done or happens.

We use it after the verb, direct 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.
Adverb of manner

An adverb of manner tells us how something is done or

happens. Most adverbs of manner end in –
ly suchas badly, happily, sadly, slowly, quickly, and
others that include well, hard, fast.

Examples:

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.

Adverb of degree

An adverb of degree tells us the level or extent that something is done

or happens. Wordsof 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 really heavily.
(Before adverb)

Her daughter is quite fat for her age.

The accident victim nearly died from his injuries.

After all these years, she is still feeling very sad about her father’s
death.
Adverb of frequency

An adverb of frequency tells us how often something is done or

happens. Words usedas adverbs of
frequencyinclude again, almost, always,ever, frequently, generally,
hardlyever, nearly, nearly,
always, never,occasionally, often, rarely, seldom, sometimes, twic
e, 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.
She is not nearly always right although she thinks she is always right.
He complained that she never smiled back.
We only write to each other very occasionally.
Peter seldom reads the Bible.
Sometimes he stays late in the office to complete his work.
Our cat was bitten twice by the same dog.
The man usually proposes marriage.
NOTES:
Some words have the same form for the adjective and adverb:
Adjective Adverb
Late late
Fast fast
Hard hard

Late / lately
Late can be an adjective or an adverb that means after the
correct time.

- I’m not hungry because I had a late lunch. (adjective)

- He slept late and missed his first class. (adverb)

Lately is an adverb that means the same as recently.

- I haven’t studied a lot lately. Work has been busy for the past
couple weeks.
Hard / hardly

Hard can be an adjective or an adverb – and the adjective form has two
meanings!

- This book is too hard for me. I can’t read it. (hard = adjective = difficult)
- This mattress is too hard. I can’t sleep. (hard = adjective = opposite of “soft”)
- She’s working hard to finish the project by tomorrow. (hard = adverb =
intensely)

Hardly has a completely different meaning. It means “almost not.”

- We have a bad connection – I can hardly hear you. (= I almost can’t hear
you)
Most / most of / mostly

Most or most of (adjective) means “the majority, the greater part.”

- Most people like the country’s president. (= more than 50% of the people)
- Most of the students in the class are nice. (= more than 50% of the students)

Most as an adverb means “to the greatest degree” – it is used to form the
superlative:

- She’s the most popular girl in school. (= more popular than EVERYONE else)
- This is the most confusing chapter in the book. (= more confusing than ALL
the other chapters)

Mostly (adverb) means “mainly, generally, usually.”

- We mostly go to dance clubs, but sometimes we go to a cafe.(= we usually
go to dance clubs)
- I’ve mostly dated athletes; I love women who play sports.(= I’ve mainly
dated athletes)