Using Adjectives and

Adverbs Correctly
 What are adjectives?
• Adjectives modify nouns or pronouns
• These words are all adjectives
 A hot day

 A happy camper

 A silly twit
 A big, bloody mess (both “big” and
“bloody” modify “mess”)
 She is creative (“creative” is a subject
complement that follows the linking verb
“is”)
 A boring course (present participle used
as an adjective
 So what are adverbs?
• Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives and
other adverbs
• Many adverbs end with ly
• Many adverbs answer the question
“How?”
• These are adverbs
Eating quickly (modifying a verb)
Trying very hard (modifying an adverb)
A really big show (modifying an
adjective)
 Recognizing Adjectives &
Adverbs
• Many words have both an adjective and
adverb form
Adjective Adverb
Happy kids Playing happily
Smooth rock Running smoothly
Good night Eating Well
Efficient workers Working efficiently
Casual dress Dressing casually
Quick meeting Talking quickly
hopeful children Waiting hopefully
Real butter Really hot
 Comparatives and
Superlatives
• Most adverbs and adjectives also have a
comparative and superlative form
Simple Comparativ Superlative
e
Hot Hotter Hottest
Good Better Best
Exciting More exciting Most exciting
Careful Less careful Least careful

• Use the comparative form to compare two

things
Sally is the larger of the twins (not largest)
• Use the superlative form to compare three or
more
 Double Comparatives
• Don’t 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 teacher
 Absolute Concepts
• Don’t use comparatives or superlatives with
absolute concepts
• Absolutes have only two possibilities, on or off,
yes or no, with nothing in between
XThe most perfect student in the class
XA very unique idea (say “very unusual”
instead)
• These words express absolute concepts that
cannot be modified

More priceless Sort of dead

Quite on A little bit pregnant
Very unanimous Extremely perfect
Quite unique Completely anonymous
Don’t use adjectives when
adverbs are needed
XYou did a real nice job
– (an adjective can’t modify another adjective)
You did a really nice job
– (the adverb “really” modifies “nice”)
XHe did good
He did well or
He did a good job
XFuel injection helps the car run
efficient
Fuel injection helps the car run efficiently
XCome quick!
Come quickly!
XHopefully, it won’t rain
– (an adverb explains how something will happen
I hope that it won’t rain
 Don’t use needless adverbs
• Before using any of these words, check to see if
they add anything to the sentence
• Really, very, absolutely, extremely, quite, actually,
somewhat, rather
• I am really happy to see you
• Grammar is very boring
• You are absolutely correct
• Her language was extremely crude
• You are quite intelligent
• Context will help you decide whether to retain the
underlined words
• Keep them only if they add to the meaning
XBill Gates is very rich. I hope he gives me some
money.
 Most college instructors are poor; their students are
very poor.
• Note: the terms “good success” and “real good
success” have been reserved for sports
broadcasters; do not use them
 Compound Adjectives
• Two or more adjectives often appear
together separated with commas
 Brad’s tiny, tight swimsuit showed off his hairy
belly
• The words “tiny” and “tight” each work
separately to modify “swimsuit”

• Connect the words with a hyphen when

they function together before a noun

 Brad’s gold-plated piercings stood out against

his bright-red sunburn
• “Gold-plated” and “bright-red” are
 Compound Adjectives
• Do not hyphenate the words when they
come after the noun they modify
• Notice the difference in these examples

Brad was well known Brad was a well-known jerk

along the boardwalk (no (hyphenated)
hyphen)
He drove a fully-equipped
His SUV was fully SUV
equipped
Brad was a full-time chick
Brad worked full time on magnet
his tan
 Misplaced Modifiers
• Put adjectives and adverbs close to the
words they modify
• Notice how the meaning is affected by
the improper placement
XAn old pile of clothes is on the floor
A pile of old clothes is on the floor
XI almost believe you are finished
I believe you are almost finished
XThe winners will only be contacted
Only the winners will be contacted
XI can’t quite do this as well as Fred
I can’t do this quite as well as Fred