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Adverb or Adjective - Which should I use?

From Kenneth Beare, About.com

Adjectives Modify Nouns

  • Adjectives are placed directly before a noun:

    Examples:

    Tom is an excellent singer.

    I bought a comfortable chair.

    She's thinking about buying a new house.

  • 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.

    Mary'll be excited when you tell her.

Adverbs

Adverbs Modify Verbs, Adjectives and Other Adverbs

  • Adverbs are easily recognized because they 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 intelligently.

    Jason talks about his classes constantly.

Test your understanding with this short quiz.

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