Sometimes students are not sure when to use an adverb or an adjective. This short guide provides an overview and rules to using both adjectives and adverbs.
AdjectivesAdjectives 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.
- Adjectives are used with sense verbs or verbs or appearance (feel, taste, smell, sound, appear and seem) to modify the noun which comes before the verb:
Examples:
The fish tasted awful.
Did you see Peter? He seemed very upset.
I'm afraid the meat smelled rotten.
Adverbs Modify Verbs, Adjectives and Other Adverbs
- 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:
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.
More Adjective and Adverb Help
