HOW TO USE ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS

ADJECTIVES
- Adjectives are used to tell us about nouns. They usually tell us more about
people and things.
- Adjectives can go before nouns, or after be, seem, look, feel, sound, taste,
smell etc.
Ex: That was a bad ilm. !"#T $ilm bad%
&y exam was easy.
'e loo(s tired.
That smells wonderul.
- Adjectives don)t change or singular and plural.
Ex: a ast car * ast cars !"#T asts cars%
- +hen adjectives come ater a verb, we usually put ,A"-) beore the last.
Ex: 'e was tall, dar( and handsome.
.)m cold, tired and hungry.
- /eore nouns, ,A"-) is less common. !+e don)t usually put ,A"-)
between adjectives.%
Ex: a tall, dar(, handsome cowboy
a tired hungry child
- /ut when adjectives !or other description words% reer to dierent parts o
a ollowing noun, we use ,A"-)
Ex: a yellow and blac( dress
a concrete and glass building
- 0irst and last usually come beore numbers.
Ex: the irst three wee(s !"#T the three irst wee(s%
my last two holidays !"#T my two last holidays%
- "ote the word order in: something nice 1 nothing new
Ex: .s there anything new today2
There is nothing new today.
A-3E4T.5E order * This is a complicated point o grammar. The
ollowing rules have exceptions.
- +ords or colour, origin1place, material and purpose go in that order. #ther
adjectives come beore these.
#T'E6 4#7#86 #6.9."1:7A4E &ATE6.A7 :86:#;E
old red ;panish leather riding boots
a unny brown 9erman beer mug
- #pinions oten come beore descriptions.
#:.".#" -E;46.:T.#"
a terrible little boy
ADVERBS
- Adverbs are used to give us more inormation about a verb. They give us
inormation on how something happens or how something is done.
Ex: ;he cried badly when her dog died.
'e climbed the wall easily.
- &any English adverbs end in -ly. They are oten made by adding -ly to the
end o an adjective: <uic( = ly > <uic(ly.
- Be careful! ;ometimes adjectives end in ?ly.
Ex: riendly, lonely and lovely.
- Adverbs can be used with adjectives. adverb + adjective
Ex: extremely expensive
incredibly surprised
terribly sorry
- +e use adverbs beore adjectives, past participles, other adverbs and
prepositional expressions.
Ex: .t)s terribly cold. !"#T $ terrible cold%
This is very badly coo(ed.
@ou)re driving unusually ast.
'e is madly in love with her.
- ;ome verbs are used with both adjectives and adverbs, with dierent
meaning.
Ex: - @ou loo( angry.!> @ou seem angry.%
'e loo(ed angrily at the manager. !> 'e turned his eyes . . .%
- 'is plan appeared impossible.
;he suddenly appeared in the window.
- Adverbs that go with the verb include words expressing re<uency !e.g.
always, oten, usually, never% and certainly !e.g. deinitely, probably%. "ote
the exact position:
A0TE6 A&1A6E1.;1+A;1+E6E
Ex: @ou are usually right.
.t was certainly cold.
A0TE6 A8A.7.A6@ 5E6/;
Ex: ;he has probably orgotten.
. can never wa(e up in time.
/E0#6E #T'E6 5E6/;
Ex: 'e always orgot my birthday.
. oten get headaches.
"#T /ET+EE" 5E6/ A"- #/3E4T
Ex: 'e orgot always my birthday.
. get oten headaches.
- . there is more than one auxiliary verb, adverbs o re<uency and certainty
usually go ater the irst auxiliary.
Ex: The roo has never been repaired.
. will deinitely be seeing him tonight.
- Adverbs go beore or ater "#T, depending on the meaning. 4ompare:
Ex: ;he)s not oten late.
.t)s deinitely not raining.
- .n <uestions, adverbs usually go ater auxiliary verbs !have, will, can, must
etc.% = subject.
Ex: -o you ever write poems2
'as &ary always lived here2
Are you oten in 7ondon2
- 7onger expressions usually go at the end o a sentence. 4ompare:
Ex: ;he oten plays tennis.
;he plays tennis two or three times a wee(.
;he hardly ever wins a game.
;he wins a game once or twice a month.
;he always practises in the aternoon.
-oes she practise every aternoon2
- Even and only oten go with the verb when they ocus on words later in the
sentence.
Ex: 'e)s rude to everybody. 'e)s even rude to me.
!"#T Even he)s rude to me%
'e even plays tennis in the rain.
. only li(ed the irst part o the concert.
They)ve only lived here or a ew wee(s.
- Even and only can also go just beore the words that that they emphasiBe.
Ex: 'e plays tennis even in the rain.
'e eats anything - even raw potatoes.
Even a child could understand it.
They)ve lived here only a ew wee(s.
- At the end o a sentence we oten put words and expressions which say
how, where and when. They most oten go in that order.
'#+ +'E6E +'E"
;he sang very well at the concert last night.
'e wor(s in the garage on Tuesday.
!"#T $on Tuesday in the garage.%
'e)s wor(ing there now.
- Ater verbs o movement, the order can be dierent: we most oten put
expressions o place irst.
Ex: 'e went upstairs <uietly.
- ;ome adverbs tell you how much: much, a lot, a bit, a little.
Ex: +e don)t go out much.
. watch T5 a lot.
'e sings a little.
. play the guitar a bit.
- Very much can be used in affirmative sentences as well as negatives and
questions. /e careul with the word order.
Ex: . li(e sport very much.
- +e use still to tal( about situation continuing.
- +e use yet to as( i something expected has happened, or to say that it
hasn)t.
- ;till usually goes with the verbsC yet usually goes at the end o the
sentence.
Ex: ;he)s still asleep.
-o you still love me2
. still don)t understand.
'as the postman come yet2
3enny hasn)t phones yet.
- +e use already to say that something happened earlier than expected, or
earlier than somebody thought. Already usually goes with the verb.
Ex: +hen)s your mother is coming2 ;he)s already here.
@ou must go to England. +e)ve already been there.
;he)s only been here a wee( and she already (nows all the
neighbours.
Now read the following sentences and decide if an adverb or adjective
is needed:
Relax. He's a ___ driver.
4orrectD
sae
saely
Your brother is so ___.
4orrectD
(indly
(ind
I always work ___ duri! the week.
4orrectD
hardly
hard
You ___ touched your luch.
4orrectD
hardly
hard
"t the #arty everyoe was ___ dressed.
4orrectD
beautiully
beautiul
By the ti$e we !ot ho$e I was ___ tired.
4orrectD
terrible
terribly
Ha did ___ o his test.
4orrectD
badly
bad
I baked this cake ___ for you.
4orrectD
specially
special
%hey have bee ___ $arried for years.
4orrectD
happily
happy
It's atural to feel ___ before a &ob iterview.
4orrectD
nervously
nervous