Describing

Wor ds!
(Modifier s)
Adjectives and Adverbs
Adjectives
 Describe nouns or pronouns
 Tell what kind, how much/many, which
one(s)
Examples:
 She stood in a dark corner.
 I need a little help.
 He gave me a beautiful ring.
 I like that car.
Adjectives

 Usually come before the nouns they

describe
 However, adjectives sometimes follow
being verbs (in which case, they describe
the subjects)
 He seems unhappy.
 Alan was confident.
Adjectives

 Are sometimes used to compare/contrast

 The comparative form compares two or

more persons or things.
 My car is clean.
 Your car is cleaner than mine.
Adjectives

 For most adjectives of one syllable, add

–er to form the comparative
 For longer adjectives, use more to form
the comparative
 Fruit is sweet, but candy is sweeter.
 Sam was confused, but I was more confused.
Adjectives

 The superlative form compares three or

more persons or things.
 My car is clean.
 Your car is cleanest of all the cars in the lot.

 My aunt is old, but my dad is the oldest of all

his five siblings.
Adjectives
 For most adjectives of one syllable, add
–est to form the superlative
 For longer adjectives, use most to form the
superlative
 Your route was short, but my route was the shortest one
possible.
 Algebra was difficult, but physics was the most difficult
class I ever took.
Adjectives

 Of course, some adjectives are totally

irregular
 Good-Better-Best
 Bad-Worse-Worst
 Little-Less-Least
 Many/Much-More-Most
Adverbs

 Describe verbs, adjectives, or other

adverbs
 Tell how, when, where, to what extent
Examples:
 As she spoke, Sam listened thoughtfully.
 I said I was really sorry for my error.
 I went to the store yesterday.
Hints…
 Do not use an adjective when you need an
adverb!
 When you have a choice between two words that
look alike, the adverb is usually the one that ends
with –ly.
 Talk to me honest. (WRONG!)
 Talk to me honestly.

 He was breathing deep. (WRONG!)

 He was breathing deeply.
More hints…
 Don’t confuse good/well or bad/badly

 Good/Bad are adjectives!

 That food looks good.
 I feel sick; I must’ve eaten some bad food.
 Well/Badly are adverbs!
 I did well on the test.
 She played badly in her game.
More hints…

 The only exception:

 Well can be used as an adjective when it
means “healthy”
 I feel well today.
More hints…

 Don’t use –er and more together or –est

and most together—one is sufficient!

 Use than, not then, in comparisons.

(Then means “at a later time.”)
 You are taller than I am.
 I’d like a car that’s faster than my old one.
Last hint (really)…

 Sometimes, you use more than one

adjective to describe a noun.
 I visited a cold, dark cave.
 The cat had pale blue eyes.

So, when do you need a comma?

Almost done…

 TEST: try to put “and” between the

adjectives; if the sentence still makes
sense, put a comma between them
 TEST: try to reverse the order of the
adjectives; if the sentence still makes
sense, put a comma between them
 I visited a cold, dark cave.
 The cat had pale blue eyes.
Any Questions?