Adverbs tell us in what way someone
does something. Adverbs can modify verbs (here: drive), adjectives or other
adverbs.
Adjectives tell us something about a
person or a thing. Adjectives can modify nouns (here: girl) or pronouns (here:
she).
|
adjective
|
adverb
|
|
Mandy is a careful girl.
|
Mandy drives carefully.
|
|
She is very careful.
|
|
Mandy is a careful driver. This
sentence is about Mandy, the driver, so use the adjective.
Mandy drives carefully. This
sentence is about her way of driving, so use the adverb.
Form
Adjective + -ly
|
adjective
|
adverb
|
|
dangerous
|
dangerously
|
|
careful
|
carefully
|
|
nice
|
nicely
|
|
horrible
|
horribly
|
|
easy
|
easily
|
|
electronic
|
electronically
|
|
irregular
forms
|
|
good
|
well
|
|
fast
|
fast
|
|
hard
|
hard
|
If the adjective ends in -y, change
-y to -i. Then add -ly.
happy - happily
but: shy - shyly
If the adjective ends in -le, the
adverb ends in -ly.
Example: terrible - terribly
If the adjective ends in -e, then
add -ly.
Example: safe - safely
Tip: Not all words ending in -ly are
adverbs.
adjectives ending in -ly: friendly,
silly, lonely, ugly
nouns, ending in -ly: ally, bully, Italy, melancholy
verbs, ending in -ly: apply, rely, supply
There is no adverb for an adjective
ending in -ly.
Use
of adverbs
to modify verbs:
The soccer team played badly last Saturday.
to modify adjectives:
It was an extemely bad match.
to modify adverbs:
The soccer team played extremely badly last Wednesday.
to modify quantities:
There are quite a lot of people here.
to modify sentences:
Unfortunately, the flight to Dallas had been cancelled.
Types
of adverbs
1) Adverbs of manner
quickly
kindly
2) Adverbs of degree
very
rather
3) Adverbs of frequency
often
sometimes
4) Adverbs of time
now
today
5) Adverbs of place
here
nowhere
How do know whether to use an
adjective or an adverb?
John is a careful driver. -> In
this sentences we say how John is - careful.
If we want to say that the careful
John did not drive the usual way yesterday - we have to use the adverb: John did
not drive carefully yesterday.
Here is another example:
I am a slow walker. (How am I? ->
slow -> adjective)
I walk slowly. (Ho do I walk? -> slowly -> adverb)
Adjective or Adverb after special
verbs
Both adjectives and adverbs may be
used after look, smell and taste. Mind the change in meaning.
Here are two examples:
|
adjective
|
adverb
|
|
The pizza tastes good.
(How is the pizza?)
|
Jamie Oliver can taste well.
(How can Jamie Oliver taste?)
|
|
Peter's feet smell bad.
(How are his feet?)
|
Peter can smell badly.
(How can Peter smell?)
|
Do not get confused with good/well.
Linda looks good.
(What type of person is she?)
Linda looks well.
(How is Linda? -> She may have been ill, but now she is fit again.)
How are you? - I'm well, thank you.
One can assume that in the
second/third sentence the adverb well is used, but this is wrong.
well can be an adjective (meaning fit/healthy), or an adverb of the adjective
good.
Conclusion:
Use the adjective when you say something about the person itself.
Use the adverb, when you want to say about the action.
