Transcript adverb - WTPS.org

Adverbs, comparative and
superlative forms, telling
adjectives and adverbs
apart, and double negatives
 Adjectives
are words that modify, or
describe, nouns and pronouns. Adverbs are
another type of modifier. They modify
verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.

An adverb is a word that describes a verb, an
adjective, or another adverb.

Thomas Jefferson entertained grandly at the White
House.
 In the example above, the adverb grandly
describes the action verb entertained.
How
• grandly, royally, quickly
• rarely, later, immediately,
often, usually
When
Where
• downstairs, below, here
1.
Thomas Jefferson lived happily in the White
House.
2.
Jefferson quickly sought the aid of another
architect.
3.
Fire nearly destroyed the mansion during the
War of 1812.
4.
Theodore Roosevelt had it rebuilt completely.
5.
Franklin Roosevelt further expanded it.
 Adverbs
are often used to modify
adjectives and other adverbs. Most often
they tell how.


Harry Truman used extremely direct language.
He became a very popular president.

In the first sentence, the adverb extremely modifies the adjective
direct. The adverb tells how direct Truman’s language was. In the
second sentence the adverb very modifies the adjective popular. The
adverb tells how popular Truman was.

Truman entered politics unusually late in life.

He moved through the political ranks quite quickly.

In the first sentence above, the adverb unusually modifies the adverb late.
Unusually tells how late Truman entered politics. In the second sentence, the
adverb quite describes the adverb quickly. Quite tells how quickly Truman moved
through the ranks.
Truman’s career as vice president was
unusually brief. adjective
Very important events took place during Truman's
term. adjective
World War II finally ended.
verb
He found music particularly soothing.
adjective
Truman regularly spent his evenings at home.
verb

It can be hard to tell whether a word in a sentence is an
adjective or an adverb.
 Martha Washington was happy at Mount Vernon.
 Martha Washington lived happily at Mount Vernon.
 In the first sentence, happy is an adjective. It follows
the verb was and modifies the subject. In the second
sentence, happily is an adverb. It modifies the action verb
lived.
Distinguishing
Adjectives From Adverbs
The sound is
The actor sang
bad.
badly.
The band
The band
sounds good.
played well.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Martha Washington lived (courageous,
courageously).
She managed the position of first lady
(good, well).
She supported her husband (active,
actively).
President Washington must have felt (good,
well) about his wife’s support.
(Sure, Surely) he was appreciative.
The
comparative form of
an adverb compares two
actions or things. The
superlative form of an
adverb compares more
than two actions or things.
 For
most adverbs of only one syllable, add
–er to make the comparative form and –est
to make the superlative form.
Comparative
• Ronald Reagan served longer as
president than Jimmy Carter.
Superlative
• Franklin Roosevelt served
longest of any president.
 For
adverbs that end in –ly or that have
more than one syllable, use the word more
to form the comparative and most to form
the superlative.
Comparative
• Our class studied Roosevelt
more thoroughly than Reagan.
Superlative
• We studied Abraham Lincoln
most thoroughly of all.
Of all Theodore Roosevelt’s nieces, Eleanor
Roosevelt came (close, closest) to the presidency.
2. Many liked Mrs. Roosevelt (better, best) than
they had liked any of the previous first ladies.
3. Mrs. Roosevelt worked (more actively,
most actively) for human rights than for any other
cause.
1. She fought (harder, hardest) of all for
minorities.
2. She appeared at human-rights rallies
(more frequently, most frequently) than her
husband.
1.
 The
adverb not is a negative word,
expressing the idea of “no” in a sentence.
The word not often appears in its shortened
form, the contraction –n’t.
CONTRACTIONS WITH NOT
• is not=isn’t
• was not=wasn’t
• were not=weren’t
• will not=won’t
• cannot=can’t
• could not=couldn’t
• do not=don’t
• did not-didn’t
• have not-haven’t
• had not=hadn’t
• would not=wouldn’t
• should not=shouldn’t
 People
sometimes mistakenly use two
negatives together, as in the sentence
Lincoln hadn’t never gone to college. Avoid
using a double negative such as this. You
need only one negative to express a
negative idea.
 You can correct a double negative by
removing one of the negative words or by
replacing it with an affirmative word, as in
the following sentences.


Lincoln had never gone to college.
Lincoln had not ever gone to college.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Lincoln didn’t (never, ever) have a speech
writer.
Nothing (didn’t make, made) him bitter
during the war.
Lincoln wasn’t dishonest with (no one,
anyone).
The president didn’t (never, ever) become
discouraged.
A strong leader, Lincoln wasn’t afraid of
(nobody, anyone).