Transcript Using Adjectives and Adverbs

Using Adjectives and
Adverbs Correctly
What are adjectives?
• Adjectives modify nouns or pronouns
• These words are all adjectives
 A hot day
 A happy camper
 A silly goose
 A big, disgusting mess (both “big” and
“disgusting” modify “mess”)
 She is creative (“creative” is a subject
complement that follows the linking verb “is”)
 A boring course (present participle used as an
adjective
So what are adverbs?
• Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives and other
adverbs
• Many adverbs end with ly
• Many adverbs answer the question “How?”
• These are adverbs:
Eating quickly (modifying a verb)
Trying very hard (modifying an adverb)
A really big show (modifying an adjective)
Recognizing Adjectives & Adverbs
• Many words have both an adjective and adverb form
Adjective
Adverb
Happy kids
Playing happily
Smooth rock
Running smoothly
Good night
Eating Well
Efficient workers
Working efficiently
Casual dress
Dressing casually
Quick meeting
Talking quickly
hopeful children
Waiting hopefully
Real butter
Really hot
Comparatives and Superlatives
• Most adverbs and adjectives also have a
comparative and superlative form
Simple
Comparative
Superlative
Hot
Hotter
Hottest
Good
Better
Best
Exciting
More exciting
Most exciting
Careful
Less careful
Least careful
• Use the comparative form to compare two things
 Sally is the larger of the twins (not largest)
• Use the superlative form to compare three or more
 August was the hottest month of the year
Double Comparatives
• Don’t use “more” or “most” with –er or –est
X Yesterday was more hotter than today
X That was the most dirtiest story I ever heard
X You are the bestest teacher
Absolute Concepts
• Don’t use comparatives or superlatives with absolute
concepts
• Absolutes have only two possibilities, on or off, yes or
no, with nothing in between
X The most perfect student in the class
X A very unique idea (say “very unusual” instead)
• These words express absolute concepts that cannot
be modified
More priceless
Sort of dead
Quite on
A little bit pregnant
Very unanimous
Extremely perfect
Quite unique
Completely anonymous
Don’t use adjectives when
adverbs are needed
X You did a real nice job
– (an adjective can’t modify another adjective)
You did a really nice job
– (the adverb “really” modifies “nice”)
X He did good
He did well
or
He did a good job
X Fuel injection helps the car run efficient
Fuel injection helps the car run efficiently
X Come quick!
Come quickly!
X Hopefully, it won’t rain
– (an adverb explains how something will happen
I hope that it won’t rain
Don’t use needless adverbs
• Before using any of these words, check to see if they add
anything to the sentence
• Really, very, absolutely, extremely, quite, actually, somewhat,
rather
• I am really happy to see you
• Grammar is very boring
• You are absolutely correct
• Her language was extremely crude
• You are quite intelligent
• Context will help you decide whether to retain the
underlined words
• Keep them only if they add to the meaning
X Bill Gates is very rich. I hope he gives me some money.
 Most college instructors are poor; their students are very poor.
• Note: the terms “good success” and “real good
success” have been reserved for sports broadcasters; do
not use them
Compound Adjectives
• Two or more adjectives often appear together
separated with commas
 Brad’s messy, torn papers were scattered all over the
floor.
• The words “messy” and “torn” each work
separately to modify “papers”
• Connect the words with a hyphen when they
function together before a noun
 Jack’s gold-plated piercings stood out against his
bright-red sunburn
• “Gold-plated” and “bright-red” are compound
adjectives
Compound Adjectives
• Do not hyphenate the words when they
come after the noun they modify
• Notice the difference in these examples
Terry was well known along
the boardwalk (no hyphen)
Terry was a well-known jerk
(hyphenated)
His SUV was fully equipped
He drove a fully-equipped SUV
Brad worked full time on his
tan
Brad was a full-time chick magnet
Misplaced Modifiers
• Put adjectives and adverbs close to the words
they modify
• Notice how the meaning is affected by the
improper placement
X An old pile of clothes is on the floor
A pile of old clothes is on the floor
X I almost believe you are finished
I believe you are almost finished
X The winners will only be contacted
Only the winners will be contacted
X I can’t quite do this as well as Fred
I can’t do this quite as well as Fred
• Tell: How? When? Where? To what extent? (How
much?)
• patiently loudly carefully sometimes daily always
now
• inside there everywhere extremely nearly almost so
• really
too so usually especially very today upstairs
• close soon well much little better more less best
• most
least twice together quite badly not
Adverbs answer:
How? When?
Where?
To what extent?