What are the differences between adjectives and adverbs. What are the similarities? Find out this and much more.
Have you ever done a Madlib with a group of kids? It’s fun and the kids can come up with some zany stuff, but they seem to get stuck on adjectives and adverbs. I always have to remind them that adjectives describe things and adverbs are words that end in “ly”. Then you get the question, “Is ugly an adverb because it ends in ‘ly’?”
Is an adjective just a word that describes something? Can you just tack an “ly” on any old verb to make it an adverb? Generally the answer to both of those questions would be, “Yes.” But that would be too easy for the English language.
Adjectives and Adverbs Defined
Adjectives and adverbs are known as modifiers. That is to say they modify, add information, to the word, phrase or clause. Adjectives modify nouns and pronouns. Adverbs modify verbs and other adverbs. This is an example of an adjective –
He went through the tattered curtains.
What kind of curtains were they? They were tattered. Here is an example of an adverb –
The runner was profusely sweating.
How was the runner sweating? He was sweating profusely.
We can usually do without adjectives and adverbs, but they can lend atmosphere and substance. “He went through the curtains,” would work just fine without tattered, but with the inclusion of that adjective, we can get a clearer picture in our minds eye.
We can also take out profusely leaving, “The runner was sweating.” This could mean that there was just a small trickle of sweat or he was soaked from head to toe. By adding the adverb we take away the vagueness.
Distinguishing Between Adverbs and Adjectives
When one is immersed in words, things can get all jumbled. You may end up asking yourself, “is this an adjective or an adverb?” There are a couple of ways to figure this out, but like everything else in the English language, there are some exceptions to the rule.
The first rule is from The Essentials of English fifth edition. If you can put the word in one or both of the blanks in the following sentences, it’s an adjective and not an adverb –
He was very______. It was very_______.
He was very brutal. It was very sweet.
The other way to tell an adverb from an adjective is the form. Generally adverbs have ly added to the end of the word. Different is an adjective while differently is an adverb. There are some that will throw a curveball at you like hourly. That is both an adjective and an adverb. The English language is lovely, isn’t it?
Using A, An, and The
A, An, and The are the most commonly used adjectives. A and An are indefinite articles because they don’t refer to a particular object. Some is also an indefinite article. The is a definite article because it refers to something specific, definite if you will.
While The is obvious when it is used, there is sometimes confusion when to use A and An. You will use A when it is immediately in front of a consonant sound, i.e. a computer or a dog. An is used when it is immediately in from of a vowel sound, i.e. an orangutan or an elephant.
Remember, it is the sound that matters, not the actual first letter of the word. If a vowel is the first letter but it is silent and the sound of the consonant is said first, use A. If a consonant is the first letter but it is silent and the sound of the vowel is said first, use An.
When To Use More and Most
Another confusing aspect of adjectives and adverbs is in comparisons. When comparing bushes would I say, “The first was lusher,” or “The first bush was more lush.” My spell check would say that the correct answer is more lush, but it is actually lusher.
The general rule is that small, one syllable words get “er” or “est” tacked on the end. Bigger words, two or more syllables, get the word more or most in front. Remember, this is the general rule and you will always run into exceptions.
Both An Adjective and An Adverb
The English language likes to throw some monkey wrenches in your works, just when you think you have it all down. So now that we have hashed out the finer points of adjectives and adverbs, there are some words that fit into both categories. Words like very, late, well, fast, and slow can act as both adjectives and adverbs.
Time to Describe
Now that you are an expert at using adjectives and adverbs, go and paint your world. You no longer have to step through that drab door. No, it’s the garishly painted door. Or maybe it’s the exquisitely varnished door. Whatever it is, it’s up to you now.
