ECHO: Adjectives and Adverbs

What are adjectives and adverbs?

Both adjectives and adverbs are descriptive words.

Adjectives
describe (modify) a noun or a pronoun.

• They often explain what kind, which one, or how many.
• For example:
  
  His
  dark
  eyes
  lit up when he heard that soft, familiar
  voice
  
  
  .
  • 
    
    dark
    
    describes the noun
    
    eyes
    
    .

  • 
    
    soft
    
    and
    
    familiar
    
    both describe the noun
    
    voice
    
    — it gives us a hint of what this voice is like and to whom it could belong.

• Another example:
  
  
  The hungry
  sparrows feasted on the two
  bowls of birdseed.
  

  
  

  • 
    
    hungry
    
    describes the noun
    
    sparrows
    
    — this distinguishes them from the other kinds of sparrows that could be imagined.

  • 
    
    two
    
    describes the noun
    
    bowls
    
    —the author specifies how many bowls there are, not how big the bowls are or what color they are.

Adverbs
describe (modify) verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.

• They often explain how, in what manner, when, and to what extent.
• For example:
  
  Marla walked
  slowly through the woods
  
  
  
  .
  
  • 
    
    slowly
    
    describes the verb
    
    walked
    
    — how Marla walked, the manner in which she walked.

• Another example:
  
  Joe was really
  nice to my mother
  
  
  .
  
  
  • 
    
    really
    
    describes the adjective
    
    nice
    
    — how nice he was to my mother.

• One more example:
  
  The car swerved very
  quickly to avoid the turtle
  
  
  
  
  
  .
  
  • 
    
    very
    
    describes the adverb
    
    quickly
    
    (i.e. how quickly), which itself describes how the car swerved.

After the verb "to be" you will always find an adjective, not an adverb.

How to change an adjective into an adverb

Many, but not all, adjectives can be changed into adverbs by adding an
-ly
ending.

For example:

• 
  quick
  >
  quick
  
  
  ly
  
• 
  slow
  >
  slow
  ly
  
• 
  sad
  >
  sad
  ly
  

The difference between the

Comparative

and the

Superlative

degree of adjectives and adverbs

The

comparative

of an adjective or adverb compares the qualities of
two
people or things.

• For example:
  I am
  taller
  than Tim.
  

The

superlative

of an adjective or adverb compares
three or more
qualities of people or things.

• For example:
  I am the
  
  tallest
  
  person in the class.
  

How to Form the

Comparative

and the

Superlative

degrees:

• Adjectives or adverbs with
  one
  
  
  syllable
  :
  • 
    comparative
    > add
    
    -er
    
    , e.g.
    tall
    er
    .
  • 
    superlative
    > add
    
    -est
    
    , e.g.
    tall
    est
    .
• Adjectives or adverbs with
  more than one syllable
  :
  • 
    comparative
    > add
    more
    , e.g. more graceful.
  • 
    superlative
    > add
    most
    , e.g.
    most graceful.
• In adjectives that
  end in -y
  
  , the "
  y
  " changes to an "
  i
  "before adding -
  er
  
  or -
  est
  
  .

The "Good," the "Bad," and the Ugly...

Pay special attention to these two tough cases:

Adjective		Comparative		Superlative
good		better		best
bad		worse		worst
Adverb		Comparative		Superlative
well		better		best
badly		worse		worst

Remember:

• 
  
  good = adjective, e.g. She is a good friend.
  
• 
  
  well = adverb, e.g. He sings well.