Adjectives and adverbs can be misplaced sometimes. But, if you understand what they do and when you should use them, everything will be fine. Get to know the difference so you won’t be confused anymore!
What do adjectives and adverbs describe
Adjectives and adverbs may look the same. But, they serve differently in grammar.
Adjectives describe or modify nouns. Therefore, they are placed before the nouns they are describing.
Adverbs give information about how something is done. So, adverbs modify and follow the action verbs.
There are several types of adverbs, but one that is usually confused with adjectives is the adverbs of manner. Adverbs of manner describe the way something is done.
Let’s compare them in sentences below :
He is a happy man. He is happy.
Happy = adjective, it describes the man.
He lives happily in a village.
Happily = adverb, it describes how the man lives.
Adjective and adverb form
Adverbs can be formed by simply putting an ending “-ly” on adjectives.
For example :
She has a beautiful voice. She sings beautifully.
My brother is a quiet man. He speaks quietly.
My neighbor is a bad man. He behaves badly.
It was a surprising party for my brother. Surprisingly, he didn’t come.
There is a spelling change in adjectives ending “-y” or “-able/-ible” when they become adverbs.
angry → angrily
miserable → miserably
possible → possibly
Adjectives with -ly that are not adverbs
An adjective ending in “-ly” such as friendly, likely, lively, lonely, lovely, silly, ugly cannot be made into an adverb. We use an adverbial phrase instead.
For example :
She started the conversation in a friendly manner.
The kid laughed in a silly way.
Some similar words :
- costly
- cowardly
- friendly
- ghastly
- homely
- likely
- lively
- lonely
- lovely
- manly
- oily
- saintly
- sparkly
- ugly
- womanly
Adjective and adverb position
Adjectives commonly go before the words they are describing. They can also follow verbs such as be, get, become, look, seem, appear, sound, taste, smell and feel.
Examples :
She’s wearing a wonderful dress.
She looks wonderful.
The audience gets excited when she appears on the stage.
Adverbs are usually placed after an action verb. Or, after the object of the verb if there is one.
For example :
He walked carefully. (walk = verb, carefully = adverb)
He carried the glass carefully. (the glass = the object of the verb “carry”, carefully = adverb)
But, they may also appear before the verb or in the beginning of a sentence for emphasis.
He carefully carried the glass.
Carefully, he carried the glass.
Words can be both adjectives and adverbs
Some adjectives and adverbs can be easily confused because they have the same form. Pay attention to the position to know which one is an adjective or adverb.
For example :
I bought a fast car. (adjective)
That car runs fast. (adverb)
He caught the early flight. (adjective)
He arrived early. (adverb)
They are hard workers. (adjective)
They work hard. (adverb)
The train is never late. (adjective)
I never come home late. (adverb)
Running is my daily routine. (adjective)
I run daily. (adverb)
I had a stomachache yesterday but I am well today. (adjective)
It was a good drama. The performers played well. (adverb)
The performers played good. (wrong, because well is the adverb of good)
Comparative adjective and adverb
Adjectives use the ending “-er” to make comparatives. Sometimes “more” and “less” are used for two/three/four-syllable adjectives.
For example :
She is cleverer than her brother.
She is more diligent than her sisters.
Her sisters are less diligent than her.
Most adverbs use “more” and “less” to make comparatives.
For example :
My brother speaks Italian more fluently than me.
I speak Italian less fluently than my brother does.
Adverbs without “-ly” make comparatives in the same way as one syllable or short adjectives.
hard → harder
high → higher
late → later
Example : I jump higher than my sister does.
Some comparative adverbs are irregular such as :
well → better
badly → worse
far → farther/further
(Note : Farther is for physical distance and further is for metaphorical distance. Further is more common in British English.)
Example : I work well. I work better than my friends do.
Superlative adjective and adverb
Adjectives use the ending “-est” to make superlatives. Sometimes “the most” and “the least” are used for two/three/four-syllable adjectives.
For example :
She is the cleverest child in the family.
She is the most diligent student in the class.
Her older sister is the least diligent student.
Most adverbs use “the most” or “the least” to make superlatives.
For example :
I speak Italian the most fluently in my family.
My brother speaks Italian the least fluently.
Adverbs without “-ly” make comparatives in the same way as one syllable or short adjectives.
hard → hardest
high → highest
late → latest
Example : I jump the highest in the class.
Some superlative adverbs are irregular:
well → best
badly → worst
far → farthest/furthest
Example : I work the best among my friends.
I feel bad or I feel badly?
There is no noun there. So, should you use an adverb after the verb “feel”?
The answer depends.
It depends on what you mean because the word “feel” can be linking verb and action verb.
You say “I feel bad” when you are expressing an emotion like regret, sadness, or ill.
But you use “I feel badly” when you are saying there is something wrong with your touching sense that you cannot feel anything with your fingers.
As Mignon Fogarty says, the quick tip to remember the difference is :
Adjectives follow linking verbs and adverbs modify action verbs.
Conclusion
Adjectives modify nouns, adverbs modify verbs.
Adjectives are placed before nouns, adverbs follow action verbs.
When no noun can be seen, note that adjectives follow linking verbs and adverbs modify action verbs.
Go to my post to check the use of adverbs in Adverbs of Frequency : From Always to Never.
Grammar Book Reference
DK. English for Everyone: English Grammar Guide: A Comprehensive Visual Reference. DK Publishing (Dorling Kindersley), 2016.
Fogarty, Mignon. Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing. Henry Holt and Co., 2008.
Thomas, Barbara, et al. Grammar and Vocabulary for First and First for Schools Book with Answers and Audio. Cambridge University Press, 2015.