Adjectives

&
Adverbs
Note Taking Guide Available
Adjectives & Adverbs
• Always appear in relation to some
other word; they are
MODIFIERS
ADJECTIVES
Definition
• Adjectives are words that DESCRIBE
or MODIFY another PERSON or
THING in the sentence.
• Adjectives always describe/modify a
NOUN, a PRONOUN, or any other
word or group of words playing the
part of a noun.
• The ARTICLES — a, an, and the — are
adjectives
Adjective Clause
• If a group of words containing a
subject and verb acts as an
adjective, it is called an
ADJECTIVE CLAUSE
• My sister, who is much older than I am,
is an engineer.
Adjective Phrase
Position of Adjectives
• Unlike ADVERBS, which often seem
capable of popping up almost
anywhere in a sentence, adjectives
nearly always appear
IMMEDIATELY BEFORE the
noun or noun phrase that
they modify.
Position of Adjectives
• Sometimes they appear in a string of
adjectives, and when they do, they appear
in a SET ORDER ACCORDING TO
CATEGORY. (See next slide)
• When indefinite pronouns — such as
something, someone, anybody — are
modified by an adjective, the adjective
comes AFTER the pronoun. (See next
slide)
Examples:
• Anyone capable of doing
something horrible to someone
nice should be punished.
• Something wicked this way
comes.
Also:
• There are certain adjectives that, in
combination with certain words, are
always "POSTPOSITIVE" (coming
after the thing they modify):
• The president elect, heir apparent to the
Glitzy fortune, lives in New York proper.
ADVERBS
Definition
• Adverbs are words that modify
– a VERB
• He drove slowly. — How did he drive?
– an ADJECTIVE
• He drove a very fast car. — How fast was his
car?
– another ADVERB
• She moved quite slowly down the aisle. — How
slowly did she move?
ADVERBS
• As we will see, adverbs often
tell WHEN, WHERE, WHY,
or UNDER WHAT
CONDITIONS something
happens or happened.
ADVERBS
• Adverbs frequently end in -ly
• however, many words and phrases not
ending in -ly serve an adverbial function
• Hence, an -ly ending is not a guarantee
that a word is an adverb.
• The words lovely, lonely, motherly,
friendly, neighborly, for instance, are
adjectives:
• That lovely woman lives in a friendly
neighborhood.
Adverb Clause vs. Adverbial Phrase
• If a group of words containing a subject and verb acts as
an adverb (modifying the verb of a sentence), it is called
an ADVERB CLAUSE
– When this class is over, we're going to the movies.
• When a group of words not containing a subject and verb
acts as an adverb, it is called an ADVERBIAL
PHRASE.
• PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES frequently have adverbial
functions (telling place and time, modifying the verb):
– He went to the movies.
– She works on holidays.
– They lived in Canada during the war.
Infinitive Phrases
• And INFINITIVE PHRASE can act as
adverbs (usually telling why):
– She hurried to the mainland to see her
brother.
– The senator ran to catch the bus.
• But there are other kinds of adverbial
phrases:
– He calls his mother as often as possible.
Adverbs VS Adjective
• Adverbs can modify ADJECTIVES, but an
adjective cannot modify an adverb.
– Thus we would say that "the students showed a
really wonderful attitude" and that "the students
showed a wonderfully casual attitude" and that
"my professor is really tall, but not "He ran real
fast."
• Like adjectives, adverbs can have
comparative and superlative forms to show
degree.
– Walk faster if you want to keep up with me.
– The student who reads fastest will finish first.
More with Adverbs:
• We often use more and most, less and
least to show degree with adverbs:
– With sneakers on, she could move more quickly
among the patients.
– The flowers were the most beautifully arranged
creations I've ever seen.
– She worked less confidently after her accident.
– That was the least skillfully done performance I've
seen in years.
More on Adverbs:
• The as — as construction can be used to
create adverbs that express sameness or
equality:
– "He can't run as fast as his sister."
• A handful of adverbs have two forms, one
that ends in -ly and one that doesn't.
• In certain cases, the two forms have
different meanings:
– He arrived late.
– Lately, he couldn't seem to be on time for
anything.
Casual Situations
• In most cases, however, the form without
the -ly ending should be reserved for
CASUAL SITUATIONS:
– She certainly drives slow in that old Buick of
hers.
– He did wrong by her.
– He spoke sharp, quick, and to the point.
Intensifiers
• Adverbs often function as
INTENSIFIERS, conveying a greater
or lesser emphasis to something.
• Intensifiers are said to have three
different functions:
1. they can emphasize
2. amplify
3. downtone
Emphasizers:
– I really don't believe him.
– He literally wrecked his mother's
car.
– She simply ignored me.
– They're going to be late, for sure.
Amplifiers:
• Amplifiers:
– The teacher completely rejected her
proposal.
– I absolutely refuse to attend any more
faculty meetings.
– They heartily endorsed the new restaurant.
– I so wanted to go with them.
– We know this city well.
Downtoners
• Downtoners:
– I kind of like this college.
– Joe sort of felt betrayed by his sister.
– His mother mildly disapproved his actions.
– We can improve on this to some extent.
– The boss almost quit after that.
– The school was all but ruined by the storm.
Using Adverbs in a
Numbered List
• Within the normal flow of text, it's nearly always a bad
idea to number items beyond three or four, at the most.
• Anything beyond that, you're better off with a vertical
list that uses numbers (1, 2, 3, etc.).
• Also, in such a list, don't use adverbs (with an -ly
ending); use instead the uninflected ordinal number
(first, second, third, fourth, fifth, etc.).
– First (not firstly), it's unclear what the adverb is modifying.
– Second (not secondly), it's unnecessary.
– Third (not thirdly), after you get beyond "secondly," it starts to
sound silly.
• Adverbs that number in this manner are treated as
disjuncts (see below.)
Using Adverbs in a
Numbered List
• Within the normal flow of text, it's nearly always a bad
idea to number items beyond three or four, at the most.
• Anything beyond that, you're better off with a vertical
list that uses numbers (1, 2, 3, etc.).
• Also, in such a list, don't use adverbs (with an -ly
ending); use instead the uninflected ordinal number
(first, second, third, fourth, fifth, etc.).
– First (not firstly), it's unclear what the adverb is modifying.
– Second (not secondly), it's unnecessary.
– Third (not thirdly), after you get beyond "secondly," it starts to
sound silly.
• Adverbs that number in this manner are treated as
disjuncts (see below.)
Adverbs We Can Do Without
• Review the section on Being Concise
for some advice on adverbs that we can
eliminate to the benefit of our prose:
intensifiers such as very, extremely,
and really that don't intensify anything
and expletive constructions ("There
are several books that address this
issue.")
Kinds of Adverbs
• Adverbs of Manner
   She moved slowly and spoke quietly.
Adverbs of Place
   She has lived on the island all her life.
   She still lives there now.
Adverbs of Frequency
   She takes the boat to the mainland every day.
   She often goes by herself.
Kinds of Adverbs
• Adverbs of Time
   She tries to get back before dark.
   It's starting to get dark now.
   She finished her tea first.
   She left early.

Adverbs of Purpose
   She drives her boat slowly to avoid hitting the
rocks.
   She shops in several stores to get the best
buys.
Position of Adverbs
• One of the hallmarks of adverbs is their ability
to move around in a sentence. Adverbs of
manner are particularly flexible in this regard.
• Solemnly the minister addressed her
congregation.
• The minister solemnly addressed her
congregation.
• The minister addressed her congregation
solemnly.
Position of Adverbs
• The following adverbs of frequency appear in various
points in these sentences:
• Before the main verb: I never get up before nine
o'clock.
• Between the auxiliary verb and the main verb: I have
rarely written to my brother without a good reason.
• Before the verb used to: I always used to see him at
his summer home.
• Indefinite adverbs of time can appear either before the
verb or between the auxiliary and the main verb:
• He finally showed up for batting practice.
• She has recently retired.
THE ROYAL ORDER OF ADVERBS

Verb Manner Place Frequency Time Purpose

Beth swims enthusiastically in the pool every morning before dawn to keep in shape.

Dad walks impatiently into town every afternoon before supper to get a newspaper.

Tashonda naps   in her room every morning before lunch.  

In actual practice, of course, it would be highly unusual to have a string of adverbial modifiers
beyond two or three (at the most). Because the placement of adverbs is so flexible, one or two
  of the modifiers would probably move to the beginning of the sentence: "Every afternoon
before supper, Dad impatiently walks into town to get a newspaper." When that happens, the
introductory adverbial modifiers are usually set off with a comma.
Adverb Order
• As a general principle, shorter adverbial
phrases precede longer adverbial
phrases, regardless of content. In the
following sentence, an adverb of time
precedes an adverb of frequency
because it is shorter (and simpler):
• Dad takes a brisk walk before breakfast
every day of his life.
Adverb Order
• A second principle: among similar adverbial phrases of
kind (manner, place, frequency, etc.), the more specific
adverbial phrase comes first:
• My grandmother was born in a sod house on the plains of
northern Nebraska.
• She promised to meet him for lunch next Tuesday.
• Bringing an adverbial modifier to the beginning of the
sentence can place special emphasis on that modifier.
This is particularly useful with adverbs of manner:
• Slowly, ever so carefully, Jesse filled the coffee cup up to
the brim, even above the brim.
• Occasionally, but only occasionally, one of these lemons
will get by the inspectors.
Inappropriate Adverb Order
• Review the section on Misplaced Modifiers for some
additional ideas on placement. Modifiers can sometimes
attach themselves to and thus modify words that they ought
not to modify.
• They reported that Giuseppe Balle, a European rock star,
had died on the six o'clock news.
• Clearly, it would be better to move the underlined modifier to
a position immediately after "they reported" or even to the
beginning of the sentence — so the poor man doesn't die on
television.
• Misplacement can also occur with very simple modifiers,
such as only and barely:
• She only grew to be four feet tall.
• It would be better if "She grew to be only four feet tall."