Adjectives & Adverbs

What Are Adjectives and Adverbs?

Adjectives and adverbs are describing words. They add detail to sentences, making writing more vivid, precise, and interesting. Knowing the difference between them — and how to use each correctly — is one of the most useful grammar skills you can develop.

Key Terms

Adjectives

An adjective modifies (describes) a noun or pronoun. It tells us which one, what kind, or how many.

Adjectives can appear:

• Before a noun: a red apple, three old books
• After a linking verb (predicate adjective): The soup is hot.

Types of adjectives:

• Descriptive: beautiful, angry, heavy
• Quantitative: three, many, several
• Demonstrative: this, that, these, those
• Possessive: my, her, their
• Interrogative: which, what

Adverbs

An adverb modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. It tells us how, when, where, or how much.

• Modifying a verb: She carefully folded the paper.
• Modifying an adjective: It was extremely cold.
• Modifying another adverb: He spoke very quietly.

Many adverbs are formed by adding -ly to an adjective: slow → slowly, happy → happily, careful → carefully.

Comparative and Superlative Forms

Adjectives

Adverbs

Worked Examples

Identifying adjectives and adverbs:

"The fierce storm hit the coast suddenly."

• fierce = adjective (describes the noun storm)
• suddenly = adverb (describes the verb hit)

"She gave a brilliant speech and spoke confidently."

• brilliant = adjective (describes speech)
• confidently = adverb (describes spoke)

Fixing common errors:

• Incorrect: He did good on the test.
• Correct: He did well on the test. (well = adverb modifying did)

Adjective vs Adverb: How to Choose

Ask yourself: What word is being described?

• If it is a noun or pronoun → use an adjective.
• If it is a verb, adjective, or adverb → use an adverb.

Test: She looked _____ at the painting.

• If she is looking in a certain way (manner) → adverb: carefully
• If she appeared a certain way → adjective: thoughtful (She looked thoughtful.)

Common Mistakes

• Good vs well: I feel good (adjective after feel) vs I performed well (adverb after performed).
• Forgetting -ly: She spoke soft should be She spoke softly.
• Double comparatives: more better is incorrect — use better.
• Misplacing adverbs: She only eats vegetables vs She eats only vegetables — placement changes meaning.

Tips and Tricks

• If a word ends in -ly, it is often an adverb — but not always (friendly, lovely are adjectives).
• Replace the word with very — if it works in front of an adjective or adverb, the modifier is an adverb.
• Strong, specific adjectives beat vague ones: "a dilapidated shed" is better than "a very old shed".
• Overusing adverbs (especially -ly adverbs) often signals a weak verb choice: "he shouted angrily" could become "he roared".