Definition of Adjective

Definition
Adjectives are words that describe or modify another person or thing in the sentence. The
Articles — a, an, and the — are adjectives.
• the tall professor

• the lugubrious lieutenant
• a solid commitment
• a month's pay
• a six-year-old child
• the unhappiest, richest man
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. If an adjective
clause is stripped of its subject and verb, the resulting modifier becomes an Adjective
Phrase: He is the man who is keeping my family in the poorhouse.
Before getting into other usage considerations, one general note about the use — or over-
use — of adjectives: Adjectives are frail; don't ask them to do more work than they
should. Let your broad-shouldered verbs and nouns do the hard work of description. Be
particularly cautious in your use of adjectives that don't have much to say in the first
place: interesting, beautiful, lovely, exciting. It is your job as a writer to create beauty and
excitement and interest, and when you simply insist on its presence without showing it to
your reader — well, you're convincing no one.
Consider the uses of modifiers in this adjectivally rich paragraph from Thomas Wolfe's
Look Homeward, Angel. (Charles Scribner's, 1929, p. 69.) Adjectives are highlighted in
this color; participles, verb forms acting as adjectives, are highlighted in this blue. Some
people would argue that words that are part of a name — like "East India Tea House —
are not really adjectival and that possessive nouns — father's, farmer's — are not
technically adjectives, but we've included them in our analysis of Wolfe's text.
He remembered yet the East India Tea House at the Fair, the sandalwood, the turbans,
and the robes, the cool interior and the smell of India tea; and he had felt now the
nostalgic thrill of dew-wet mornings in Spring, the cherry scent, the cool clarion earth,
the wet loaminess of the garden, the pungent breakfast smells and the floating snow of
blossoms. He knew the inchoate sharp excitement of hot dandelions in young earth; in
July, of watermelons bedded in sweet hay, inside a farmer's covered wagon; of
cantaloupe and crated peaches; and the scent of orange rind, bitter-sweet, before a fire of
coals. He knew the good male smell of his father's sitting-room; of the smooth worn
leather sofa, with the gaping horse-hair rent; of the blistered varnished wood upon the
hearth; of the heated calf-skin bindings; of the flat moist plug of apple tobacco, stuck
with a red flag; of wood-smoke and burnt leaves in October; of the brown tired autumn
earth; of honey-suckle at night; of warm nasturtiums, of a clean ruddy farmer who comes
weekly with printed butter, eggs, and milk; of fat limp underdone bacon and of coffee; of
a bakery-oven in the wind; of large deep-hued stringbeans smoking-hot and seasoned
well with salt and butter; of a room of old pine boards in which books and carpets have
been stored, long closed; of Concord grapes in their long white baskets.
An abundance of adjectives like this would be uncommon in contemporary prose.

Whether we have lost something or not is left up to you.
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. Sometimes they appear in a string of adjectives, and when they do, they
appear in a set order according to category. (See Below.) When indefinite pronouns —
such as something, someone, anybody — are modified by an adjective, the adjective
comes after the pronoun:
Anyone capable of doing something horrible to someone nice should be punished.

Something wicked this way comes.
And 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.
See, also, the note on a- adjectives, below, for the position of such words as "ablaze,
aloof, aghast."
Degrees of Adjectives
Adjectives can express degrees of modification:
• Gladys is a rich woman, but Josie is richer than Gladys, and Sadie is the richest
woman in town.
The degrees of comparison are known as the positive, the
comparative, and the superlative. (Actually, only the
comparative and superlative show degrees.) We use the
comparative for comparing two things and the superlative
for comparing three or more things. Notice that the word
than frequently accompanies the comparative and the word
the precedes the superlative. The inflected suffixes -er and
-est suffice to form most comparatives and superlatives,
although we need -ier and -iest when a two-syllable
adjective ends in y (happier and happiest); otherwise we use
more and most when an adjective has more than one
syllable.
Click on the "scary bear" to read

and hear George Newall's
"Unpack Your Adjectives" (from
Scholastic Rock, 1975).
Schoolhouse Rock® and its
characters and other elements
are trademarks and service
marks of American
Broadcasting Companies, Inc.
Used with permission.
Positive Comparative Superlative

rich richer richest
lovely lovelier
rich richer richest
rich richer richest
rich richer richest
good better best

impossib worse worst
le princip
allessleastmuc
h
many
somemoremos
tfarfurtherfurt
hestbad
Be careful not
to form
comparatives
or superlatives
of adjectives
which already
rich richer richest
express an
extreme of
comparison —
unique, for
instance —
although it
probably is
possible to
form
comparative
forms of most
adjectives:
something can
be more
perfect, and
someone can
have a fuller
figure. People
who argue that
one woman
cannot be
more
pregnant than
another have
never been
nine-months
pregnant with
twins.
Gramma
r's
Respons
e
According to
Bryan Garner,
"complete" is
one of those
adjectives that
does not admit
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of
comparative
degrees. We
could say,
however,
"more nearly
complete." I
am sure that I
have not been
consistent in
my application
of this
principle in
the Guide (I
can hear
myself, now,
saying
something like
"less
adequate" or
"more
preferable" or
"less fatal").
Other
adjectives that
Garner would
include in this
list are as
follows:
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This chart is probably too wide to print on a standard piece of paper. If you click
HERE, you will get a one-page duplicate of this chart, which you can print out on
a regular piece of paper.
It would be folly, of course, to run more than two or three (at the most) adjectives
together. Furthermore, when adjectives belong to the same class, they become what we
call coordinated adjectives, and you will want to put a comma between them: the
inexpensive, comfortable shoes. The rule for inserting the comma works this way: if you
could have inserted a conjunction — and or but — between the two adjectives, use a
comma. We could say these are "inexpensive but comfortable shoes," so we would use a
comma between them (when the "but" isn't there). When you have three coordinated
adjectives, separate them all with commas, but don't insert a comma between the last
adjective and the noun (in spite of the temptation to do so because you often pause there):
a popular, respected, and good looking student
See the section on Commas for additional help in punctuating coordinated adjectives.
Capitalizing Proper Adjectives

When an adjective owes its origins to a proper noun, it should probably be capitalized.
Thus we write about Christian music, French fries, the English Parliament, the Ming
Dynasty, a Faulknerian style, Jeffersonian democracy. Some periods of time have taken
on the status of proper adjectives: the Nixon era, a Renaissance/Romantic/Victorian poet
(but a contemporary novelist and medieval writer). Directional and seasonal adjectives
are not capitalized unless they're part of a title:
We took the northwest route during the spring thaw. We stayed there until the town's
annual Fall Festival of Small Appliances.
See the section on Capitalization for further help on this matter.
Collective Adjectives
When the definite article, the, is combined with an adjective describing a class or group
of people, the resulting phrase can act as a noun: the poor, the rich, the oppressed, the
homeless, the lonely, the unlettered, the unwashed, the gathered, the dear departed. The
difference between a Collective Noun (which is usually regarded as singular but which
can be plural in certain contexts) and a collective adjective is that the latter is always
plural and requires a plural verb:
• The rural poor have been ignored by the media.

• The rich of Connecticut are responsible.
• The elderly are beginning to demand their rights.
• The young at heart are always a joy to be around.
Adjectival Opposites
The opposite or the negative aspect of an adjective can be formed in a number of ways.
One way, of course, is to find an adjective to mean the opposite — an antonym. The
opposite of beautiful is ugly, the opposite of tall is short. A thesaurus can help you find
an appropriate opposite. Another way to form the opposite of an adjective is with a
number of prefixes. The opposite of fortunate is unfortunate, the opposite of prudent is
imprudent, the opposite of considerate is inconsiderate, the opposite of honorable is
dishonorable, the opposite of alcoholic is nonalcoholic, the opposite of being properly
filed is misfiled. If you are not sure of the spelling of adjectives modified in this way by
prefixes (or which is the appropriate prefix), you will have to consult a dictionary, as the
rules for the selection of a prefix are complex and too shifty to be trusted. The meaning
itself can be tricky; for instance, flammable and inflammable mean the same thing.
A third means for creating the opposite of an adjective is to combine it with less or least
to create a comparison which points in the opposite direction. Interesting shades of
meaning and tone become available with this usage. It is kinder to say that "This is the
least beautiful city in the state." than it is to say that "This is the ugliest city in the state."
(It also has a slightly different meaning.) A candidate for a job can still be worthy and yet
be "less worthy of consideration" than another candidate. It's probably not a good idea to
use this construction with an adjective that is already a negative: "He is less unlucky than
his brother," although that is not the same thing as saying he is luckier than his brother.
Use the comparative less when the comparison is between two things or people; use the
superlative least when the comparison is among many things or people.
• My mother is less patient than my father.

• Of all the new sitcoms, this is my least favorite show.
Some Adjectival Problem Children

Good versus Well
Bad versus BadlyIn both casual speech and formal writing, we

frequently have to choose between the adjective good and the adverb well. With
most verbs, there is no contest: when modifying a verb, use the adverb.
He swims well.
He knows only too well who the murderer is.
However, when using a linking verb or a verb that has to do with the five human
senses, you want to use the adjective instead.
How are you? I'm feeling good, thank you.
After a bath, the baby smells so good.
Even after my careful paint job, this room doesn't look good.
Many careful writers, however, will use well after linking verbs relating to health,
and this is perfectly all right. In fact, to say that you are good or that you feel
good usually implies not only that you're OK physically but also that your spirits
are high.
"How are you?"
"I am well, thank you."
When your cat died (assuming you loved your cat), did you feel bad or badly?
Applying the same rule that applies to good versus well, use the adjective form
after verbs that have to do with human feelings. You felt bad. If you said you felt
badly, it would mean that something was wrong with your faculties for feeling.
Other Adjectival Considerations

Review the section on Compound Nouns and Modifiers for the formation of modifiers
created when words are connected: a four-year-old child, a nineteenth-century novel, an
empty-headed fool.
Review the section on Possessives for a distinction between possessive forms and
"adjectival labels." (Do you belong to a Writers Club or a Writers' Club?)
Adjectives that are really Participles, verb forms with -ing and -ed endings, can be
troublesome for some students. It is one thing to be a frightened child; it is an altogether
different matter to be a frightening child. Do you want to go up to your professor after
class and say that you are confused or that you are confusing? Generally, the -ed ending
means that the noun so described ("you") has a passive relationship with something —
something (the subject matter, the presentation) has bewildered you and you are
confused. The -ing ending means that the noun described has a more active role — you
are not making any sense so you are confusing (to others, including your professor).
The -ed ending modifiers are often accompanied by prepositions (these are not the only
choices):
• We were amazed at all the circus animals.

• We were amused by the clowns.
• We were annoyed by the elephants.
• We were bored by the ringmaster.
• We were confused by the noise.
• We were disappointed by the motorcycle daredevils.
• We were disappointed in their performance.
• We were embarrassed by my brother.
• We were exhausted from all the excitement.
• We were excited by the lion-tamer.
• We were excited about the high-wire act, too.
• We were frightened by the lions.
• We were introduced to the ringmaster.
• We were interested in the tent.
• We were irritated by the heat.
• We were opposed to leaving early.
• We were satisfied with the circus.
• We were shocked at the level of noise under the big tent.
• We were surprised by the fans' response.
• We were surprised at their indifference.
• We were tired of all the lights after a while.
• We were worried about the traffic leaving the parking lot.
A- Adjectives
The most common of the so-called a- adjectives are ablaze, afloat, afraid, aghast, alert,
alike, alive, alone, aloof, ashamed, asleep, averse, awake, aware. These adjectives will
primarily show up as predicate adjectives (i.e., they come after a linking verb).
• The children were ashamed.

• The professor remained aloof.
• The trees were ablaze.
Occasionally, however, you will find a- adjectives before the word they modify: the alert
patient, the aloof physician. Most of them, when found before the word they modify, are
themselves modified: the nearly awake student, the terribly alone scholar. And a-
adjectives are sometimes modified by "very much": very much afraid, very much alone,
very much ashamed, etc.
http://punctilious.org/grammar/adjectives.htm
What Is An Adjective?
An adjective modifies a noun or a pronoun by describing, identifying, or quantifying
words. An adjective usually precedes the noun or the pronoun which it modifies.
In the following examples, the highlighted words are adjectives:
The truck-shaped balloon floated over the treetops.

Mrs. Morrison papered her kitchen walls with hideous wall paper.
The small boat foundered on the wine dark sea.
The coal mines are dark and dank.
Many stores have already begun to play irritating Christmas music.
A battered music box sat on the mahogany sideboard.
The back room was filled with large, yellow rain boots.
An adjective can be modified by an adverb, or by a phrase or clause functioning as an

adverb. In the sentence
My husband knits intricately patterned mittens.
for example, the adverb "intricately" modifies the adjective "patterned."
Some nouns, many pronouns, and many participle phrases can also act as adjectives. In
the sentence
Eleanor listened to the muffled sounds of the radio hidden under her pillow.
for example, both highlighted adjectives are past participles.
Grammarians also consider articles ("the," "a," "an") to be adjectives.
Possessive Adjectives
A possessive adjective ("my," "your," "his," "her," "its," "our," "their") is similar or
identical to a possessive pronoun; however, it is used as an adjective and modifies a noun
or a noun phrase, as in the following sentences:
I can't complete my assignment because I don't have the textbook.
In this sentence, the possessive adjective "my" modifies "assignment" and the noun
phrase "my assignment" functions as an object. Note that the possessive pronoun form
"mine" is not used to modify a noun or noun phrase.
What is your phone number.
Here the possessive adjective "your" is used to modify the noun phrase "phone number";
the entire noun phrase "your phone number" is a subject complement. Note that the
possessive pronoun form "yours" is not used to modify a noun or a noun phrase.
The bakery sold his favourite type of bread.
In this example, the possessive adjective "his" modifies the noun phrase "favourite type
of bread" and the entire noun phrase "his favourite type of bread" is the direct object of
the verb "sold."
After many years, she returned to her homeland.
Here the possessive adjective "her" modifies the noun "homeland" and the noun phrase
"her homeland" is the object of the preposition "to." Note also that the form "hers" is not
used to modify nouns or noun phrases.
We have lost our way in this wood.
In this sentence, the possessive adjective "our" modifies "way" and the noun phrase "our
way" is the direct object of the compound verb "have lost". Note that the possessive
pronoun form "ours" is not used to modify nouns or noun phrases.
In many fairy tales, children are neglected by their parents.
Here the possessive adjective "their" modifies "parents" and the noun phrase "their
parents" is the object of the preposition "by." Note that the possessive pronoun form
"theirs" is not used to modify nouns or noun phrases.
The cat chased its ball down the stairs and into the backyard.
In this sentence, the possessive adjective "its" modifies "ball" and the noun phrase "its
ball" is the object of the verb "chased." Note that "its" is the possessive adjective and
"it's" is a contraction for "it is."
Demonstrative Adjectives
The demonstrative adjectives "this," "these," "that," "those," and "what" are identical to
the demonstrative pronouns, but are used as adjectives to modify nouns or noun phrases,
as in the following sentences:
When the librarian tripped over that cord, she dropped a pile of books.
In this sentence, the demonstrative adjective "that" modifies the noun "cord" and the
noun phrase "that cord" is the object of the preposition "over."
This apartment needs to be fumigated.
Here "this" modifies "apartment" and the noun phrase "this apartment" is the subject of
the sentence.
Even though my friend preferred those plates, I bought these.
In the subordinate clause, "those" modifies "plates" and the noun phrase "those plates" is
the object of the verb "preferred." In the independent clause, "these" is the direct object of
the verb "bought."
Note that the relationship between a demonstrative adjective and a demonstrative

pronoun is similar to the relationship between a possessive adjective and a possessive
pronoun, or to that between a interrogative adjective and an interrogative pronoun.
Interrogative Adjectives
An interrogative adjective ("which" or "what") is like an interrogative pronoun, except
that it modifies a noun or noun phrase rather than standing on its own (see also
demonstrative adjectives and possessive adjectives):
Which plants should be watered twice a week?
Like other adjectives, "which" can be used to modify a noun or a noun phrase. In this
example, "which" modifies "plants" and the noun phrase "which plants" is the subject of
the compound verb "should be watered":
What book are you reading?
In this sentence, "what" modifies "book" and the noun phrase "what book" is the direct
object of the compound verb "are reading."
Indefinite Adjectives
An indefinite adjective is similar to an indefinite pronoun, except that it modifies a
noun, pronoun, or noun phrase, as in the following sentences:
Many people believe that corporations are under-taxed.
The indefinite adjective "many" modifies the noun "people" and the noun phrase "many
people" is the subject of the sentence.
I will send you any mail that arrives after you have moved to Sudbury.
The indefinite adjective "any" modifies the noun "mail" and the noun phrase "any mail"
is the direct object of the compound verb "will send."
They found a few goldfish floating belly up in the swan pound.
In this example the indefinite adjective modifies the noun "goldfish" and the noun phrase
is the direct object of the verb "found":
The title of Kelly's favourite game is "All dogs go to heaven."
Here the indefinite pronoun "all" modifies "dogs" and the full title is a subject
complement.
http://www.writingcentre.uottawa.ca/hypergrammar/adjectve.html
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PurposeA purpose adjective describes what something is used for. These
adjectives often end with "-ing". Examples:
sleeping (as in "sleeping bag"), roasting (as in "roasting tin")
Adverb
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
"Adverbs" redirects here. For the Daniel Handler novel, see Adverbs (novel).
Examples
• The waves came
in quickly over
the rocks.
• I found the film
incredibly dull.
• The meeting
went well, and
the directors
were extremely
happy with the
outcome!
• Crabs are known
for walking
sideways.
• I often have eggs
for breakfast.
• However, I shall
not eat fried eggs
again.
Look up adverb in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.An adverb is a part of speech. It is

any word that modifies any part of language other than a noun (modifiers of nouns are
primarily adjectives and determiners). Adverbs can modify verbs, adjectives (including
numbers), clauses, sentences and other adverbs.
Adverbs typically answer questions such as how?, in what way?, when?, where?, and to
what extent?. In English, they often end in -ly. This function is called the adverbial
function, and is realized not just by single words (i.e., adverbs) but by adverbial phrases
and adverbial clauses.
Contents [edit] Adverbs in English
In English, adverbs of manner (answering the question how?) are often formed by adding
-ly to adjectives. For example, great yields greatly, and beautiful yields beautifully. (Note
that some words that end in -ly, such as friendly and lovely, are not adverbs, but
adjectives, in which case the root word is usually a noun. There are also underived
adjectives that end in -ly, such as holy and silly.)
The suffix -ly is related to the Germanic word "lich" meaning corpse or body. (There is
also an obsolete English word lych or lich with the same meaning.) Both words are also
related to the word like. The connection between -ly and like is easy to understand. The
connection to lich is probably that both are descended from an earlier word that meant
something like "shape" or "form".[1]
In this way, -ly in English is cognate with the common German adjective ending -lich and
the Dutch ending -lijk. This same process is followed in Romance languages with the
ending -mente, -ment, or -mense meaning "of/like the mind".
In some cases, the suffix -wise may be used to derive adverbs from nouns. Historically,
-wise competed with a related form -ways and won out against it. In a few words, like
sideways, -ways survives; words like clockwise show the transition. Again, it is not a
foolproof indicator of a word being an adverb. Some adverbs are formed from nouns or
adjectives by appending the prefix a- (such as abreast, astray). There are a number of
other suffixes in English that derive adverbs from other word classes, and there are also
many adverbs that are not morphologically indicated at all.
Gerunds can function as adverbs in English when used in a construction known as verbal
hendiadys. This usage is more common in Semitic languages, but is attested in English
vernacular expressions such as "He was hopping mad." The most common usage of
verbal hendiadys in English occurs with profanity, as in "He was fucking mad."
Comparative adverbs include more, most, least, and less (in phrases such as more
beautiful, most easily etc.).
The usual form pertaining to adjectives or adverbs is called the positive. Formally,
adverbs in English are inflected in terms of comparison, just like adjectives. The
comparative and superlative forms of some (especially single-syllable) adverbs that do
not end in -ly are generated by adding -er and -est (She ran faster; He jumps highest).
Others, especially those ending -ly, are periphrastically compared by the use of more or
most (She ran more quickly). Adverbs also take comparisons with as ... as, less, and least.
Not all adverbs are comparable; for example in the sentence He wore red yesterday it
does not make sense to speak of "more yesterday" or "most yesterday".
[edit] Adverbs as a "catch-all" category
Adverbs are considered a part of speech in traditional English grammar and are still
included as a part of speech in grammar taught in schools and used in dictionaries.
However, modern grammarians recognize that words traditionally grouped together as
adverbs serve a number of different functions. Some would go so far as to call adverbs a
"catch-all" category that includes all words that do not belong to one of the other parts of
speech.
A more logical approach to dividing words into classes relies on recognizing which
words can be used in a certain context. For example, a noun is a word that can be inserted
in the following template to form a grammatical sentence:
The _____ is red. (For example, "The hat is red".)
When this approach is taken, it is seen that adverbs fall into a number of different
categories. For example, some adverbs can be used to modify an entire sentence, whereas
others cannot. Even when a sentential adverb has other functions, the meaning is often
not the same. For example, in the sentences She gave birth naturally and Naturally, she
gave birth, the word naturally has different meanings. (Actually the first sentence could
be interpreted in the same way as the second, but context makes it clear which is meant.)
Naturally as a sentential adverb means something like "of course" and as a verb-
modifying adverb means "in a natural manner". This "naturally" controversy
demonstrates that the class of sentential adverbs is a closed class (there is resistance to
adding new words to the class), whereas the class of adverbs that modify verbs isn't.
Words like very and particularly afford another useful example. We can say Perry is very
fast, but not Perry very won the race. These words can modify adjectives but not verbs.
On the other hand, there are words like here and there that cannot modify adjectives. We
can say The sock looks good there but not It is a there beautiful sock. The fact that many
adverbs can be used in more than one of these functions can confuse this issue, and it
may seem like splitting hairs to say that a single adverb is really two or more words that
serve different functions. However, this distinction can be useful, especially considering
adverbs like naturally that have different meanings in their different functions.
Huddleston distinguishes between a word and a lexicogrammatical-word.[2]
Not is an interesting case. Grammarians have a difficult time categorizing it, and it
probably belongs in its own class (Haegeman 1995, Cinque 1998).
[edit] Other languages

Other languages may form adverbs in different ways, if they are used at all:
• In Dutch and German, adverbs have the basic form of their corresponding
adjectives and are not inflected (except for comparison in which case they are
inflected like adjectives, too). Consequently, German primary-school teaching
uses a single term, Eigenschaftswort, to refer to both adjectives and adverbs.
However German linguists avoid this term.
• In Scandinavian languages, adverbs are typically derived from adjectives by
adding the suffix '-t', which makes it identical to the adjective's neuter form.
Scandinavian adjectives, like English ones, are inflected in terms of comparison
by adding '-ere'/'-are' (comparative) or '-est'/'-ast' (superlative). In inflected forms
of adjectives the '-t' is absent. Periphrastic comparison is also possible.
• In Romance languages many adverbs are formed from adjectives (often the
feminine form) by adding '-mente' (Portuguese, Spanish, Italian) or '-ment'
(French, Catalan) (from Latin mens, mentis: mind, intelligence). Other adverbs are
single forms which are invariable.
• In the Romanian language, the vast majority of adverbs are simply the masculine
singular form of the corresponding adjective – one notable exception being bine
("well") / bun ("good"). However, there are some Romanian adverbs that are built
from certain masculine singular nouns using the suffix "-eşte", such as the
following ones: băieţ-eşte (boyishly), tiner-eşte (youthfully), bărbăt-eşte (manly),
frăţ-eşte (brotherly), etcaetara.
• Interlingua also forms adverbs by adding '-mente' to the adjective. If an adjective
ends in c, the adverbial ending is '-amente'. A few short, invariable adverbs, such
as ben, "well", and mal, "badly", are available and widely used.
• In Esperanto, adverbs are not formed from adjectives but are made by adding '-e'
directly to the word root. Thus, from bon are derived bone, "well", and 'bona',
'good'. See also: special Esperanto adverbs.
• Modern Standard Arabic forms adverbs by adding the indefinite accusative
ending '-an' to the root. For example, kathiir-, "many", becomes kathiiran "much".
However, Arabic often avoids adverbs by using a cognate accusative plus an
adjective.
• Austronesian languages appear to form comparative adverbs by repeating the root
(as in WikiWiki), similarly to the plural noun.
• Japanese forms adverbs from verbal adjectives by adding /ku/ (く) to the stem
(e.g. haya- "rapid" hayai "quick/early", hayakatta "was quick", hayaku "quickly")
and from nominal adjectives by placing /ni/ (に) after the adjective instead of the
copula /na/ (な) or /no/ (の) (e.g. rippa "splendid", rippa ni "splendidly"). These
derivations are quite productive but there are a few adjectives from which adverbs
may not be derived.
• In Gaelic, an adverbial form is made by preceding the adjective with the
preposition go (Irish) or gu (Scottish Gaelic), meaning 'until'.
• In Modern Greek, an adverb is most commonly made by adding the endings <-α>
and/or <-ως> to the root of an adjective. Often, the adverbs formed from a
common root using each of these endings have slightly different meanings. So,
<τέλειος> (<téleios>, meaning "perfect" and "complete") yields <τέλεια>
(<téleia>, "perfectly") and <τελείως> (<teleíos>, "completely"). Not all adjectives
can be transformed into adverbs by using both endings. <Γρήγορος> (<grígoros>,
"rapid") becomes <γρήγορα> (<grígora>, "rapidly"), but not normally
*<γρηγόρως> (*<grigóros>). When the <-ως> ending is used to transform an
adjective whose tonal accent is on the third syllable from the end, such as
<επίσημος> (<epísimos>, "official"), the corresponding adjective is accented on
the second syllable from the end; compare <επίσημα> (<epísima>) and
<επισήμως> (<episímos>), which both mean "officially". There are also other
endings with particular and restricted use as <-ί>, <-εί>, <-ιστί>, etc. For
example, <ατιμωρητί> (<atimorití>, "with impunity") and <ασυζητητί>
(<asyzitití>, "indisputably"); <αυτολεξεί> (<autolexeí> "word for word") and
<αυτοστιγμεί> (<autostigmeí>, "in no time"); <αγγλιστί> [<anglistí> "in English
(language)"] and <παπαγαλιστί> (<papagalistí>, "by rote"); etc.
• In Latvian, an adverb is formed from an adjective, by changing the masculine or
feminine adjective endings -s and -a to -i. "Labs", meaning "good", becomes
"labi" for "well". Latvian adverbs have a particular use in expressions meaning
"to speak" or "to understand" a language. Rather than use the noun meaning
"Latvian/English/Russian", the adverb formed form these words is used. "Es
runāju latviski/angliski/krieviski" means "I speak Latvian/English/Russian", or
very literally "I speak Latvianly/Englishly/Russianly". When a noun is required,
the expression used means literally "language of the Latvians/English/Russians",
"latviešu/angļu/krievu valoda".
• In Ukrainian, an adverb is formed by removing the adjectival suffices "-ий" "-а"
or "-е" from an adjective, and replacing them with the adverbial "-о". For
example, "швидкий", "гарна", and "смачне" (fast, nice, tasty) become
"швидко", "гарно", and "смачно" (quickly, nicely, tastefully). As well, note that
adverbs are mostly placed before the verbs they modify: "Добрий син гарно
співає." (A good son sings nicely/well). Although, there is no specific word order
in east slavic languages.
• In Korean, adverbs are formed by replacing 다 of the dictionary form of a verb
with 게. So, 쉽다 (easy) becomes 쉽게 (easily).
• In Turkish, the same word usually serves as adjective and adverb: iyi bir kız ("a
good girl"), iyi anlamak ("to understand well).
[edit] References
1. ^ Oxford English Dictionary Online; entry on lich, etymology section.
2. ^ Huddleston, Rodney (1988). English grammar: an outline. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press. p. 7. doi:10.2277/0521311527. ISBN 0521323118.
• Cinque, Guglielmo. 1999. Adverbs and functional heads -- a cross linguistic

perspective. Oxford: Oxford University press.
• Ernst, Thomas. 2002. The syntax of adjuncts. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press.
• Haegeman, Liliane. 1995. The syntax of negation. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
• Jackendoff, Ray. 1972. Semantic Interpretation in Generative Grammar. MIT
Press,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adverb
Adverbs
An adverb is a word that tells us more about a verb. An adverb "qualifies" or "modifies"
a verb (The man ran quickly). But adverbs can also modify adjectives (Tara is really
beautiful), or even other adverbs (It works very well).
Many different kinds of word are called adverbs. We can usually recognise an adverb by
its:
1. Function (Job)
2. Form
3. Position
1. Function
The principal job of an adverb is to modify (give more information about) verbs,
adjectives and other adverbs. In the following examples, the adverb is in bold and the
word that it modifies is in italics.
• Modify a verb:
- John speaks loudly. (How does John speak?)
- Mary lives locally. (Where does Mary live?)
- She never smokes. (When does she smoke?)
• Modify an adjective:
- He is really handsome.
• Modify another adverb:

- She drives incredibly slowly.
But adverbs have other functions, too. They can:
• Modify a whole sentence:

- Obviously, I can't know everything.
• Modify a prepositional phrase:

- It's immediately inside the door.
2. Form
Many adverbs end in -ly. We form such adverbs by adding -ly to the adjective. Here are
some examples:
• quickly, softly, strongly, honestly, interestingly
But not all words that end in -ly are adverbs. "Friendly", for example, is an adjective.
Some adverbs have no particular form, for example:
• well, fast, very, never, always, often, still
3. Position
Adverbs have three main positions in the sentence:
• Front (before the subject):

- Now we will study adverbs.
• Middle (between the subject and the main verb):

- We often study adverbs.
• End (after the verb or object):

- We study adverbs carefully.
http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/adverbs.htm
What is an Adverb?
An adverb can modify a verb, an adjective, another adverb, a phrase, or a clause. An
adverb indicates manner, time, place, cause, or degree and answers questions such as
"how," "when," "where," "how much".
While some adverbs can be identified by their characteristic "ly" suffix, most of them
must be identified by untangling the grammatical relationships within the sentence or
clause as a whole. Unlike an adjective, an adverb can be found in various places within
the sentence.
In the following examples, each of the highlighted words is an adverb:
The seamstress quickly made the mourning clothes.
In this sentence, the adverb "quickly" modifies the verb "made" and indicates in what
manner (or how fast) the clothing was constructed.
The midwives waited patiently through a long labour.
Similarly in this sentence, the adverb "patiently" modifies the verb "waited" and
describes the manner in which the midwives waited.
The boldly spoken words would return to haunt the rebel.
In this sentence the adverb "boldly" modifies the adjective "spoken."

We urged him to dial the number more expeditiously.
Here the adverb "more" modifies the adverb "expeditiously."
Unfortunately, the bank closed at three today.
In this example, the adverb "unfortunately" modifies the entire sentence.
Conjunctive Adverbs
You can use a conjunctive adverb to join two clauses together. Some of the most
common conjunctive adverbs are "also," "consequently," "finally," "furthermore,"
"hence," "however," "incidentally," "indeed," "instead," "likewise," "meanwhile,"
"nevertheless," "next," "nonetheless," "otherwise," "still," "then," "therefore," and "thus."
A conjunctive adverb is not strong enough to join two independent clauses without the
aid of a semicolon.
The highlighted words in the following sentences are conjunctive adverbs:
The government has cut university budgets; consequently, class sizes have been
increased.
He did not have all the ingredients the recipe called for; therefore, he decided to
make something else.
The report recommended several changes to the ways the corporation accounted
for donations; furthermore, it suggested that a new auditor be appointed
immediately.
The crowd waited patiently for three hours; finally, the doors to the stadium were
opened.
Batman and Robin fruitlessly searched the building; indeed, the Joker had
escaped through a secret door in the basement.
http://www.writingcentre.uottawa.ca/hypergrammar/adverbs.html
Example of Adverb
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http://www.r-go.ca/example_of_adverb.htm
Adverb Clauses Examples - Lesson Plan Quiz

Directions: In this exercise, your task is to choose the correct subordinating conjunction
to fill the space at the beginning of the adverb clause. The questions here test your
knowledge of English grammar. Each question consists of a short written conversation,
part of which has been omitted.
Four words or phrases, labelled 1, 2, 3, and 4, are given below the conversation.
Choose the word or phrase that will correctly complete the conversation. Click on
the answer you think is correct.
http://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_grammar/adverb_clauses_ex.htm
[hide]
• 1 Adverbs in English
o 1.1 Adverbs as a "catch-all" category
• 2 Other languages
• 3 References
• 4 See also
• 5 External links

Definition of Adjective

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Definition of Adjective

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Definition

• the tall professor

If a group of words containing a subject and verb acts as an adjective, it is called an

An abundance of adjectives like this would be uncommon in contemporary prose.

Anyone capable of doing something horrible to someone nice should be punished.

Click on the "scary bear" to read

Positive Comparative Superlative

good better best

t Size Shape Age Color

a popular, respected, and good looking student

Capitalizing Proper Adjectives

See the section on Capitalization for further help on this matter.

• The rural poor have been ignored by the media.

• My mother is less patient than my father.

Some Adjectival Problem Children

Bad versus BadlyIn both casual speech and formal writing, we

Other Adjectival Considerations

• We were amazed at all the circus animals.

• The children were ashamed.

In the following examples, the highlighted words are adjectives:

The truck-shaped balloon floated over the treetops.

An adjective can be modified by an adverb, or by a phrase or clause functioning as an

My husband knits intricately patterned mittens.

for example, the adverb "intricately" modifies the adjective "patterned."

for example, both highlighted adjectives are past participles.

Grammarians also consider articles ("the," "a," "an") to be adjectives.

What is your phone number.

The bakery sold his favourite type of bread.

After many years, she returned to her homeland.

We have lost our way in this wood.

In many fairy tales, children are neglected by their parents.

This apartment needs to be fumigated.

Even though my friend preferred those plates, I bought these.

Note that the relationship between a demonstrative adjective and a demonstrative

Which plants should be watered twice a week?

What book are you reading?

They found a few goldfish floating belly up in the swan pound.

The title of Kelly's favourite game is "All dogs go to heaven."

Look up adverb in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.An adverb is a part of speech. It is

The _____ is red. (For example, "The hat is red".)

[edit] Other languages

• Cinque, Guglielmo. 1999. Adverbs and functional heads -- a cross linguistic

• Modify another adverb:

But adverbs have other functions, too. They can:

• Modify a whole sentence:

• Modify a prepositional phrase:

• quickly, softly, strongly, honestly, interestingly

• well, fast, very, never, always, often, still

Adverbs have three main positions in the sentence:

• Front (before the subject):

• Middle (between the subject and the main verb):

• End (after the verb or object):

In the following examples, each of the highlighted words is an adverb:

The seamstress quickly made the mourning clothes.

The midwives waited patiently through a long labour.

The boldly spoken words would return to haunt the rebel.

In this sentence the adverb "boldly" modifies the adjective "spoken."

Here the adverb "more" modifies the adverb "expeditiously."

Unfortunately, the bank closed at three today.

In this example, the adverb "unfortunately" modifies the entire sentence.

The highlighted words in the following sentences are conjunctive adverbs:

Adverb Clauses Examples - Lesson Plan Quiz

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