1. Adjectives and Adverbs
Chapter 29

2. Part A Defining and Using Adjectives and Adverbs
Adjectives and adverbs are two kinds of descriptive words.
Adjectives describe or modify nouns or pronouns.
Adjectives explain what kind, which one, or how many.
Colors and numbers are adjectives.

3. Adjectives Which words are adjectives?
The Spanish city of Madrid has exciting nightlife.
→Spanish exciting

4. Adverbs
Adverbs describe or modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.
Adverbs tell how, why, when, where, and to what extent.
Many adverbs end in -LY

5. Adverbs Which words are adverbs?
The really large Doberman barked angrily all night.
→really angrily all night

6. Telling Adjectives and Adverbs Apart
Many adverbs are formed when the ending
-LY is added to an adjective:
Adjective Adverb
bad badly
slow slowly
nice nicely
quick quickly
quiet quietly
real really

7. Telling Adjectives and Adverbs Apart
Some adjectives – for example, lovely, friendly, and lively -- end in –LY. Be careful not to use these words as adverbs.
Remember:
Adjectives describe nouns and pronouns.
Adverbs describe verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.

8. The Trouble Maker
One adjective/adverb pair is particularly troublesome:
Adjective Adverb
good well
He is a good dancer.
(Good describes the noun dancer.)
He dances well.
(Well describes the verb dances-how does he dance? He dances well.)

9. Comparative and Superlative
The comparative of an adjective or adverb compares two people or objects.
The superlative of an adjective or adverb compares three or more people or objects, or one to a group.

10. Forming comparative and superlative
Add –ER to make an adjective or adverb comparative:
Ben is taller than Julie. (MORE tall)
Add –EST to make an adjective or adverb superlative.
Ben is the tallest in the class. (MOST tall)

11. Forming comparative and superlative
Adjectives and adverbs of more than one syllable usually form the comparative by using MORE:
Donna is more beautiful than Tami.
(Beautifuler or more beautifuler is incorrect.)
Adjectives and adverbs of more than one syllable usually form the superlative by using MOST:
Donna is the most beautiful girl on stage.
(The same rule applies here. Do not put most and –est words together. Most beautifulest or beautifulest girl is incorrect grammar.)

12. Forming comparative and superlative
Note, however, that adjectives that end in –Y, such as lazy, happy, and sunny change the Y to I and add –ER or –EST:
Dane is lazier than Lane.
Gabriel is the laziest of all.

13. The Trouble Makers Adjective Comparative Superlative good better best
bad worse worst
Adverb Comparative Superlative
well better best
badly worse worst
Pay attention when using the above words. Good is used as an
adjective and well is used as an adverb. Their comparative and
superlative forms do not look anything like their original form.

14. Review Chapter 29 for more on Adjectives and Adverbs.