1. Adjectives and Adverbs: The Basics
Grammar
Adjectives and Adverbs:
The Basics

2. Adjective - Definition
An adjective is a word that modifies a noun or a pronoun by limiting its meaning.

3. Nouns and pronouns can function as adjectives!
Adjectives: Function
A word is functioning as an adjective if it tells
What kind
Which one
How many
How much
Nouns and pronouns can function as adjectives!

4. Adjectives: Practice Apple Water Which one:
What kind?
Which one?
How many?
Water
How much?
Which one:
Possessive pronouns (my, yours, hers, etc.)
Possessive nouns (Lucy’s, students’, America’s)
Demonstrative adjective (that, those, this, these)
Countable nouns are how many
Uncountable nouns are how much

5. Adjective or noun? Nouns can function as adjectives:
I want to paint the kitchen red this time..
I opened the can of red paint and saw that it was the wrong shade
Pronouns can function as adjectives:
That book, this school, these students, those shoes

6. Adverbs almost always end in “ly” – but not all the time.
An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb by making its meaning more specific.
Adverbs almost always end in “ly” – but not all the time.

7. Negative words are adverbs!
Adverbs: Function
A word is functioning as an adverb if it tells
When
Where
How
To what degree
Negative words are adverbs!

8. Adverbs: Examples Modify verbs: Modify adjectives: Modify adverbs:
Never swim alone.
Modify adjectives:
The movie was very scary and too long.
Modify adverbs:
She almost always waited quite patiently.

9. Adverbs: a short list To what degree? Very Quite Almost Somewhat
A little
Too
Really
When?
Yesterday
Now
Later
Early
Again
Often
Already
Where?
here
there
nowhere
anywhere
somewhere

10. Write each adjective OR adverb. Identify it and the word it modifies.
The wolverine is a large, ferocious animal.
The book looks really interesting, but it is too long for me to read in just one week.
The flowers are amazingly beautiful in Aunt Chelsea’s vase.
Yesterday, Marcus was not paying very close attention, and he fell sound asleep at his desk during math class.
I thought this sweater belonged to Toni, but now I think it’s really your sweater.