What Are Adjectives & Adverbs?
Adjectives and adverbs are descriptive words that add detail to sentences. Adjectives describe nouns (people, places, things), while adverbs describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs.
Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs: "She drives carefully."
Without descriptive words: "The car moves."
With descriptive words: "The red car moves quickly."
Quick Comparison
Adjectives Answer:
What kind? Which one? How many?
Examples:
• beautiful flower (what kind)
• that book (which one)
• three apples (how many)
Adverbs Answer:
How? When? Where? To what extent?
Examples:
• runs quickly (how)
• arrived yesterday (when)
• very tall (to what extent)
Adjectives
Describing nouns: beautiful, large, interesting, red
What Are Adjectives? Beginner
Adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns and pronouns. They provide information about qualities, quantities, or characteristics of the noun they're describing.
Example: The tall woman bought three red apples.
Types of Adjectives
Examples:
happy, beautiful, tall, cold, delicious, difficult
Examples:
three, many, few, several, some, enough
Examples:
this, that, these, those
Examples:
my, your, his, her, its, our, their
Examples:
which, what, whose
Examples:
American, French, Victorian, Shakespearean
Examples in Sentences
The beautiful garden has many flowers.
She bought a new laptop.
I need three pencils.
The large dog barked loudly.
The cake is delicious.
She seems happy today.
The weather became cold.
He looks tired.
What kind? → red car, happy child
Which one? → this book, that house
How many? → two cats, several people
Whose? → her bag, my phone
Adverbs
Modifying verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs: quickly, very, always
What Are Adverbs? Beginner
Adverbs are words that modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. They provide information about how, when, where, or to what extent something happens.
Modify Adjectives: He is very tall.
Modify Other Adverbs: She speaks extremely carefully.
Modify Entire Sentences: Fortunately, we arrived on time.
Types of Adverbs
| Type | Answers | Examples | Sample Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manner | How? | quickly, slowly, carefully, well, badly | She sings beautifully. |
| Time | When? | now, later, yesterday, soon, already | I'll call you tomorrow. |
| Place | Where? | here, there, everywhere, outside, nearby | The cat is sleeping upstairs. |
| Frequency | How often? | always, never, often, sometimes, rarely | He usually arrives early. |
| Degree | To what extent? | very, quite, too, extremely, almost | The test was extremely difficult. |
Forming Adverbs from Adjectives
quick → quickly
careful → carefully
beautiful → beautifully
slow → slowly
| Adjective | Adverb | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| quick | quickly | She finished the test quickly. |
| careful | carefully | Drive carefully in the rain. |
| happy | happily | The children played happily. |
| easy | easily | He easily solved the problem. |
| loud | loudly | The dog barked loudly. |
good → well (not goodly)
fast → fast (stays the same)
hard → hard (stays the same)
late → late (stays the same)
early → early (stays the same)
Examples in Context
She speaks fluently.
They arrived late.
He works efficiently.
I rarely eat fast food.
She is very intelligent.
The test was extremely difficult.
He's quite tall.
The movie was incredibly boring.
Comparatives & Superlatives
Comparing things: good, better, best / tall, taller, tallest
Degrees of Comparison Intermediate
Adjectives and adverbs can show three degrees of comparison: positive (basic form), comparative (comparing two things), and superlative (comparing three or more things).
Comparative: Comparing two → taller, faster, more beautiful
Superlative: Comparing three or more → tallest, fastest, most beautiful
Rules for Forming Comparatives & Superlatives
| Type | Comparative Rule | Superlative Rule | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| One Syllable | Add -er | Add -est | tall → taller → tallest fast → faster → fastest |
| One Syllable ending in -e | Add -r | Add -st | large → larger → largest nice → nicer → nicest |
| One Syllable (consonant + vowel + consonant) | Double final consonant + -er | Double final consonant + -est | big → bigger → biggest hot → hotter → hottest |
| Two Syllables ending in -y | Change -y to -ier | Change -y to -iest | happy → happier → happiest easy → easier → easiest |
| Two or More Syllables | Use "more" | Use "most" |
beautiful → more beautiful → most beautiful difficult → more difficult → most difficult |
| Irregular | Special forms | Special forms | good → better → best bad → worse → worst |
Irregular Comparatives & Superlatives
| good | better | best |
| bad | worse | worst |
| far | farther/further | farthest/furthest |
| little | less | least |
| much/many | more | most |
Today is better than yesterday.
This is the worst movie I've seen.
She lives farther from school than I do.
He has the most experience.
Using Comparatives
She is taller than her brother.
This book is more interesting than that one.
He runs faster than me.
My car is faster than yours.
This test is easier than the last one.
She is more creative than him.
The weather is worse today.
She speaks more fluently than I do.
He arrived earlier than expected.
They work harder than us.
I can run faster now.
Using Superlatives
She is the tallest student in the class.
This is the most expensive restaurant in town.
He is the best player on the team.
This is the biggest house on the street.
She's the smartest student in class.
That was the most beautiful sunset.
He's the best friend I have.
She speaks the most clearly of all.
He runs the fastest in our team.
They work the hardest.
I arrived the earliest.
Common Mistakes
→ John is taller than Mark.
Comparing 3+ things: Use the + superlative
→ John is the tallest in the class.
Short words (1-2 syllables): Add -er/-est
Long words (3+ syllables): Use more/most
Word Order
Proper placement of adjectives and adverbs in sentences
Adjective Order Intermediate
When using multiple adjectives before a noun, they should follow a specific order. Native speakers do this naturally, but it's helpful to know the rules.
2. Size (big, small, tall)
3. Age (old, young, new)
4. Shape (round, square, flat)
5. Color (red, blue, green)
6. Origin (American, French, Chinese)
7. Material (wooden, metal, plastic)
8. Purpose (sleeping bag, racing car)
9. NOUN
A beautiful large old house
Three small round red balls
An expensive new Italian leather jacket
A nice big wooden table
"A beautiful (opinion) large (size) Victorian (age/origin) mansion"
"Five (number) small (size) green (color) apples"
"An ugly (opinion) old (age) metal (material) chair"
"A comfortable (opinion) black (color) leather (material) sofa"
Adverb Placement Intermediate
Adverbs can be placed in different positions depending on what they modify and the type of adverb.
| Adverb Type | Position | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Manner (how) | After the verb/object |
She speaks quietly. He closed the door carefully. |
| Frequency (how often) | Before main verb, after "be" |
I always drink coffee. She is never late. |
| Time (when) | Beginning or end of sentence |
Yesterday I saw him. I saw him yesterday. |
| Place (where) | After the verb/object |
She lives nearby. Put it there. |
| Degree (intensity) | Before adjective/adverb |
It's very hot. She runs quite fast. |
✗ She speaks
✓ She speaks English fluently.
Frequency adverbs go before the main verb:
✓ I usually wake up at 7 AM.
✓ She is always happy. (after "be")
Key Differences
Understanding when to use adjectives vs. adverbs
Adjectives vs. Adverbs Advanced
One of the most common mistakes is confusing adjectives and adverbs. Understanding the difference is crucial for proper English grammar.
Answer: What kind? Which one? How many?
Position: Before nouns or after linking verbs
Examples: She is happy. (describes "she")
A quick response. (describes "response")
Answer: How? When? Where? To what extent?
Position: Various, depending on type
Examples: She responded quickly. (describes "responded")
Very happy. (describes "happy")
Common Confusing Pairs
Well = adverb (describes verbs) or adjective (meaning healthy)
Badly = adverb (describes verbs)
After Linking Verbs: Use Adjectives
The soup tastes good. (not "tastes well")
She seems happy. (not "seems happily")
The flowers smell sweet. (not "smell sweetly")
Step 2: Ask: Is it a noun/pronoun or a verb/adjective?
Step 3: If noun/pronoun → use adjective
If verb/adjective → use adverb
Example: "She drives _____ (careful/carefully)"
→ Modifies "drives" (verb) → Use adverb: carefully