adv Flashcards
1.We are so much worried about it.
1.The moment so is used, it gives rise to an expectation of something else. The rule says: So, as an adverb of degree, must not be used absolutely. Since we do not have a correlative here, so should be replaced by very. Correct:We are very much worried about it.
2.It was that hot that we postponed going out.
“2.This is a case just the opposite of Q. 1. Here we do have a correlative: ““that we postponed going out.”” It is an effect of how hot it is. In other words, it is the effect of being so hot. So, Correct:It was so hot that we postponed going out.”
3.She is too sensitive.
3.Too means more than enough. Therefore, the moment you use too, the reader is curious about for what. You must have in mind something which would be done if she were not too sensitive. In absence of this something, you cannot use too. When using an adverb thus absolutely, it is safer to use very. So, Correct:She is very sensitive.
4.It was bitter cold.
4.This is a question which tests whether you have understood the basics of grammar. An adjective and an adverb are both modifiers, but they modify different parts of speech. While the former modifies a noun or a pronoun, the latter is used for a verb, an adjective or another adverb. Now, in this question we have two modifiers — bitter and cold. Cold is an adjective and modifies it, a pronoun. It has thus been used correctly. But what about bitter? Which word does it modify? Cold. And what is cold? An adjective. The modifier of an adjective should be an adverb, not an adjective. The adjective bitter should therefore be replaced by the adverb bitterly. So, Correct:It is bitterly cold.
5.The entire episode kept him very disturbed.
5.The sentence is correct. Generally, much is used with past participles and very with present participles. But since this is not too rigid a rule, we might consider the sentence to be correct. However, a preferable usage would be The entire episode kept him much disturbed.
6.He will pay dear for his mistake.
6.See Q. 4 above. What will be dear? The payment. But the part of speech used here is not the noun payment but the verb pay. So, the modifier should not be the adjective dear, but the adverb dearly. So, Correct:He will pay dearly for his mistake.
7.Tendulkar scored his century more fastly than Ganguly.
7.Since the verb scored is being modified here, it is true that an adverb has to be used. But it has to be borne in mind that the adverb from the adjective fast is also fast, not fastly. Again, when the adverb is of one syllable only, the comparative is formed by adding -er. More fastly should therefore be corrected to faster. Correct:Tendulkar scored his century faster than Ganguly.
8.He could not help not going to the prostitute.
8.Two negatives destroy each other. Here we have two nots. When we correct such sentences, we usually retain the negative in the verb and make the other one positive. So, Correct:He could not help going to the prostitute.
9.Aim highly.
“9.Highly and high are both used as adverbs. But the former is used in the sense of of a great degree — as an adverb of quantity. For example, India is still far behind in the race for highly sophisticated weapons. High is used in the sense of a high position. Here, the author intends to say: ““Aim to a high point.”” So, Correct:Aim high.”
10.He rose more highly than his brother by dint of hismerit.
10.Similar to Q. 9 above. What the author means is that he rose to a higher position. So, the proper adverb here is high, not highly. Since the comparative degree is to be used, it becomes higher. So, Correct:He rose higher than his brother by dint of his merit.
11.He can bear the separation calmlier than his mother.
11.Here the error lies in the comparative degree of the adverb. Calmly is an adverb ending in -ly and therefore forms the comparative by adding more. So, Correct:He can bear the separation more calmly than his mother.
12.I never remember to have seen a better performanceby Protima Bedi.
“12.Mark the position of never. If you never remember, it means you do not remember at any point of time. And what is it that you never remember? To have seen a better performance. Well, how then do you mention the fact? Note that the sentence will not be correct by merely changing the position of never. Note this sentence. I remember never to have seen a better performance. It is absurd! You remember something you have seen. How can you remember something you have not seen at any point of time? The sentence will have to be corrected like this. Correct:I do not remember to have ever seen a better performance by Protima Bedi. Note: It is true that ““not + ever = never”” but you cannot combine the two when they apply to two different verbs.”
13.The baby slept in its mother’s lap quickly.
13.Remember the MPT rule? Both the adverb of manner and the adverb of place are usually put after the verb. And so far their internal order is concerned, the adverb of manner comes before the adverb of place. Here in its mother’s lap is a phrase that acts as an adverb of place. Quickly is an adverb of manner. So, Correct:The baby slept quickly in its mother’s lap.
14.He lightly took the matter.
14.The adverb of manner usually comes after the verb and its object. So, Correct:He took the matter lightly.
15.The doctor comes on Thursdays here.
15.By the MPT rule, the adverb of time comes after the adverb of place. On Thursdays is a phrase that acts as an adverb of time. Here is an adverb of place. So, Correct:The doctor comes here on Thursdays.
16.This book is too interesting.
16.See Q. 3 above. Correct:This book is very interesting.
17.His aunt wrote him a letter never in her life.
17.The sentence, as it stands, accepts the fact that his aunt wrote him a letter. At the same time, it goes on to say never in her life. What do we infer? That she wrote him after death! Let the ghosts be in their world. Do not bring them unnecessarily to us on account of our poor grammar. See how the position of never makes a world of difference. Correct:His aunt never wrote him a letter in her life.
18.His mother always was making delicacies.
18.Always is an adverb of frequency. According to the rule, The adverb of frequency is put after the first word if there is more than one word in the verb. Here the verb consists of two words — was making. So, Correct:His mother was always making delicacies.
19.He rarely is on the stage these days.
19.Rarely again is an adverb of frequency. The verb here is is. And the rule says: The adverb of frequency is put after the verb if the verb is am/are/is/was/were. Correct:He is rarely on the stage these days.
20.I am very annoyed to hear it.
“20.Since the past participle annoyed has been used here, the sentence should be preferably corrected to I am much annoyed to hear it. Caution: Don’t write I am too annoyed to hear it. That would change the very meaning of the sentence. It would then mean ““I am so annoyed that I cannot hear it.”” That is, you are already annoyed and can therefore not hear it. On the other hand, I am very/much annoyed to hear it. means you have heard it and it is the hearing of it that makes you very/much annoyed.”
21.He has to usually go out at odd hours.
21.The rule says: The adverb of frequency should be used before the auxiliaries have to and used to. Usually is an adverb of frequency because it tells you how often. Has to is derived from have to. So, Correct:He usually has to go out at odd hours.
22.That is not enough good.
22.Enough is an adverb here that qualifies the adjective good. Usually, adverbs come before the adjectives they modify. But enough is an exception. It comes after the adjective. So, Correct: That is not good enough.
23.The milk turned sour unpalatably.
23.Adverbs come before the adjectives they modify. Here unpalatably modifies sour. So, Correct:The milk turned unpalatably sour.
24.This hardly-won liberty is not to be lightlyabandoned.
24.The adjective of manner usually comes after the verb. So, lightly should come after abandoned. So, This hardly-won liberty is not to be abandoned lightly. But we have overlooked another more serious mistake: hardly-won. Has the liberty been won hardly or hard? It should be hard because liberty is won with great effort. That is why it becomes all the more valuable and should not be abandoned lightly. Hardly means scarcely or almost not. Correct:This hard-won liberty is not to be abandoned lightly.
25.She could not find her husband’s wallet nowhere inthe house.
25.See Q. 8 above. This is also a case of double negative. So, Correct:She could not find her husband’s wallet anywhere in the house.
26.I have seen him never score a goal.
26.How can you see something that has never happened? In fact, you have never seen that happen. So, Correct:I have never seen him score a goal.
27.Nobody else than your teacher suggested thismethod.
27.Else is followed by but, not than. Do not confuse it with other. So, Correct:Nobody else but your teacher suggested this method.
28.He was never born with a silver spoon in his mouth.
28.Never means at no point of time. So, we use never when we want to deny the happening of the action or event at every point of time. For all practical purposes, we do not talk of recurring births, but of a single birth. Being born again and again is out of context. So, there is no need of never. It should be replaced by not. So, Correct:He was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth.
29.I am much glad to see you.
29.Replace much by very. Correct:I am very glad to see you.
30.Tendulkar was so young when he started playinginternational cricket.
“30.The rule says: So as an adverb of degree must not be used absolutely. You think that the given sentence contains a correlative of so: ““when he started playing international cricket””; that the above rule therefore does not apply and the given sentence is therefore correct. You are mistaken. ““… when he started playing international cricket”” is not a correlative of so. A correlative of so is usually its effect. For example, He was so young that he could not drive a car. Here ““that he could not drive a car”” is the effect of being ““so young””. You don’t get a driving licence until you are 18. But in our given sentence his playing international cricket is not an effect of being ““So young””. In fact, so has been used in the given sentence absolutely and this is wrong. So, Correct:Tendulkar was very young when he started playing international cricket.”
31.It is much embarrassing to hear your kins beinglaughed at.
31.With present participles very is used, not much. So, Correct:It is very embarrassing to hear your kins being laughed at.
32.He cannot by no means reach there in time now.
32.See Q. 8 above. Correct:He cannot by any means reach there in time now.
33.He was received more hearty by us than by hissombre relatives.
33.Let us first find out which word hearty modifies. He or received? The clue lies in sombre relatives. Sombre means sadly serious. So, the reception by sombre relatives will not be as hearty as by us (it is being assumed that we are, by contrast, of the cheerful type). Here reception is in the form of a verb: received. So, hearty modifies received, a verb, and should therefore be an adverb. The correct adverb is heartily. So, Correct:He was received more heartily by us than by his sombre relatives.
34.He reached the ground earlier than the players.
34.The sentence is correct. Early, both as an adjective and as an adverb, becomes earlier in its comparative degree and earliest in the superlative.
35.She near collapsed at the news of her lover’s death.
35.Near is not being used as an adverb of place to denote position. It is here an adverb of quantity meaning almost. In such a usage the correct form is nearly. So, Correct:She nearly collapsed at the news of her lover’s death.
36.The books in the library smelt musty.
36.The sentence is correct. Here the verb is actually passive, though the form is active. The sentence means On being smelt the books in the library were musty. Since musty qualifies books, a noun, its use as an adjective is proper.
37.He eats cleanlier than his cousin.
37.Cleanlier is supposed to be the comparative degree of cleanly. But is it correct? No. The rule says: Adverbs ending in -ly form the comparative by adding more. Correct:He eats more cleanly than his cousin.
