THREE: ADVERBS & ADJECTIVES Flashcards
ADJECTIVES
Modify nouns and pronouns.
ADVERBS
More versatile than adjectives & they primarily modify verbs.
Besides verbs what else to adverbs modify?
They also modify adjectives and other adverbs.
This sentence is an example of what?
Our “very” kind friend will “very likely” agree to baby sit.
This is a sentence that features an adverb in all three of its functions.
What does each adverb and adjective modify in this sentence?
Our “very” kind friend will “very likely” agree to baby sit.
The first adverb: “very” modifies the adjective: “kind.” The adjective “kind” modifies the noun: “friend.” The second very modifies another adverb: “likely.” The adverb “likely” modifies the verb “will agree.”
In this sentence what is the adverb doing?
“Suddenly,” he was afraid.
In this sentence the adverb is modifying the entire sentence.
What is the easiest way to I.D, an adjective?
The easiest way to I.D. an adjective is by position.
What are the three locations in which an adjective can occur?
- Immediately before a noun or pronoun.
- Immediately after a noun or pronoun.
- Following a linking verb.
Since there is no way to I.D. an adjective by its spelling, and because there may be two or more nouns in a sentence, it is crucial that adjectives appear where?
It is crucial that adjectives appear close to the words they modify.
Unlike adjectives, adverbs do what?
Adverbs move about freely.
The following is an example of what?
These are words that can switch from adjective to adverb.
Like all rules, the rules of grammar have many exceptions - When we’re talking about adjectives and adverbs, these exceptions fall into what four groups?
GROUP ONE: What are the 12 adverbs.
The 12 adverbs that never take the “ly” ending include:
Why is “well” considered to be a troublesome adverb?
Because it can be confused with the adjective: “well.”
What is the adjective definition of well?
The adjective definition of well means “in good health.”
What is the adverb definition of well?
The adverb definition has to do with how something is done, as in “doing a job well.”
GROUP 2: What are the 8 adverbs?
These are the adverbs that may or may not take the “ly” ending:
- Short/shortly
- Wide/widely
- Quick/quickly
- Slow/slowly
- Smooth/smoothly
- Rough/roughly
- Strong/strongly
- Weak/weakly
These sentences are examples of what?
These are examples involving both forms of certain group 2 adverbs.
What is being modified in this sentence?
- You must stop “short” of the yellow line.
The adverb: “short” is modifying the verb: “stop.”
What is being modified in #2?
Mr. Abernathy will be with you shortly.
“Shortly” is modifying the verb “will be.”
What is being modified in #3?
Drive slow!
Adverb “slow” is modifying the verb: “drive.”
What is being modified in #4?
Bill turned “slowly” toward the door.
Adverb “slowly” modified the verb: “turned.”
The group 2 adverbs may also serve as what?
The group 2 adverbs may also serve as adjectives.
As adverbs or adjectives how should “slow” and “quick” be communicated as being an ideal word choice when it comes to crafting prose?
In the best writing, adverbs, “slow” and “quick” always appear as “slowly” and “quickly,” EXCEPT IN THE IMPERATIVE MOOD: “come quick!” or “Drive slow!”
GROUP 3: What are the 15 adverbs?
- far 2. better 3. early 4. fast 5. much 6. more 7. late 8. little 9. near 10. right 11. straight 12. tall 13. long 14. big 15. small
In each of these sentences how is better & fast being used in each of their respective clauses?
GROUP 4: What are the 7 adverbs?
- Kindly 2. Friendly 3. Sickly 4. Leisurely 5. Only 6. Poorly 7. Cowardly
These sentences are examples of what?
These are examples of words that take the “ly” ending that are both adjectives and adverbs.
In each of the above sentences how is “friendly,” “leisurely,” & “only” being used in each of their respective clauses?
In each sentence, the word is used as an adjective first & second as an adverb.
In these sentences, why does the use of “only” deserve more attention?
Because the placement of “only” - which not only changes the part of speech it is, it can dramatically change the meaning of a sentence.
What is being modified in #1?
Adjective “only” modifying “I.” (“I” am the only one who wishes to marry Betty.)
What is being modified in #2?
The adverb “only” is modifying “wish.” (I don’t expect to marry Betty, I only “wish” I could.)
What is being modified in #3?
The adverb only is modifying “to marry.” (I don’t wish to do anything else, only “to marry” Betty.)
What is being modified in #4?
The adjective only is modifying “Betty.” (“Betty” is the only person I wish to marry).
What are the adjective and adverb equivalents that are often confused?
What is an example of #1 where people get into trouble?
What is an example of #2 where mistakes are made?
What is an example of #3 where mistakes are made?
What is an example of #4 where mistakes are made?
Wrong: He said it was a sure thing, so I was sure mad when I lost
Right: He said it was a sure thing, so I was surely mad when I lost.
What does the perfect tense verb form indicate?
That an auxiliary verb is being used to indicate an action that was completed earlier.
Much of the confusion over adverbs and adjectives is caused by what?
It is caused by the intransitive verb.
What are the three verbs that have transitive and intransitive forms?
- Sit - set
- Lie - lay
- rise - raise
How are you able to distinguish between these not so identical twins?
- Sit - set
- Lie - lay
- rise - raise
You can distinguish between the twins in each set for two reasons:
1) Each is either transitive or intransitive, never both.
2) Each is spelled differently, which is emphasized by the perfect tenses.
What are the three groups through which it is possible to tell verbs apart because of the use of perfect tense?
- Sit - set
- Lie - lay
- rise - raise
Telling the verbs apart because of the use of perfect tense:
In each of the groups and within each group’s respective verb - what are the differences in tense?
In each group the verb on the left is present tense, and in each group the verb on the right is perfect tense.
What is the type of verb in #1 & what is the verb acting upon?
It is an intransitive verb that is acting upon the subject.
What is the type of verb in #2 & what is the verb acting upon?
It is a transitive verb that is transferring action from the subject to the object.
Of course, adjectives & adverbs can occur in any sentence, no matter what kind of verb is used, but it becomes more difficult when you are using what types of verbs?
Intransitive verbs.
What kind of intransitive verb can become somewhat confusing to use when it comes to verbs?
The linking verb.
What does the linking verb do?
It describes the subject’s condition or circumstance.
What is the modifier that follows the linking verb?
The adjective.
The three kinds/types of linking verbs include:
- All forms and tenses of the verb “be.”
- Verbs that relate to the physical senses (look, smell, taste, sound, feel).
- Verbs that describe condition in less definite terms than “be” (appear, seem, become, remain, etc.)
When it comes to linking verbs what is the problem?
Confusing adverbs with adjectives.
These sentences are examples of what?
Sentences in which adverbs & adjectives can be confused b/c of the functioning intention of the verb.
Why is the #1 sentence ambiguous when it comes to the intention of the verb?
“Smell” could be the act of or the condition of the subject.
When it comes to the verb being used for either the act of smelling or the condition of the subject in sentence #1, in which use is the verb being used as a linking verb and in which use is the verb being used as an action verb?
In the case of the act of smelling, the verb “smell” is an action verb, but if it’s in reference to the condition of the subject: “I,” then it is a linking verb.
In order to be concise and clear, and no longer ambiguous when it comes to the verb: “smell” what is the writer doing in the #2 sentence?
The writer is clarifying their need of a bath by selecting the adjective “bad” as the modifier.
Since, in sentence #2 “bad” is the adjective, what part of speech becomes excluded from being modified?
The verb (adjectives never modify verbs). In this case the adjective “bad” can only ever modify the subject.
If “bad” (b/c it is an adj.) in sentence #2 doesn’t modify “smell” then what is going on?
The subject: “I” is modified, which is on the other side of the intransitive linking verb.
The following are examples of what?
They’re intentions of a verb involving it functioning as an action verb or a linking verb.
What is modifying what in sentence #2 & what is each part of speech?
Sentence #2 has the linking verb: “feel,” followed by the adjective: “bad” which is modifying (as indeed it must) the subject: “I.”
In the third sentence, #3, the adverb is by definition modifying what type of verb?
The adverb “badly” is by definition modifying the action verb: “feel” ( b/c after all “feel” in this instance can’t be a linking verb.)
In order to be concise and clear, and not ambiguous, when it comes to the verb: feel in the #3 sentence, what is the writer doing when it comes to the meaning of the above sentence?
The writer is using the adverb: “badly,” which cannot refer to the subject, but can only modify the action verb: “feel.” The meaning, therefore, becomes this:
The writer’s sense of touch is below standard - perhaps because he’s had his fingertips chopped off.
What is the meaning of sentence #1
A wish that God would do something and do it a certain way.
What is intended for modification in sentence #1?
The action of blessing is what is intended to be modified.
What does the structure of sentence #1 demand?
That what follows “you” must modify the verb “bless.”
In sentence #2 what is the noun being modified by?
The noun: “house” is being modified by the adjective: “nice.”
Besides the adjective: “nice” being introduced to modify the noun, what else is being introduced and what is wrong with this introduction?
A second adjective real is introduced to modify the first adjective: “nice,” but of course an adjective can’t modify other adjectives.
How can sentence #2 be corrected?
By using an appropriate adverb: “really” to modify the adjective: “nice.”
The following are examples of what?
These are negative modifiers acting as adjectives & adverbs.
What is being modified in sentence #1?
The adjective/negative modifier: “no” is modifying the noun: “cheese.”
What is being modified in sentence #2?
The adverb/negative modifier: “hardly” is modifying the quantifier + verb: “could…see.”
What is being modified in sentence #3?
The adverb/negative modifier: “barely” is modifying the adjective: “Big.”
These right & wrong sentences are examples of what?
They’re examples of the negative modifier adverb contraction being used correctly & examples where the negative modifier contraction is creating a double negative.
This sentence is an example of what?
This is an example of a sentence that features an implied element.
Why would someone think that this sentence is incorrect?
Someone might correct this with the use of the adverb “differently.” But “differently” is an incorrect use of an adverb.
What part of speech is different in this implied sentence?
“different” is an adjective.
What if you had “chosen” the adverb: “differently” instead of “different” in this sentence? What would have the adverb modified?
If you had chosen the adverb: “differently,” it would by definition, modify the verb: “found out.”
In what instance would modifying the verb: “found out” with the adverb “differently” be appropriate?
This would be appropriate in a sentence where the action of finding out is being described rather than the condition of the situation in general.
This sentence involves an instance of what?
Using the adverb: “differently” to describe the action of finding out.
What are the 3 GROUPS that express a degree of comparison between things?
In each of these group’s respective adjective which adjective is making a comparative & which adjective is making a superlative?
The words that are blue on the left are comparative adjectives & the pink words on the right are superlative adjectives.
What should be noticed about groups 1-3?
Notice that in groups 1-3 that degree here is expressed by changing the spelling quite a lot, so much in fact, that the comparative & superlative forms of degree don’t even resemble the adjectives on which they are based.
What are all the four other ways in which adjective superlative & comparative forms are communicated?
What are groups four - eight which express a degree of comparison between things?
Between groups 1-8, what is one group pairing of adjectives that often get confused and mixed up with each other?
It is group four and group three.
What kind of comparison is being made through the use of the adjective: “fewer” in sentence #1?
“fewer calories” compares a number of things.
What kind of comparison is being made through the use of the adjective: “less” in sentence #2?
“less starch” compares the degree of one thing.
Between GROUPS 1-8, what is the second group pairing of adjectives that often get confused & mixed up with each other?
It is group five & six.
What is the difference between these two sets of sentences?
The first set involves an adjective that is measurable: far, farther, farthest. & the second set involves that which is not measurable.
The following sentences involves what being used?
The following are examples of what?
“more” & “most” degree modification being used.
The following is an example of what?
Errors in using degree in adverbial modification involves confusing the adjective with the adverb.
