Parts of Speech: Adverbs & Adjectives

Today we’re going to continue discussing the parts of speech with adverbs and adjectives.

Sentences need adverbs and adjectives to give a vivid mental picture to the reader and to give depth to your writing.

Adjectives modify nouns or pronouns by answering a question about them.  Adjectives should tell you what kind of something, which one, how many of something or how much.

Examples:

What kind?  Fresh flowers, tweed jacket, wool sweater
Which ones?  Blue pencil, sharp knife, those few,
How many?   Two dogs, many songs,
How much?  Extensive research, much guilt

Adjectives appear in one of three places in a sentence; either before a noun or pronoun, after a noun or pronoun, or after a linking verb.

Examples:

Before noun or pronoun: 
The old, decrepit attorney worked for a law firm. (old and decrepit are before attorney)

After a noun or pronoun:
The attorney, old and decrepit, worked for a law firm. (old and decrepit are after attorney)

After a linking verb:
The attorney for the law firm was old and decrepit. (old and decrepit still describe the attorney but comes after the linking verb was)

Proper and Compound Adjectives:  A proper adjective is formed by a proper noun and begins with a capital letter.  A compound adjective is made up of more than one word.

Proper adjectives:
Roman emperor, French cuisine, Hawaiian island

Compound adjectives:
seaworthy vessel, long-term relationship, high school play

Sometimes other parts of speech are used as adjectives.  Nouns like, flower, glass and cold can be used as adjectives.
flower garden, cold weather, glass plate

Adverbs:  Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives or other adverbs, and answers the question; where? When? How? Or to what extent?

Modifying a verb:
stayed here (answers where)
seldom laughs (answers when)
moved quickly (answers how)

Modifying an adjective:
too tight (answers to what extent)

Modifying an adverb:
very slowly (answers to what extent)

The majority of adverbs end with -ly.  In fiction writing, you’re told to not overuse adverbs and -ly words. But some common adverbs do not end with -ly.  They include:

Almost, also, here, later, just, never, rather, quite, so, then, soon, etc.

Adverbs that end with -ly can be confused with adjectives that end with -ly.  Remember adjectives answer what kind, which one, how many and how much.  Adverbs answer where, when, how and to what extent.

Adverb:  We meet weekly.(When?)
Adjective: The weekly movie. (What kind?)

And of course there are times that nouns can become adverbs.

Noun:
Tomorrow is a good day.
Adverb:
I see the doctor tomorrow. (when?)

Noun:
Uptown is a good place for a new club.
Adverb:
We will build a new club uptown. (where?)

Adverbs and adjectives are very important in writing, but as I mentioned in dealing with fiction, one is told to not overuse them.  Author Stephen King suggests writing your material out and then cutting as many -ly words as you can.  The same can be said for non-fiction as well. You want your writing to flow smoothly and be as vivid as possible, but you don’t want to go overboard in descriptions.

Written by Patti Stafford from Patti Stafford
Posted on June 3rd, 2009 and filed under Writing
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