English - Modifiers Adjectives, Adverbs, and Compo - Quick Guides

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Study GuideEnglish–Modifiers: Adjectives, Adverbs, andCompound Modifiers1.ModifiersAmodifieris a word that describes, limits, or gives more information about another word or group ofwords. To use modifiers correctly, it’s important to figure outwhat word they are describing. Thishelps you decide whether the modifier is anadjectiveor anadverb.1.1Adjectives: Describe Nouns and PronounsAnadjectivedescribes anounor apronoun. It tells us what kind, which one, or how many.Example:Theorangecurtains billowed in thecoolbreeze.•Orangedescribes the nouncurtains.•Cooldescribes the nounbreeze.Sometimes adjectives comeafter a linking verb(such asis, am, are, was, were). These are calledpredicate adjectives.Example:I amhappybecause of histhoughtfulgesture.•Happydescribes the pronounIand follows the linking verbam.•Thoughtfuldescribes the noungesture.1.2Adverbs: Describe Verbs, Adjectives, or Other AdverbsAnadverbmodifies averb, anadjective, or anotheradverb. Adverbs often answer questions like:How? When? Where? Why? How much?

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Study GuideExamples:•He smiledsadly.oSadlydescribes the verbsmiled(How did he smile?).•They cameimmediately.oImmediatelytellswhenthey came.•She walkedhere.oHeretellswhereshe walked.1.3Adverbs Modifying Adjectives and AdverbsAdverbs don’t just modify verbs—they can also describe adjectives and other adverbs.Examples:•The orange curtains wereverybright.oVerymodifies the adjectivebright.•He crawledremarkablyquickly.oRemarkablymodifies the adverbquickly.Key Takeaways•Adjectivesdescribenouns or pronouns.•Adverbsdescribeverbs, adjectives, or other adverbs.•Always ask yourself:What word is the modifier describing?2.Quiz: ModifiersQuestion 1Complete this sentence:An adjective modifies a ________.

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Study GuideAnswer Choices• prepositional phrase• noun or pronoun• verb, adjective, or adverbCorrect Answernoun or pronounWhy This Is Correct• Adjectives describepeople, places, things, or ideas.• Nouns and pronouns name those things, so adjectives modify them.Question 2Complete this sentence:An adverb modifies a ________.Answer Choices• preposition or direct object• noun or pronoun• verb, adjective, or adverbCorrect Answerverb, adjective, or adverbWhy This Is Correct• Adverbs describehow, when, where, or to what extentsomething happens.• They often modify verbs but can also describe adjectives and other adverbs.

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Study GuideQuestion 3He slid off the rock and fell into the cold water.In the sentence above, the wordcoldis ________.Answer Choices• an adjective modifying the prepositioninto• an adjective modifying the nounwater• an adverb modifying the verbfellCorrect Answeran adjective modifying the noun waterWhy This Is Correct•colddescribes the nounwater.• Adjectives always describe nouns or pronouns, not prepositions or verbs.Question 4I heard my mother whistling happily in the backyard.In the sentence above, the wordhappilyis ________.Answer Choices• an adverb modifyingwhistling• an adjective modifyingmother• the direct object ofwhistlingCorrect Answeran adverb modifying whistling

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Study GuideWhy This Is Correct•happilydescribeshowthe action was done.• Words that describe actions are adverbs.Question 5She was upset because of his mean text message.In the sentence above, the wordsupsetandmeanare ________.Answer Choices• direct objects modifyingmessage• adverbs describing how she felt• adjectivesCorrect AnsweradjectivesWhy This Is Correct•upsetdescribesshe.•meandescribestext message.• Both words describe nouns, making them adjectives.3.When to Use ModifiersAdjectives and adverbs are not the main building blocks of a sentence like nouns and verbs.However, they play an important supporting role. They add detail, clarity, and interest to what you aresaying.Without modifiers, sentences would feel flat. You wouldn’t knowwhat kindof curtains there were,howsomeone crawled, orwhenpeople arrived. That extra information often matters.

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Study GuideUse adjectives and adverbsonly when they add meaning.For example, in“He smiled sadly,”the wordsadlytells us something important. This smile is differentfrom a happy one. The modifier does real work here.Now look at“He screamed loudly.”The wordloudlydoesn’t add anything useful because screamsare already loud. In this case, the modifier is unnecessary. Try to avoid adjectives and adverbs thatrepeat the obvious or add no new information.3.1Recognizing Adjectives and AdverbsMany adverbs end in-ly(quickly, happily, slowly), but not all of them do (here, there, fast, late, hard).At the same time, some adjectives also end in-ly(a friendly dog, a lively child, a hilly area).So how do you tell the difference?Don’t focus on the word itself. Instead, look atwhat the word modifies:•Adjectivesmodifynouns and pronouns.•Adverbsmodifyverbs, adjectives, or other adverbs.Let’s look at some examples.In this sentence,oldandreddescribe the nounbarn, so they are adjectives:The old red barn needs repairs.In the next sentence,verydescribes the adjectiveold, not the nounbarn. That makesveryanadverb:The very old red barn needs repairs.Here,harddescribes how someone worked, so it modifies a verb and is an adverb:He worked hard all afternoon.But in this sentence,harddescribes the nounwork, so it is an adjective:The hard work took all afternoon.

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Study Guide3.2Using Adjectives After Linking VerbsIt’s easy to assume that verbs should always be followed by adverbs. That’s often true—butnotwithlinking verbs.Linking verbs such asbe, become, smell, taste, seem, and lookconnect the subject to adescription. After these verbs, you should useadjectives, not adverbs.For example:The pudding tastes sweet.(notsweetly)They were joyful.(notjoyfully)Some verbs can be either action verbs or linking verbs, depending on how they are used. The type ofverb determines whether you use an adjective or an adverb.In this sentence,growis an action verb meaning “to develop,” so it takes an adverb:Flowers grow beautifully in that climate.Here,growis a linking verb meaning “to become,” so it takes an adjective:Bronze grows beautiful as it ages.Now look atsmell:Whensmellsis a linking verb, it describes the dog’s odor and takes an adjective:The dog smells bad.Whensmellsis an action verb, it describes how the dog uses its sense of smell and takes an adverb:The dog smells badly.3.3Problem Adjectives and AdverbsSome adjective–adverb pairs are often confused. These words may look similar, but they are notinterchangeable. Learning the rules for each pair will help you avoid common mistakes.Good and WellGoodis always an adjective. It describes nouns.good bread

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Study Guidegood musicThe dinner was good.Donotusegoodas an adverb.Wellis usually an adverb. It describes how an action is done.She sings well.He listens well.Not:She sings good.He listens good.However,wellcan also be an adjective when it means “in good health.”Mother was well in time to go to the play.Not:Mother was good in time to go to the play.Look at the difference in meaning here:Graham looked good at the party tonight.(He looked attractive.)Graham looked well at the party tonight.(He looked healthy.)Bad and BadlyBadis an adjective.Badlyis an adverb. These two are often mixed up.In this sentence,feelis a linking verb, so it should be followed by an adjective:I feel bad about his losing the election.Not:I feel badly about his losing the election.Here,badlyis correct because it describes how the team played:

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Study GuideThe soccer team played badly in the last game.Not:The soccer team played bad in the last game.In the next sentence,badfollows a linking verb and describes how the faucet looks:The rusty faucet looked bad.But whenbadlyfollows an action verb, it explains how serious the leaking was:The rusty faucet leaked badly.Most and AlmostMostcan be an adjective or an adverb.As an adjective, it means “the greatest number or amount”:Most people agree that exercise is good for you.Most crimes go unpunished.As an adverb,mostforms the superlative of an adjective:She is the most intelligent woman in the group.He is most appealing when he first wakes up.Almostis always an adverb. It means “nearly.”Usealmost—notmost—to modifyeveryandall:Almost every person agreed.Almost all the people came.Not:Most every person agreed.Most all the people came.

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Study Guide4.Quiz: When to Use ModifiersQuestion 1Choose the TRUE statement.Answer Choices• Only adverbs end in-ly.• Only adjectives end in-ly.• Both adjectives and adverbs can end in-ly.Correct AnswerBoth adjectives and adverbs can end in-ly.Why This Is Correct• Many adverbs end in-ly, but some adjectives do too (friendly, lonely).• The ending alone does not determine the part of speech.Question 2Choose the sentence showing the CORRECT use of adverbshardandhardly.Answer Choices• They worked hard all morning, then they took a quick lunch break.• They hardly worked all morning, then they took a long lunch break.• Both are correct.Correct AnswerBoth are correct.

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