Adjectives
Adjectives describe nouns (things).
- My dog is slow.
Slow is an adjective since it describes the noun (my dog).
- How is my dog? Slow
Adverbs
Adverbs describe verbs (actions).
- My dog eats slowly.
Slowly is an adverb since it describes the way my dog eats.
- How does my dog eat? Slowly.
Some adverbs are used to modify an adjective.
Adverbs that do this are: very, extremely, really, totally, absolutely, quite, fairly, well. These are normally placed before the adjective.
- He is very rich.
- They are extremely happy.
- She was totally crazy.
- My dog is well trained.
Adverbs and Adjectives with the same form
There are a number of adjectives / adverbs that take the same form. It therefore depends on the sentence context as to whether it is an adjective or an adverb.
The adjectives / adverbs that take the same form include:
fast, hard, early, late, high, low, right, wrong, straight and long.
- Adam has a fast car. (Adjective)
- Adam speaks fast. (Adverb)
Good vs. Well
Good and Well are two words that tend to create confusion for learners of English.
Good is an adjective
Well is an adverb.
- She is a good singer.
- She sings well.
Though sometimes we use well as an adjective when we are talking about health and well-being.
- A: How are you today?
B: I'm well, thanks.
(I'm well is a better and more common answer to this question than 'Fine' or 'Good', although these are also reasonably common.)
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