Comparing Adjectives and Adverbs

As we’ve learned, adjectives and adverbs act in similar but different roles. A lot of the time this difference can be seen in the structure of the words. Clever is an adjective, and cleverly is an adverb. The adjective + ly construction suggests that the word is an adverb.

While –ly is helpful, it’s not a universal rule. Not all words that end in –ly are adverbs: lovely, costly, friendly, etc. And not all adverbs end in -ly: here, there, together, yesterday, aboard, very, almost, etc.

Some words can function both as an adjective and as an adverb:

  • Fast is an adjective in “a fast car” (where it qualifies the noun car) but an adverb in “he drove fast” (where it modifies the verb drove).
  • Likely is an adjective in “a likely outcome” (where it modifies the noun outcome) but an adverb in “we will likely go” (where it modifies the verb go).

Mistaking Adjectives and Adverbs

One common mistake with adjectives and adverbs is using one in the place of the other. For example, in the sentence “I wish I could write as neat as he can,” neat should be replaced with neatly, an adverb, since it’s modifying a verb. (“That’s real nice of you” is also incorrect, it should be “That’s really nice of you.”)

Remember, if you’re modifying a noun or pronoun, you should use an adjective. If you’re modifying anything else, you should use an adverb.

Good v. Well

One of the most commonly confused adjective/adverb pairs is good and well. There isn’t really a good way to remember the distinction besides memorization. Good is an adjective. Well is an adverb. Let’s look at a couple of sentences that demonstrate common misusage:

  • She plays basketball good.
  • I’m doing good.

In the first sentence, good is supposed to be modifying plays, a verb; therefore the use of good—an adjective—is incorrect. Plays should be modified by an adverb. The correct sentence would read, “She plays basketball well.” In the second sentence, good is supposed to be modifying doing, a verb. Once again, this means that well—an adverb—should be used instead: “I’m doing well.”

Note: The sentence “I’m doing good” can be grammatically correct, but only when it means “I’m doing good things”—not as a description of how a person is feeling.

Practice

Practice

Select the correct modifier for each sentence. Identify whether each modifier is an adjective or an adjective. Type your sentences in the text frame below:

  1. Billy has to work (real / really) hard to be (healthy / healthily).
  2. Kate is really (good / well) with bows. She shoots really (good / well).
  3. Eli reads (quick / quickly), and he retains the information (good / well).