ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS

Diagnostic Test
Do you have trouble with adjectives or adverbs? Lets find out.
1. Identify the adjectives in this paragraph:
When you walk in the front door of Stacys Pita Chip Co., youll notice
that the interior decor is spotless but utilitarian. The work space
features white cinder-block walls, a beige tile floor, folding tables, and
yellow plastic chairs. And if Stacy Andruss straight-backed, wooden
desk chair in her tiny office looks as if it came from somebodys castof
dining-room set, thats because it did.
[Answers: Total adjectives are 18: front, interior, spotless, utilitarian,
work, white, cinder-block, beige, tile, folding, yellow, plastic, straightbacked, wooden, desk, tiny, castof, dining-room.]
2. Identify the adverbs in this paragraph:
Initially, Stacys was severely underfunded, but things changed
drastically when Freda was finally made the majority owner, which then
qualified the business for funding for female-owned companies. The
decision paid of quickly. BankBoston immediately granted a $60,000
loan when Freda provided a letter from an airline executive saying his
company would happily buy a million bags of pita chips if Stacys could
make them soon. The order was never filled, but the loan was just the
first of many.
[Answers: Total adverbs are 12: initially, severely, drastically, when,
finally, then, quickly, immediately, happily, soon. never, just]
Choose the correct words in each of the following sentences.
3. After its _______ fiscal year ever, ThinkInk had to institute new costcutting measures.
a. worse
b. worst [Correct]
4. More than 60 percent of Californias businesses have _______ than
five employees.
a. less
b. fewer [Correct]
5. Abrams did _______ (,) in all of this years major book awards.
a. good
b. well [Correct]

6. Mark and Stacy were able to come up with a _______ product: pita
chip snacks.
a. unique [Correct]
b. more unique
c, most unique
7. We _______ contain our excitement when we heard our bid was
accepted.
a. could hardly [Correct]
b. couldnt hardly
8. Between the two options, the board of directors found the first to be
the _______ appealing.
a. more [Correct]
b. most
9. I feel _______ that Angela was fired.
a. bad [Correct]
b. badly
10. This time Michael seemed _______ in his speaking skills.
a. confidenter
b. more confident [Correct]
Evaluation
[Graph goes here showing right and wrong answers.]
If you got all the answers rightgreat! Feel free to jump ahead to the
Follow-Up Test for more practice, or go to Fine-Points Test for more
challenging questions. If you missed some items, heres how to check
your understanding of the concepts and rules involved:
Question
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Section to link to:

Introduction to Adjectives
Introduction to Adverbs
Adjective degrees of comparison
Usage: less/fewer
Usage: good/well
Usage: unique
Usage: double negatives
Adjective degrees of comparison
Usage: bad/badly
Adverb degrees of comparison

If you feel you need more practice with the basic concepts of
adjectives and adverbs, study the Refresher Course, then go to the

Follow-Up Test. If you would like more challenging practice, go to the

Fine-Points Test.

Refresher Course
CONCEPTS
Adjectives
An adjective modifies (tells something about) a noun or pronoun.
Adjectives modify nouns more often than they do pronouns. When an
adjective does modify a pronoun, the sentence usually has a linking
verb: They were attentive; It looked appropriate; He seems skillful.
Types of Adjectives
Descriptive adjectives express some quality belonging to the
modified item (tall, successful, green)
Limiting or definitive adjectives point out the modified item or
limit its meaning without expressing a quality. Types include:
* Numeral adjectives (one, fifty, second)
* Articles (a, an, the) <add link to section on articles under
Prepositions, Conjunctions, and Articles>
* Pronominal adjectives: pronouns used as adjectives (his desk,
each employee)
* Demonstrative adjectives: this, these, that, those (these tires,
that invoice)
Proper adjectives are derived from proper nouns (Chinese
customs, Orwellian overtones)
Predicate adjectives complete the meaning of the predicate and
are introduced by linking verbs: The location is perfect; Prices are high.
<add link to section on linking verbs under Verbs>
Placement of Adjectives
Attributive adjectives precede the item they modify (tall, graceful
buildings; one-day sale; 32 new stores)
Appositive adjectives follow directly after the item they modify:
The chemicals, useful but dangerous, have been banned.
Degrees of Comparison
Simple (positive) adjectives modify a single noun or pronoun: safe

 Comparative adjectives express a higher or lower degree than the

positive when comparing two persons or things; theyre usually created
by adding r or er to the positive: safer
Superlative adjectives express the highest or lowest degree when
comparing more than two persons or things; theyre usually created by
adding st or est to the positive: safest
More examples: large, larger, largest; soft, softer, softest; easy, easier,
easiest
Some adjectives are irregular: good, better, best; bad, worse, worst;
little, less, least; many, more, most
With adjectives of two or more syllables, you usually add more or
less to the comparative and most or least to the superlative: useful,
more useful, most useful; expensive, less expensive, least expensive
The most common exceptions are two-syllable adjectives ending in y;
in that case, change the y to i and add er or est: happy, happier,
happiest; goofy, goofier, goofiest
Adverbs
An adverb modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. Adverbs
indicate manner, time, place, degree, or number.
Types of Adverbs
Simple adverbs are simple modifiers: The door opened
automatically; The order arrived yesterday; Top companies were
there. An adverb can be a single word (clearly), a phrase (very clearly),
or a clause (because it was clear).
Interrogative adverbs ask a question: Where have you been?
Conjunctive adverbs connect clauses: We cant start until Maria
gets here. Words frequently used as conjunctive adverbs include
where, wherever, when, whenever, while, as, how, why, before, after,
until, and since.
Negative adverbs include not, never, seldom, rarely, scarcely,
hardly, and similar words.
Many adverbs are adjectives turned into adverbs by adding ly:
highly, extremely, officially, closely, really.
Many words can be adjectives or adverbs, depending on their usage
in a particular sentence: The early bird gets the worm (adjective), we
arrived early (adverb); It was a hard decision (adjective), He hit the
wall hard (adverb).
Degrees of Comparison
With most adverbs, use more and less to create comparatives; use
most and least to create superlatives: quickly, more quickly, most
quickly; sincerely, less sincerely, least sincerely

Some adverbs use er/est: fast, faster, fastest; others are irregular: well,
better, best.
USAGE
Less/fewer Less indicates amount; fewer denotes number, or
something quantifiable: Less money was spent on consumer goods last
month; Fewer dollars were spent on consumer goods last month.
Bad/badly A common error is to use adverbs instead of adjectives
after a linking verb. It should be He looks bad [not badly] since his
illness. As a general rule, linking verbs pertaining to the senses (feel,
seem, look, smell, sound, taste) are followed by an adjective, not an
adverb: The fabric feels soft [not softly].
Good/well Keep in mind that good is an adjective; well is an adverb.
It should be She did well [not good] on the test (the word being
modified is did, the verb).
More unique Certain adjectives that express absolute quantities
should be used without comparison, including unique, square, straight,
and dead. Something is either unique or its not.
Double negatives Avoid using two negative expressions in the same
sentence (a double negative):
He hasnt done nothing wrong should be rewritten as either Hes
done nothing wrong or He hasnt done anything wrong.
And, We couldnt barely read the small type should be recast as
We could barely read the small type.
For use of commas with multiple adjectives, see Commas. For
information on the placement of adjectives and adverbs and on
adjectival and adverbial phrases and clauses, see Sentences.

Follow-Up Test
Do you think you have a better grasp of adjectives and adverbs now?
Find out by taking this follow-up test.
1. Hearing that the stock had lost 30 percent of its value was the
_______ news we could have heard.
a. worse
b. worst [Correct]
2. Orders of _______ (,) than 10 cases do not get a discount.
a. less
b. fewer [Correct]
3. Snapples new ad campaign is _______.
a. unique [Correct]
b. more unique
c. most unique
4. In choosing between the two suppliers, VetCo decided to go with the
_______ one.
a. cheaper [Correct]
b. more cheap
b. cheapest
5. The truck drove _______ through the construction zone.
a. slow
b. slowly [Correct]
6. Initially the company hired a few consultants; today it relies _______
on the kindness of unofficial advisers.
a. heavily
b. heavilier
c. more heavily [Correct]
7. Howard wanted the promotion so _______ he could taste it.
a. bad
b. badly [Correct]
8. Now that tax season is past, Sergio is much more _______.
a. upbeat [Correct]
b. upbeater
9. Of all the candidates we interviewed, Samantha seems the _______ .
a. more competent

b. most competent [Correct]

c. competentest
10. You _______ see people using floppy disks anymore.
a. hardly [Correct]
b. dont hardly
Evaluation
[As with Diagnostic Test, provide graph of students results.]
If you missed more than two items, you might want to re-review the
Refresher Course on adjectives and adverbs.

Fine-Points Test
Take this test if you would like some advanced practice with adjectives
and adverbs.
1. An IRA is one of the most common plans for the self-employed because its
_______ to set up
a. easy [Correct]
b. more easy
c. easier
[Explanation: This is not a comparative situation, so easiereasier than what?
would be incorrect.]
2. Miller had a problem getting vendors to take his endeavor _______ .
a. serious
b. seriously [Correct]
[Explanation: Seriously is an adverb modifying the verb take.]
3. Considering how _______ the presentation went, Tom was in good
spirits.
a. bad
b. badly [Correct]
[Explanation: badly is an adverb modifying went; however, it would be
appropriate to use the adjective in a sentence such as Considering how
bad the presentation was, Tom was in good spirits, where bad is a
predicate adjective modifying presentation.]
4. It was _______ important to get the proposal finished by Wednesday.
a. real
b. really [Correct]
[Explanation: Really modifies important, which is an adjective
modifying it. In most cases really can simply be eliminated as excess
verbiage.]
5. _______ than half the seats were filled at this years board of
directors meeting.
a. Less
b. Fewer [Correct]
[Explanation: Although no exact quantity is stated, half is still a
countable amount.]
6. The company spent _______ than 10 percent of its budget on advertising.
a. less [Correct]
b. fewer
[Explanation: In this case, percent represents a measurable quantity but not
something you would actually count.]

7. The company will have to move _______ if it is to beat its competition

to the marketplace.
a. quicker
b. quickly [Correct]
c. more quickly
(Answer: quickly.
[Explanation: The modifier goes with the verb move, so it must be an
adverb, not the adjective (quicker). For more quickly to be correct, the
sentence would need to say who the company is being compared to:
The company will have to more quickly than its competition if it is to
beat them to the marketplace.]
8. That is the _______ produced slide presentation Ive ever seen.
a. least skillful
b. least skillfully [Correct]
Explanation: Skillfully is an adverb modifying the verb produced. For
skillful to be correct, the word produced would have to be removed,
making slide show the term being modified: That is the least skillful
slide presentation Ive ever seen.]
9. Mario was not feeling _______ and went home early.
a. good
b. well [Correct]
Explanation: Although it would seem that good, as an adjective, should
be used following the linking verb feeling, when it comes to health
matters the preferred word is well.]
10. CAA seems to be drawing ever more _______ to signing the
agreement with SAG.
a. close [Correct]
b. closer
b. closely
Explanation: If you eliminate the more, you can see that the in this
case drawing is a linking verb: The CAA [is] close . . .]