UNIT 6

PROBLEM WITH ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS

SKILL 46: USE BASIC ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS CORRECTLY

Sometimes in written expressions questions on the TOEFL test, adjectives are used in place
of adverbs, or adverbs are used inplace of adjectives. Adjectives and adverbs have very
different uses. Adjectives have only one job: they describe nouns or pronouns.

She is beautiful woman

ADJ. NOUN

She is beautiful.
PRO. ADJ.

In the first example, the adjective beautiful describes the noun woman. In the
second example, the adjective beautidul describes the pronoun she.
Adverbs do three different things. They describe verb, adjectives, or other adverb.

She sings beautifully.

VERB ADV.

She is a beautifully dressed woman.

ADV. ADJ. NOUN

She is truly beautifully dressed woman.

ADV.ADV. ADJ. NOUN

In the first example, the adverb beautifully describes the verb sings. In the second example,
the adverb beautifully describes the adjective dressed (which describes the noun woman).
In the third example, the adverb truly describes the adverb beautifully, which describes the
adjective dressed (which describes the noun woman).
The following are examples of incorrect sentences as they might appear on the TOEFL
test.

They were seated at a largely* table.

ADV.
NOUN
The child talked quick* to her mother.
VERB ADJ.

We read an extreme* long story.

ADJ. ADJ.

In the first example, the adverb largely is incorrect because the adjective large is needed to
describe the noun table. In the second example, the adjective quick is incorrect because the
adverb quickly is needed to describe the verb talked. In the last example, the adjective
extreme is incorrect because the adverb extremely is needed to describe the adjective long.

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 The following chart outlines the important information that you should remember
about the basic use of adjectives and adverbs:

BASIC USE OF ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS

ADJECTIVES Adjectives decribe nouns or pronouns.
ADVERBS Adverbs describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs.

EXERCISE 11: Each of the following sentences has at least one adjective or adverb. Circle the
adjective and adverb, and label them. Draw arrows to the nouns they describe. Then
indicate if the sentences are correct (C) or incorrect (I).

I1. The mother was pleasant surprised when her daughter came to visit.
NOUN ADJ. ADJ.

C 2. The salespeople frequently visit the East Coast for trade shows.
ADV VERB
3. He was driving an expensively sports car.

4. There is a special program on television this evening.

5. She was chosen for the leading part because she sings so well.

6. The car was not complete ready at 3:00.

7. It was difficult to believe that what we read in the newspaper was a truly story.

8. Points will be subtracted for each incorrect answered question.

9. The production manager quietly requested a completely report of the

terribly incident.

10. The children finished their homework quickly so that they could watch television.

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SKILL 47: USE ADJECTIVES AFTER LINKING VERBS
Generally an adverb rather than an adjective will come directly after a verb because the
adverb is describing the verb.

She spoke nicely.

VERB ADV.

In this example, the verb spoke is followed by the adverb nicely. This adverb describes the
verb spoke.
However, you must be very carefully if the verb is linking verb. A linking verb is
followed by an adjective rather than an adverb.

She looks nice.

SUB. ADJ.

In this example, the linking verb looks is followed by the adjective nice. This adjective
describes the subject she.
You should be sure to use an adjective rather than an adverb after a linking verb.
Be careful, however, because the adjective that goes with the linking verb does not always
directly follow the linking verb.

He seems unusally nice.

SUB. ADV. ADJ.

In this example, the adjective nice, which descries the subject he, itself described by the adverb
unusually. From this example, you should notice that is is possible to have an adverb directly
after a linking verb, but only ithe adverb decribes and adjective that follows.
The following chart lists commonly used linking verb ad outlines the different uses of
adjectives and adverbs after reguler verbs and linking verbs:

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EXERCISE 12: Each of the following sentences contains at least one adjective or adverb.
Circle the adjectives and adverbs, and label them. Draw arrows to the nouns they describe.
Then indicate if the sentences are correct (C) or incorrect (I).

I 1. The parents seem angrily about the child’s report card.

ADV.

C 2. The speaker talked knowingly about prehistoric fossils.

ADV. ADJ.
3. After she drank the lemonade, the cake tasted too sweetly to her.

4. Throughout dinner we were bored because he spoke incessantly.

5. Sam felt terribly depressed after the accident.

6. The neighbour appeared calm in spite of the fact that his house was on fire.

7. He looked quite unhappily at the thought of leaving his job.

8. Marla jumped up quick when she heard the gunshot.

9. Even though we were not really hungry, the food smelled delicious.

10. The history course that I took last semester proved more difficulty than I
had expected.
SKILL 48: POSITION ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS CORRECTLY
Adjectives and adverbs can appear in incorrect positions in written expression questions on
the TOEFL test. There are two common errors of this type that you should beware of: (1)
the position of adjectives with the nouns they describe, and (2) the position of adverbs with
0bjects.
In English it is correct to place a one-word adjective in front of the noun it describes.
On the TOEFL test, however, an incorrect sentence might have an adjective after the noun
it describes.

The information important* is on the first page.

NOUN ADJ.

In this example, the adjective important should come before the noun information because
important describes information.
A second problem you should be aware of is the position of adverbs with objects of
verbs when a verb has an object, an adverb describing the verb should not come between
the verb and its object.

He has taken recently* an English course.

ADV. OBJECT

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This example is incorrect because the adverb recently comes between the verb has taken
and its object an English course. There are many possible corrections for this sentence.

Recently he has taken an English course.

He has recently taken an English course.
He has taken an English course recently.

You can see from these examples that there are many possible correct positions for the
adverb. What is important for you to remember is that an adverb that describes a verb
cannot come between the verb and its object.
The following chart outlines the key points that you should remember about the
position of adjectives and adverbs:

THE POSITION OF ADJECTIVIES AND ADVERBS

A one-word adjective comes before the noun it describes. It does not
ADJECTIVIES come directly after.
An adverb can appear in many positions. It cannot be used between a
ADVERBS verb and its object

EXERCISE 13.0: Each of the following sentences contains at least one adjective or adverb.
Circle the adjectives and adverbs, and label them. Draw arrows to the nouns they describe.
Then indicate if the sentences are correct (C) or incorrect (I).

I 1. The store opened with a sale fantastic.

ADJ.

C 2. The pharmacist has always filled our order quickly.

ADV. ADV.

3. The political candidates expressed their opposing views.

4. The lawyer has selected carefully a new case.

5. Frequently the coffee has tasted bitter.

6. The wedding reception was held at a restaurant expensive.

7. The salesclerk has often travelled to New York.

8. Following the failure of the first set of plans, the manager has altered
subsequently them.

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 9. The students had to study many hours daily during the program intensive.

10. The naval officer was asked to transfer to a foreign country.

EXERCISE 13.1 (Skill 46-48): Each of the following sentences contains at least one adjective
or adverb. Circle the adjectives and adverbs, and label them. Draw arrows to the nouns
they describe. Then indicate if the sentences are correct (C) or incorrect (I).

1. They were unable to see where their friends were sitting in the theatre because

of the lights dim.

2. After the comprehensive exam, she looked exhaustedly by the experience.

3. The project was remarkable close to being finished.

4. Mark always does his homework careful.

5. The program proved far more interesting than I had imagines it would be.

6. The student had attended regularly all the lecturers in the series.

7. The patient became healthy after the operation.

8. The grandparents speak proudly about all their offspring.

9. The manager seemed certainly that the project would be finished under budget.

10. The firefighters worked feverishly, and they put out immediately the fire.

EXERCISE 13.2 (Skills 46-48): Choose the letter of the underlined word or group words that
is not correct.

1. Modern art is on display at the Guggenheim Museum, a building with an unusually

AB CD design.

2. By the beginning of the 1980s fifteen states has adopted already no-fault insurance
A B C D
laws.
3. Heart attacks are fatally in 75 percent of occurrences.

4. In spite of a tremendous amount of electronic gadgetry, air traffic control still

ABC
depends heavy on people.
D

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 5. Only recently have Gooden’s industrially designers and engineers been able to
A B
optimize Watertred’s unusual tread patterns for mass production.
C D

6. A baboon’s arms appear as lengthily as its legs.

A B C D
7. A serious problem is how to communicate reliable with a submerged submarine.
A B C D
8. Americans are destroying rapidly wetlands, faster than an acre every two minutes.
A B C D
9. The central banking system of the United States consists of twelve bank district.
A B C D
10. Telegraph service across the Atlantic was successful established in 1886.
A B C D

EXERCISE 13.3 (Skills 1-48): Choose the letter of the word or group of words that best
completes the sentences.

1. Patty Berg, the top tournament 2. _____ with about fifteen

winner in women’s golf, _____ eighty- times its weight in air does
three golf tournaments from 1935 gasoline allow the carburetor
through 1964. to run smoothly.
a) It is mixed
a) she won b) To mix it
b) winning c) When mixed
c) won d) Only when mixed
d) who won

Choose the letter of the underlined word or group of words that is not correct.

3. The Colorado River reaches their maximum height during April and May.
A B C D
4. Plant proteins tend to have few amino acids than proteins from animal sources.
ABC D 5. The Viking spacecraft has landed on Mars in July of 1976.
A B C D

6. Admiral Byrd commanded airplane expeditions over both the Arctic or the
A B C D
Antarctic.
7. The advertising campaign will be based on the recent completed study.
A B C D

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8. Coronary occlusion results from a disease in which fats substances with a large
A B

amount of cholesterol is deposited in the arteries.

C D
9. Her money gave back as soon as she threatened to take the matter to court.
A B C D
10. Other sites of fossil discoveries throughout Wyoming, ranging from the fiery
A B Tyrannosaurus rex to the milder Triceratops, have proven
equally excite.
C

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