c
 


 


 

Welcome to the new and updated OWL Exercise pages. The following page is intended to give
you some background information, basic rules, and helpful suggestions about our exercises
before you dive in and start working.


 





 
 

 

 


Adjectives modify nouns. To modify means to change in some way. For example:

ë Ô ate a meal.Ô 
 is a noun. We don't know what kind of meal; all we know is that
someone ate a meal.
ë Ô ate an enormous lunch.Ô —
 is a noun, and
  is an adjective that modifies it.
t tells us what kind of meal the person ate.

Adjectives usually answer one of a few different questions: ÔWhat kind?Ô or ÔWhich?Ô or Ô
ow
many?Ô For example:

ë ÔThe Ê
 girl is riding a
 bike.Ô 
 tells us which girl we're talking about.   tells
us what kind of bike we're talking about.
ë ÔThe Ê  professor gave us the


 exam.Ô   tells us what kind of professor we're
talking about. 


 tells us which exam we're talking about.
ë Ô
Ê
students passed the midterm exam; Ê  students passed the final exam.Ô

Ê
and Ê  both tell us how many students; 
Ê  and


 both tell us which
exam.

So, generally speaking, adjectives answer the following questions:

ë Which?
ë What kind of?
ë
ow many?

 
 

Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. (You can recognize adverbs easily because
many of them are formed by adding -ly to an adjective, though that is not always the case.) The
most common question that adverbs answer is how.

Let's look at verbs first.

ë ÔShe sang à
Ê
Ô
Ê
 is an adverb that modifies 

 t tells us how she
sang.
 ë ÔThe cellist played 
  .Ô

   is an adverb that modifies 
  t tells us
how the cellist played.

Adverbs also modify adjectives and other adverbs.

ë ÔThat woman is Ê   nice.Ô 

 is an adjective that modifies the noun 

.
Ê   is an adverb that modifies

 ; it tells us how nice she is.
ow nice is she?
She's extremely nice.
ë Ô t was a Ê 
à hot afternoon.Ô Ê is an adjective that modifies the noun
Ê 


 
à is an adverb that modifies the adjective Ê.
ow hot is it? Terribly hot.

So, generally speaking, adverbs answer the question how. (They can also answer the questions
when, where, and why.)

£   

ost of the time, adjectives come before nouns.
owever, they come after the nouns they
modify, most often when the verb is a form of the following:

ë be
ë feel
ë taste
ë smell
ë sound
ë look
ë appear
ë seem

Some examples:

ë ÔThe dog is black.Ô 
 is an adjective that modifies the noun , but it comes after
the verb. (Remember that ÔisÔ is a form of the verb Ôbe.Ô)
ë Ôrian seems sad.Ô £
 is an adjective that modifies the noun 



ë ÔThe milk smells rotten.Ô °ÊÊ
is an adjective that modifies the noun 
.
ë ÔThe speaker sounds hoarse.Ô 
 is an adjective that modifies the noun 
 

e sure to understand the differences between the following two examples:

ÔThe dog smells carefully.Ô
ere, 
  describes how the dog is smelling. We imagine him
sniffing very cautiously.

ut:

ÔThe dog smells clean.Ô
ere, 

describes the dog itself. t's not that he's smelling clean
things or something; it's that he's had a bath and does not stink.


  
£
! This worksheet discusses the differences between adjectives and adverbs. t defines
adjectives and adverbs, shows what each can do, and offers several examples of each in use.


  Paul Lynch, Allen rizee
"
  2010-01-08 12:14:03

1. ad or adly?

When you want to describe how you feel, you should use an adjective So you'd say, Ô
feel bad.Ô Saying Ô feel badlyÔ would be like saying you play football badly. Ô feel
badlyÔ would mean that you are unable to feel, as though your hands were numb.
ere
are some other examples:

` ÔThe dog smells badly.Ô
ere, badly means that the dog does not do a good job of
smelling.
` ÔThe dog smells bad.Ô
ere, ÔbadÔ means that dog needs a bath.

N.. Sometimes people say Ô feel badlyÔ when they feel that they have done something
wrong. Let's say you dropped your friend's favorite dish, and it broke into a million
pieces. You might say, Ô feel really badly about what happened.Ô

2. Good or Well?

Good is an adjective, so you do not do good or live good, but you do well and live well.
Remember, though, that an adjective follows sense-verbs and be-verbs, so you also feel
good, look good, smell good, are good, have been good, etc. So:

Ôy mother looks good.Ô This does not mean that she has good eyesight; it means that
she appears healthy.

Ô feel really good today.Ô Again, this does not mean that touch things successfully. t
means rather that am happy or healthy.

N.. any people confuse this distinction in conversation, and that's okay. You will hear
people say, Ô feel wellÔ when they mean that they feel good.
owever, if you're taking
about action verbs, you'd say Ôwell.Ô Ô did well on my exam.Ô ÔShe plays tennis well.Ô

3. Sure or Surely?

Sure is an adjective, and surely is an adverb. For example:

` Ô
e is sure about his answer.Ô Sure describes  .

` ÔThe Senator spoke out surely.Ô
ere, surely describes how the senator spoke.
 N.. Surely can also be used as a sentence-adverb. For example, ÔSurely, you're joking.Ô

ere, surely describes the entire sentence Ôyou're joking.Ô The sentence more or less
means, ÔYou must be joking.Ô

4. Near or Nearly?

Near can function as a verb, adverb, adjective, or preposition. Nearly is used as an adverb
to mean Ôin a close mannerÔ or Ôalmost but not quite.Ô
ere are some examples that
demonstrate the differences between various uses of near and nearly.

` Ô 'll be seeing you in the near future.Ô
ere, near describes the noun Ôfuture.Ô
` ÔThe cat crept near.Ô Near is an adverb that describes where the cat crept.
` Ôon't worry; we're nearly there.Ô
ere, nearly describes how close we are.

Near can also be used as a verb and a preposition.

` Ôy graduation neared.Ô
ere, neared is the verb of the sentence.

` Ô want the couch near the window.Ô Near is a preposition at the head of the
phrase Ônear the window.Ô

  




#


$

£
! This resource provides basic guidelines of adjective and adverb use.


  Paul Lynch, Chris erry
"
  2010-01-08 12:14:45

 


A countable noun is one that can be expressed in plural form, usually with an Ôs.Ô For example,
Ôcat--cats,Ô Ôseason--seasons,Ô Ôstudent--students.Ô

An uncountable noun is one that usually cannot be expressed in a plural form. For example,
Ômilk,Ô Ôwater,Ô Ôair,Ô Ômoney,Ô Ôfood.Ô Usually, you can't say, Ô
e had many moneys.Ô

ost of the time, this doesn't matter with adjectives. For example, you can say, ÔThe cat was
grayÔ or ÔThe air was gray.Ô
owever, the difference between a countable and uncountable noun
does matter with certain adjectives, such as the following:

ë some/any
ë much/many
ë little/few
ë a lot of/lots of
ë a little bit of
ë plenty of
ë enough
 ë no

£%
!

oth ÔsomeÔ and ÔanyÔ can modify countable and uncountable nouns.

ë ÔThere is  water on the floor.Ô

ë ÔThere are  exicans here.Ô
ë Ôo you have

 food?Ô
ë Ôo you have

 apples?Ô

 %

!

ÔuchÔ modifies only uncountable nouns.

ë ÔThey have so   money in the bank.Ô

ë ÔThe horse drinks so   water.Ô

ÔanyÔ modifies only countable nouns.

ë Ô

 Americans travel to Europe.Ô

ë Ô collected 

 sources for my paper.Ô

"%& 

ÔLittleÔ modifies only uncountable nouns.

ë Ô
e had 
ÊÊ food in the house.Ô
ë ÔWhen was in college, there was 
ÊÊ money to spare.Ô

ÔFewÔ modifies only countable nouns.

ë ÔThere are
  doctors in town.Ô

ë Ô
e had  reasons for his opinion.Ô

%

ÔA lot ofÔ and Ôlots ofÔ are informal substitutes for much and many. They are used with
uncountable nouns when they mean ÔmuchÔ and with countable nouns when they mean Ômany.Ô

ë ÔThey have Ê (much) money in the bank.Ô

ë ÔA Ê (many) Americans travel to Europe.Ô
ë ÔWe got Ê (many) mosquitoes last summer.Ô
ë ÔWe got Ê (much) rain last summer.Ô


ÔA little bit ofÔ is informal and always precedes an uncountable noun.

ë ÔThere is

ÊÊ à
Ê pepper in the soup.Ô
ë ÔThere is

ÊÊ à
Ê snow on the ground.Ô


!

ÔPlenty ofÔ modifies both countable and uncountable nouns.

ë ÔThey have 
Ê money in the bank.Ô

ë ÔThere are 
Ê millionaires in Switzerland.Ô

 

  modifies both countable and uncountable nouns.

ë ÔThere is enough money to buy a car.Ô

ë Ô have enough books to read.Ô

$

 modifies both countable and uncountable nouns.

ë ÔThere is
 time to finish now.Ô

ë ÔThere are
 squirrels in the park.Ô
ë   
ë £
! This resource provides basic guidelines of adjective and adverb use.
ë 
  Paul Lynch, Chris erry
"
  2010-01-08 12:15:00
ë '(!

)
 ! *
*

  

 
ë You can recognize adverbs easily because many of them are formed by adding -ly to an
adjective.
ë
ere are some sentences that demonstrate some of the differences between an adjective
and an adverb.
ë Richard is careless.
ë
ere careless is an adjective that modifies the proper noun Richard.
ë Richard talks carelessly.
ë
ere carelessly is an adverb that modifies the verb talks.
ë Priya was extremely happy.
ë
ere happy is an adjective that modifies the proper noun Priya and extremely is an
adverb that modifies the adjective happy.
ë Adverbs can't modify nouns, as you can see from the following incorrect sentences.
ë
e is a quietly man.
ë The correct sentence above should say, Ô
e is a quiet man.Ô
ë have a happily dog.
ë The correct sentence above should say, Ô have a happy dog.Ô
ë '+



! 
    
 


   , 

-
    
ë was nervous.
ë She has been sick all week.
ë They tried to be helpful.
ë '."/ 




! 

  
 
--



0*
**
*/*
--
*

0 
 


   
ë Sharon's cough sounds bad.
ë
ere bad is an adjective that modifies the noun cough. Using the adverb badly here
would not make sense, because it would mean her cough isn't very good at sounding.
ë Castor oil tastes awful.
ë
ere awful is an adjective that modifies the noun oil. Using the adverb awfully here
would not make sense, because it would mean that castor oil isn't very good at tasting.
ë The ocean air smells fresh.
ë
ere fresh is an adjective that modifies the noun air. Using the adverb freshly here would
not make sense, because it would mean that the air has a sense of smell that it uses in a
fresh manner.
ë She seems unhappy today.
ë
ere unhappy is an adjective that modifies the pronoun she. Using the adverb unhappily
here would not make sense, because it would mean that she isn't very good at seeming.
ë e careful to notice whether the word modifies the subject or the verb in the sentence. f
the word modifies the subject, you should use an adjective. f the word modifies the verb,
you should use an adverb. The difference is shown in the following pair of sentences.
ë This apple smells sweet.
ë
ere sweet is an adjective that modifies the noun apple. Using the adverb sweetly here
would not make sense, because it would mean that the apple can smell things in a sweet
manner.
ë Your dog smells carefully.
ë
ere carefully is an adverb that modifies the verb smells. Using the adjective careful here
would not make sense, because it would mean that the dog gives off an odor of
carefulness.
ë 

  
ë ad or adly?
ë When you want to describe how you feel, you should use an adjective (Why? Feel is a
sense verb;see rule #3 above). So you'd say, Ô feel bad.Ô Saying you feel badly would be
like saying you play football badly. t would mean that you are unable to feel, as though
your hands were partially numb.
ë Good or Well?
ë Good is an adjective, so you do not do good or live good, but you do well and live well.
Remember, though, that an adjective follows sense-verbs and be-verbs, so you also feel
good, look good, smell good, are good, have been good, etc. (Refer to rule #3 above for
more information about sense verbs and verbs of appearance.)
ë Confusion can occur because well can function either as an adverb or an adjective. When
well is used as an adjective, it means Ônot sickÔ or Ôin good health.Ô For this specific
 sense of well, it's OK to say you feel well or are well ² for example, after recovering
from an illness. When not used in this health-related sense, however, well functions as an
adverb; for example, Ô did well on my exam.Ô
ë ouble-negatives
ë Scarcely and hardly are already negative adverbs. To add another negative term is
redundant, because in English only one negative is ever used at a time
ë They found scarecely any animals on the island. (not scarcely no...)
ë
ardly anyone came to the party. (not hardly no one...)
ë Sure or Surely?
ë Sure is an adjective, and surely is an adverb. Sure is also used in the idiomatic expression
sure to be. Surely can be used as a sentence-adverb.
ere are some examples that show
different uses of sure and surely. Light blue arrows indicate adjectives and green arrows
indicate adverbs.
ë am sure that you were there.
ë
ere sure is an adjective that modifies the pronoun .
ë
e is surely ready to take on the project.
ë
ere surely is an adverb that modifies the adjective ready.
ë She is sure to be a great leader.
ë
ere sure to be is an idiomatic phrase that functions as an adjective that modifies the
pronoun she.
ë Surely, environmental destruction has been one of the worst catastrophes brought about
by industrial production.
ë
ere surely is an adverb that modifies the verb has been.
ë Real or Really?
ë Real is an adjective, and really is an adverb.
ere are some examples that demonstrate
the difference between real and really.
ë She did really well on that test.
ë
ere really is an adverb that modifies the adverb well.
ë s she really going out with him?
ë
ere really is an adverb that modifies the verb phrase going out.
ë Popular culture proposes imaginary solutions to real problems.
ë
ere real is an adjective that modifies the noun problems.
ë Near or Nearly?
ë Near can function as a verb, adverb, adjective, or preposition. Nearly is used as an adverb
to mean Ôin a close mannerÔ or Ôalmost but not quite.Ô
ere are some examples that
demonstrate the differences between various uses of near and nearly.
ë The moment of truth neared.
ë
ere neared is a verb in the past tense.
ë We are nearly finished with this project.
ë
ere nearly is an adverb that modifies the verb finished.
ë The cat crept near.
ë
ere near is an adverb of place that modifies the verb crept.
ë First cousins are more nearly related than second cousins.
ë
ere nearly is an adverb that modifies the verb related.
ë The detective solves the mystery in a scene near the end of the movie.
 ë
ere near is a preposition. The prepositional phrase near the end of the movie modifies
the noun scene.


     (
Choose the correct item:

1.
e (correct, correctly) defined the terms. The answer sounded (correctly, correct).

2. She (quickly, quick) adjusted the fees. She adapted (quick, quickly) to any situation.

3.
e measured the floor (exact, exactly). They proved to be (perfectly, perfect) (exact, exactly)
measurements.

4. The stillness of the tomb was (awfully, awful). The tomb was (awfully, awful) still.

5. t was a (dangerously, dangerous) lake to swim in. The man was (dangerous, dangerously)
drunk. The gas smelled (dangerously,dangerous).

6. She performed (magnificent, magnificently). t was a (magnificent, magnificently) beautiful

performance.

7.
er voice sounds (beautifully, beautiful). She sang the song (exact, exactly) as it was written.
We heard it (perfectly, perfect).

8.
e was a very (sensibly, sensible) person.
e acted very (sensible, sensibly).

9. ike wrote too (slow, slowly) on the exam.
e always writes (slow, slowly).

10. Talk (softly, soft) or don't talk at all. The music played (softly, soft).

11. Andrea knows the material very (good, well). She always treats us (good, well).

12. You must send payments (regular, regularly). We deal on a (strictly, strict) cash basis.

13. The mechanic's tools were (well, good). The foreman said that his work was (good, well)
done.

14. She worked (careful, carefully) with the sick child. She was a very (careful, carefully)
worker.

15.
e did not pass the course as (easy, easily) as he thought he would.
16. find this novel very (interesting, interestingly). t was (interesting, interestingly) written.


      (
Correct answers are in bold.

1.
e  ! defined the terms. The answer sounded  

2. She 1/! adjusted the fees. She adapted1/!to any situation.

3.
e measured the floor 
! They proved to be - !
 measurements.

4. The stillness of the tomb was
. The tomb was
! still.

5. t was a 

  lake to swim in. The man was

 ! drunk. The gas smelled


 .

6. She performed 



!. t was a 


! beautiful performance.

7.
er voice sounds
. She sang the song 
! as it was written. We heard it
- !

8.
e was very 
 person.
e acted very 
!.

9. ike wrote too  ! on the exam.
e always writes  !.

10. Talk !or don't talk at all. The music played!.

11. Andrea knows the material very . She always treats us .

12. You must send payments 
! We deal on a  !cash basis.

13. The mechanic's tools were . The foreman said that his work was  done.

14. She worked 
! with the sick child. She was a very 
 worker.

15.
e did not pass the course as 
!as he thought he would.

16. find this novel very

 
. t was 
 
! written.

     +

n the following sentences, cross out the incorrect words and write in the correct form in the
blanks. f the sentence is correct as it is, write ÔcorrectÔ in the blank.

1. Terrence plays quarterback as well as rian._______________

2. The game hadn't hardly begun before it started to rain.____________

3. This was sure a mild winter.__________________

4. Jane behaves more pleasant than Joan.________________

5. When you are a parent, you will think different about children.___________

6. felt badly about not having done good on my final exams._____________

7. Whether you win is not near as important as how you play._____________

8. Asian music often sounds oddly to Western listeners.______________

9. oes your car run well enough to enter the race?_________________

10. felt safely enough to go out at night on my own._________________

11. You can see the distant mountains clear with these binoculars.______________

12. Our team was real sharp last Saturday afternoon during the game.___________


      +
Correct answers are in bold. ncorrect answers are in italics.

1. Terrence plays quarterback as well as rian.  

2. The game 

Ê hardly begun before it started to rain.


3. This was   a mild winter.  !

4. Jane behaves more    than Joan. -


!

5. When you are a parent, you will think 


Ê about children.  
!

6. felt à
 about not having done  on my final exams. 
* 

7. Whether you win is not

 as important as how you play.


!

8. Asian music often sounds  to Western listeners. 

9. oes your car run well enough to enter the race?  

10. felt 
 enough to go out at night on my own. 


11. You can see the distant mountains 
 with these binoculars. 
!

12. Our team was 
 sharp last Saturday afternoon during the game. 
!