Adjectives and Adverbs 1 (quick/quickly)
When to use adjectives vs. adverbs, forming adverbs with -ly, and using adverbs to modify adjectives and past participles
Forming Adverbs with -ly
Most adverbs are built by adding -ly to an adjective.
| Adjective | Adverb |
|---|---|
| quick | quickly |
| serious | seriously |
| careful | carefully |
| bad | badly |
| heavy | heavily |
| terrible | terribly |
Watch out: not every word ending in -ly is an adverb. Some adjectives also end in -ly, such as friendly, lovely, lonely, elderly, and lively. You cannot say friendlily. These words are adjectives only.
- She sent a friendly email to the new hire. (adjective — describes the email)
Adjective or Adverb? The Core Rule
Adjectives describe a noun — a person, thing, or idea. They typically go before the noun or after be.
Adverbs describe a verb — how something happens or how someone does something.
| Adjective + noun | Verb + adverb |
|---|---|
| He wrote a careful report. | He wrote the report carefully. |
| There was heavy traffic on the highway. | It was raining heavily during the commute. |
| She speaks perfect Japanese. | She speaks Japanese perfectly. |
The word order matters. Put the adjective before the noun; put the adverb after the verb (or after the verb + object).
- Tom is a slow reader. (not
a slowly reader) - Tom reads slowly. (not
reads slow)
Adjectives After be, look, feel, sound
After be and verbs like look, feel, sound, smell, and taste, use an adjective — not an adverb. These verbs describe a state, not an action.
| Adjective after linking verb | Adverb after action verb |
|---|---|
| Please be quiet during the call. | Please speak quietly during the call. |
| The quarterly results were really bad. | The team performed really badly this quarter. |
| Why does she always look so serious? | Why does she never take feedback seriously? |
| I feel confident about the pitch. | The presenters handled the Q&A confidently. |
A common mistake is using an adverb after feel or look:
- I feel happy about the promotion. (not
I feel happily) - That plan doesn’t look safe. (not
look safely)
Adverbs Before Adjectives and Other Adverbs
Adverbs can also modify adjectives or other adverbs. Place the adverb directly before the word it modifies.
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| adverb + adjective | The hotel was reasonably cheap. |
| adverb + adjective | I’m terribly sorry about the delay. |
| adverb + adverb | She finishes tasks incredibly quickly. |
| adverb + adjective | The client meeting was surprisingly easy. |
Adverbs Before Past Participles
Past participles (words like injured, organised, written, planned) work like adjectives. Modify them with an adverb, not an adjective.
- Two workers were seriously injured on site. (not
serious injured) - The conference was badly organised. (not
bad organised) - The proposal was clearly written.
- The project launch was poorly planned.
Quick Self-Check
The manager reviewed the contract _____. She didn't miss a single detail.
Select your answer:
This chair is very _____. I could sit here all day.
Select your answer:
The new intern speaks English almost _____.
Select your answer:
The event was _____ organised. Half the guests didn't receive invitations.
Select your answer:
The deadline changed _____. Nobody expected it.
Select your answer: