English Grammar: Adjectives and Adverbs

1. Adjectives and
Adverbs in English
Context and
Sentence Structure
Salah Omar, Associate Tutor in
English Language and Language
Teacher Education
Adjectives and Adverbs in English Context and Sentence Structure by Salah Omar is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

2. Part One: Adjectives
 Aims & Objectives
• to understand the role of adjectives
• to use adjectives correctly in a sentence
• to use the correct word order in a sentence

3. 1. READ the article about an attempt to steal a Koala. Notice the words in
bold.
Koalas Fight Back
In March 2006, thieves broke into zoo in Queensland, Australia. They
planned to steal a koala. Everybody loves koalas, right? With their big round eyes,
flat noses, thick fur coat, and hairy ears, these cute creatures have become a
popular symbol of Australia. However, appearances can be deceptive1. The Koala
at the zoo was very fierce. Soon the thieves had deep scratches from the koala’s
sharp claws2 so they decided to steal something easier. They stole a crocodile
instead!
Koalas are interesting animals. A koala mother carries her baby, called
a joey, in a warm pouch, or pocket, on her stomach. Koalas eat only the oily
leaves of eucalyptus trees. These leaves are harmful to many other animals, but
koalas eat about two and a half pounds (just over one kilo) every night. The water
content of these leaves is high, so koalas do not drink very much. In fact, in one
native Australian language the word koala means “no drink”.
Photo from Natural History Museum
Photo by Rae Wallis

4. 2. CHECK. Follow the link below to a Microsoft form
and complete the True or False activity. True Or False
Exercise
3. DISCOVER. Complete the sentences with the words
from the article in exercise 1.
……, these--------------------creatures have become a-----
------------symbol of Australia.
The koala at the zoo was-------------------------.
Soon the thieves had------------- scratches from the
koala’s---------------------------claws.
These leaves are------------------ to many other animals.
The ----------------------------content of these leaves is----
-----------------.

5. Part Two: Adverbs
 Aims & Objectives
• to understand the role of adverbs
• to use adverbs of manner and degree
correctly in a sentence
• to use the correct word order in a
sentence

6. 1. READ the article about the Maori people, the first people to live in New
Zealand, and their traditional tattoos. Notice the words in bold
Moko-The Art of Maori Tattoos
Dr. Ngahuia Te Awekotuku of New Zealand is a leading writer on Maori issues in New
Zealand. On her chin and lips, she proudly wears a Maori tattoo, or moko. The purpose of her
moko is to remember the Maori queen who died in 2006.
In the past, young Maori received moko when they became adults. It was an extremely
painful process. A sharp tool was used to cut the skin. People sat quietly and patiently to
show their courage.
These days, a young Maori might get a moko to mark an achievement 1 such as getting on
a sports team or passing an exam. Most young people choose to get a moko using less painful
methods than in earlier times.
Some people who are not Maori have also started to get moko. Some Maori don’t mind
this, but others are not happy about it. For the Maori, moko remains a very serious tradition.
Adopted from Skole Blogg

7. 2. CHECK. Choose the correct answer to complete each statement.
1. How does Dr. Te Awekoutuku feel about her tattoo? She----------------------.
a. Doesn’t like it b. is proud of it c. doesn’t care about it
2. The main reason for Dr. Te Awekoutuku’s moko is to -----------------------.
a. Decorate her face b. make an acheievement c. Honor someone’s memory
3. To show their courage when they received moko, young people used to-----------------.
a. Watch the sharp tool b. remain calm c. choose large designs
4. Some non-Maori people now get moko. The Maori people’s feelings are ---------------------about this.
a. Negative b. positive c. mixed

8. 3. Adverbs of Manner
1. Adverbs of manner describe
action verbs
He spoke softly.
She dances beautifully
2. Adverbs of manner usually come after the
verb or after the verb+the object. Do not put
adverbs of manner between the verb and object
3. Do not use adverb after a linking verb. Use an
adjective after verb
He sang beautifully.
He sang the song beautifully.
He sang beautifully the song.
She looks happy.
She looks happily.
The flowers smell beautiful.
The flowers smell beautifully
4. To form adverb of manner, add-ly to most
adjective*
Be careful! Not all words that end in ly are
adverbs
beautifulbeautifully
cheerfulcheerfully
happyhappily
softsoftly
Adjectives: friendly, lonely, ugly, lovely.
Nouns and verbs: reply, supply.
5. Some adverbs of manner have the same form
as the related adjective. To create an adverb, do
not add-ly to these words: early, fast, hard, late
They eat fast.
XThey eat fastly.
6. The adverb form of good is well. My new laptop works well.
XMy new laptop works good

9. 4. Complete each sentence with the adverb from
of the adjective in parentheses.
1. The professor wears her tattoo proudly
(proud).
2. The young Maori sat ---------------------
(quiet) as they got tattoos.
3. The tattoo process was painful, but they
acted -------------------(brave).
4. They started the presentation ---------------
-----------(early).
5. The professor explained the history of the
Maori very --------------------(clear).
6. He doesn’t speak Maori-----------------------
(good), but he understands it.
7. She answered all our questions-------------
(honest).
8. I read her book -----------------------(quick).
9. She thought very ----------------------(hard)
about her future.
10. He spoke very ---------------(fast). I didn’t
understand everything.

10. 5. A Kahoot Game Activity: choose the correct word to
complete each sentence.
Adverb Kahoot Game

11. Revision
 Aims & Objectives
• to revise the use of adjectives and adverbs in writing
• to develop writing skills by producing a short
description of an animal
• to develop writing skills by peer correcting writing
focusing on the use of adjectives and adverbs as well as
word order in a sentence.