This document provides guidance on correctly using adjectives and adverbs. It defines adjectives as words that modify nouns and adverbs as words that modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. It discusses recognizing parts of speech, comparative and superlative forms, compound adjectives, misplaced modifiers, and other rules for appropriate usage of adjectives and adverbs in writing.

1. Using Adjectives and Adverbs
Correctly

2. What are adjectives?
• Adjectives modify nouns or pronouns
• These words are all adjectives
 A hot day
 A happy camper
 A silly twit
 A big, bloody mess (both “big” and “bloody”
modify “mess”)
 She is creative (“creative” is a subject
complement that follows the linking verb “is”)
 A boring course (present participle used as an
adjective

3. So what are adverbs?
• Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives and other
adverbs
• Many adverbs end with ly
• Many adverbs answer the question “How?”
• These are adverbs
Eating quickly (modifying a verb)
Trying very hard (modifying an adverb)
A really big show (modifying an adjective)

4. Recognizing Adjectives & Adverbs
• Many words have both an adjective and adverb form
Adjective Adverb
Happy kids Playing happily
Smooth rock Running smoothly
Good night Eating Well
Efficient workers Working efficiently
Casual dress Dressing casually
Quick meeting Talking quickly
hopeful children Waiting hopefully
Real butter Really hot

5. Comparatives and Superlatives
• Most adverbs and adjectives also have a
comparative and superlative form
Simple Comparative Superlative
Hot Hotter Hottest
Good Better Best
Exciting More exciting Most exciting
Careful Less careful Least careful
• Use the comparative form to compare two things
 Sally is the larger of the twins (not largest)
• Use the superlative form to compare three or more
 August was the hottest month of the year

6. Double Comparatives
• Don’t use “more” or “most” with –er or –est
X Yesterday was more hotter than today
X That was the most dirtiest story I ever heard
X You are the bestest teacher

7. Absolute Concepts
• Don’t use comparatives or superlatives with absolute
concepts
• Absolutes have only two possibilities, on or off, yes or
no, with nothing in between
X The most perfect student in the class
X A very unique idea (say “very unusual” instead)
• These words express absolute concepts that cannot
be modified
More priceless Sort of dead
Quite on A little bit pregnant
Very unanimous Extremely perfect
Quite unique Completely anonymous

8. Don’t use adjectives when
adverbs are needed
X You did a real nice job
– (an adjective can’t modify another adjective)
You did a really nice job
– (the adverb “really” modifies “nice”)
X He did good
He did well or
He did a good job
X Fuel injection helps the car run efficient
Fuel injection helps the car run efficiently
X Come quick!
Come quickly!
X Hopefully, it won’t rain
– (an adverb explains how something will happen
I hope that it won’t rain

9. Don’t use needless adverbs
• Before using any of these words, check to see if they add
anything to the sentence
• Really, very, absolutely, extremely, quite, actually, somewhat,
rather
• I am really happy to see you
• Grammar is very boring
• You are absolutely correct
• Her language was extremely crude
• You are quite intelligent
• Context will help you decide whether to retain the
underlined words
• Keep them only if they add to the meaning
X Bill Gates is very rich. I hope he gives me some money.
 Most college instructors are poor; their students are very poor.
• Note: the terms “good success” and “real good
success” have been reserved for sports broadcasters; do
not use them

10. Compound Adjectives
• Two or more adjectives often appear together
separated with commas
Brad’s tiny, tight swimsuit showed off his hairy belly
• The words “tiny” and “tight” each work
separately to modify “swimsuit”
• Connect the words with a hyphen when they
function together before a noun
Brad’s gold-plated piercings stood out against his
bright-red sunburn
• “Gold-plated” and “bright-red” are compound
adjectives

11. Compound Adjectives
Brad was well known along
the boardwalk (no hyphen)
His SUV was fully equipped
Brad worked full time on his
tan
Brad was a well-known jerk
(hyphenated)
He drove a fully-equipped SUV
Brad was a full-time chick magnet
• Do not hyphenate the words when they
come after the noun they modify
• Notice the difference in these examples

12. Misplaced Modifiers
• Put adjectives and adverbs close to the words
they modify
• Notice how the meaning is affected by the
improper placement
X An old pile of clothes is on the floor
A pile of old clothes is on the floor
X I almost believe you are finished
I believe you are almost finished
X The winners will only be contacted
Only the winners will be contacted
X I can’t quite do this as well as Fred
I can’t do this quite as well as Fred