Adjectives, adverbs, and comparisons

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo, vwo
• Leerjaar 3-6

Adjectives and adverbs

Goals

1. You will be able to tell apart adjectives and adverbs.

2. You will be able to identify and use adjectives and adverbs in English sentences.

What do you remember about adjectives and adverbs?

Terminology

Noun = zelfstandig naamwoord

Adjective = bijvoeglijk naamwoord

Adverb = bijwoord

Adjectives

Adjectives say something about a noun.

It is the word you use to describe a person, place, or thing.

The brave dog chased the thief.

The adorable cat is meowing loudly.

Where to place adjectives

You usually place an adjective before a noun.

Bright sweaters are worn in winter.

The early morning is a beautiful time of day.

Where to place adjectives

Of course there is an exception:

Adjectives are placed at the end of a sentence when an opinion is given using "to be" or "to seem".

That boy is handsome.

Your volleyball coach seems really mean.

What is the use of an adjective?

1. to describe a noun
2. to describe an adverb

Where in a sentence is an adjective usually placed?

1. at the beginning of a sentence
2. in front of a verb
3. in front of a noun

What is the exception to placement of an adjective in a sentence?

1. when "be" or "seem" are in the sentence
2. when stating a fact
3. when giving an opinion using "be" or "seem"
4. when stating a fact using to be

Adverbs

There are a few ways to use adverbs.

You can often (not always) recognize adverbs by the ending -ly.

1. An adverb can describe a verb. -> He sings loudly.

2. An adverb can describe an adjective. -> The dog is very brave.

3. An adverb can describe another adverb. 

-> He never does his chores too quickly.

4. An adverb can describe sentence. -> Sadly, it was too late.

Adverbs describing verbs

An adverb that describes a verb shows us how the action is happening:

Tom sings loudly in the shower.

The cat waits impatiently for its food.

The adverbs in both sentences answer the question in what manner? How does Phillip sing? Loudly. How does my cat wait? Impatiently.

Adverbs describing adjectives

An adverb that describes an adjective adds a degree of intensity to an adjective:

 “Is my singing too loud?” asked Phillip.
My cat was incredibly glad to receive its dinner.

Adverbs describing adverbs

You can use an adverb to describe another adverb. In fact, if you wanted to, you could use several:

The race finished too quickly.

Philip sings incredibly loudly.

Adverbs describing a sentence

You can use an adverb to describe an entire statement/sentence.

Unfortunately, he arrived too late.

Personally, I prefer pizza over toast.

When do we use adverbs?

1. to describe a verb
2. to describe a noun

When do we use adverbs?

1. to describe a situation
2. to describe an adjective

Which sentence is correct?

1. He sings much too loudly.
2. She is pretty quite.

Where to place adverbs

Adverbs often, always, never, usually, also, really, etc. go ..

2+ verbs? 

.. after the first auxiliary (hulpwerkwoord)

1 verb? 

am/is/are/was/were --> .. after it

other verb? --> .. before it

1. I ________________ late on Saturdays.

1. get up usually
2. usually get up
3. get usually up

Jared .. late for work.

1. is never
2. never is

Let's practice some more

Option A: Go to the following websites to deepen your knowledge on adjectives and adverbs. You choose which exercises you want to do there and at what level.

Option B: For a quick revision - VWO Textbook p. 62/63 ex. 17& 18, HAVO p. 73 no. 10 and 11

Tipp: Use your reference book p. 68 for support!

https:

www.englisch-hilfen.de

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