The Difference Between Adjectives & Adverbs

Adjectives & Adverbs

Adjectives and adverbs are both descriptive terms that add color to your writing. They help you to specify which house you grew up in and how you ran down the street when you were growing up. These terms allow for all sorts of possibilities but when they’re not used correctly, your writing could be downright confusing.

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The Definition of Adjective

An adjective modifies nouns and pronouns. Adjectives are typically descriptive in nature and usually appear right before a noun or after a word like is, be, or seem to describe a state of being or experience. They may describe all kinds of qualities, and multiple adjectives may be used to describe a single word: “That large, brown dog is sleepy.”

Some adjectives may describe things that exist in degrees or amounts, while others may distinguish one modified noun from another. Words like “more,” “most,” and “very” can help highlight which is the most expensive bottle of wine at the restaurant; if you’re trying to choose between two pricey bottles, you might indicate that you prefer this expensive bottle over that one.

Pronouns may also act as adjectives when indicating ownership: “Our trip to Europe was wonderful but theirs was cut short.”

Nouns can be used descriptively too, as attributive nouns. These nouns describe other nouns and do not need to be separated by a comma: “business meeting,” “baseball league,” or “apartment building.”

The Definition of Adverb

Adverbs modify verbs but can also modify whole sentences, adjectives, and even other adverbs. Adverbs typically define when, where, how, how much, how often, and how long.

For example, if you’re driving up a mountain, you might mention that the roads were steep and rocky. You’d use adverbs like “very” and “extremely” to explain how steep and how rocky. If you prefer to support small businesses in your town, you might use an adverb to explain how and where you shop: locally. If you call your parents every week, you might use an adverb to say how often you talk: “regularly” or “weekly.”

Many adverbs are created by adding the suffix -ly to an adjective. So, if a meeting was described as unnecessary, you might complain to your friend that you met unnecessarily, and that the meeting could have been an email. If you do a favor for your friend and doing so brings you joy, you’re doing it happily or joyfully. If it no longer makes you happy, but you’re still doing the favor, you might say that you’re doing it begrudgingly to explain how.

There are a few common adverbs that modify words that do not end in -ly:

• Again
• Also
• Just
• Often
• Never
• Soon
• Today
• Very
• Too
• Well

These words can help describe when, where, why, and how. For example: “Sam is never going to confuse an adjective and an adverb again.”

Good Tips for Using “Well” or “Good” Well

Words like “good” and “well” can be a little tricky.

The word “good” functions as an adjective, but you wouldn’t say, “He lives good.” Instead, you’d remember that adjectives follow verbs that indicate sensing and states of being, so you’d say that you “feel good” and you “look good.”

Things can be a little confusing with the word “well” because it can be either an adverb or an adjective. You’d use “well” as an adjective to indicate that you’re not sick and “feeling well.” The word functions as an adverb when not used to talk about health. If you aced your test but were being modest, you might say that you “did well.”

Using Adjectives & Adverbs

Adding descriptions can make your writing come alive. Whether you’re composing a research paper or writing poetry, a well-placed adjective will help your reader understand the image you’re trying to conjure, while an adverb will help them understand how things are.

While many of us learned the rule that adjectives modify nouns and adverbs modify verbs, there’s more to it than that. Understanding the nuance of these words will help you use them effectively.

For help with parts of speech, clarity, and vocabulary, turn to Microsoft Editor. This intelligent writing assistant helps you write with confidence and will offer suggestions to help fine-tune your final draft. Don’t worry if your first draft isn’t perfect, and if you’re stuck with a bad case of writer’s block, learn how to get the words out of your head and on to the page.

We sincerely hope that from now on, you will use useful adjectives and adverbs correctly.