Adjectives and Adverbs

What is an Adjective?

An adjective is a word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun. It adds detail to help us understand what kind, how many, or which one.  

  

Examples: 

- The tall man is a teacher.  

- She wore a beautiful dress.  

- I saw three birds.  

  

Adjectives usually answer questions such as:  

- What kind? (e.g., red, happy, old)  

- How many? (e.g., two, many, several)  

- Which one? (e.g., that, this, those)    

What is an Adverb?

An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. It tells us how, when, where, or to what extent something happens.  

  

Examples:  

- She sings beautifully. (modifies the verb 'sings')  

- He is very tall. (modifies the adjective 'tall')  

- They arrived quite early. (modifies the adverb 'early')  

  

Adverbs usually answer questions such as:  

- How? (e.g., quickly, softly)  

- When? (e.g., yesterday, soon)  

- Where? (e.g., here, everywhere)  

- To what extent? (e.g., very, too)    

Key Differences Between Adjectives and Adverbs

- Adjectives describe nouns or pronouns → Example: The loud music.  

- Adverbs describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs → Example: She spoke loudly.    

Practice Questions: Adjectives and Adverbs

1. Identify the adjective in this sentence:  

   The quick fox jumped over the lazy dog.  

   Answer: quick, lazy  

Explanation: 'Quick' describes the noun 'fox' and 'lazy' describes the noun 'dog'. Both are adjectives because they modify nouns.  

  

2. Identify the adverb in this sentence:

   She danced gracefully on the stage.  

   Answer: gracefully  

Explanation: 'Gracefully' tells us how she danced. It modifies the verb 'danced', so it's an adverb.  

  

3. Choose the correct form:

   He runs (quick/quickly).  

   Answer: quickly  

Explanation: We need an adverb to describe the verb 'runs'. 'Quickly' is the adverb form of 'quick'.  

  

4. Fill in the blank with an adjective: 

   The ______ sky was filled with stars.  

   Answer: clear/dark/beautiful (any suitable adjective)  

Explanation: We need a word that describes the noun 'sky'. Words like 'clear', 'dark', or 'beautiful' are adjectives that fit here.  

  

5. Fill in the blank with an adverb:  

   He answered the question ______.  

   Answer: correctly / quickly / politely (any suitable adverb)  

Explanation: We need a word that describes how he answered. Adverbs like 'correctly', 'quickly', or 'politely' modify the verb 'answered'.