Deciphering the Difference: Adjective vs. Adverb in English Grammer

An adjective is a word that describes nouns, such as huge or pretty. Whereas, an adverb is a word that describes verbs, adverbs and adjectives, such as silently or loudly. This is just one of the basic differences between adjectives and adverbs. However, are you willing to learn more about adjectives and adverbs? Here’s a complete guide to make you understand both adjectives and adverbs, a fundamental concept of the English language. 

What are Adjectives? 

An adjective is a word that describes or modifies a noun or a pronoun. Adjectives are used to provide information about noun’s or pronoun’s qualities, characteristics, or states of being. 

Here are some examples of adjectives: 

👉Quality: big, small, red, blue, happy, sad, loud, quiet.

👉Quantity: many, few, some, all, half, dozen.

👉Characteristic: wooden, metal, furry, smooth, rough, intelligent, friendly.

👉State of being: alive, dead, asleep, awake, empty, full.

Also Read: Abstract Nouns: Definition, Examples and Usage

What are Adverbs? 

An adverb is a word that modifies or describes an adjective, verb, another adverb or entire sentence. Adverbs are mainly used to show the manner in which something happens, to what extent (degree), where (place), and when (time). Additionally, it is used to add more information, flair or details to our writing. Using adverbs can create a strong impression on the reader. 

Here are some basic examples of adverbs listed below: 

👉The bird sang beautifully. (modifies the verb “sang”).

👉The car was extremely fast. (modifies the adjective “fast”).

👉I rarely eat fast food. (modifies the adverb “rarely”).

👉Unfortunately, it rained on the day of the picnic. (modifies the entire sentence).

Also Read: History of English Literature

Adjective vs Adverb Differences

Adverbs are mainly used to modify verbs, adjectives, adverbs and entire sentences. On the other hand, adjectives can only modify nouns and pronouns, for example, “the white board.” The table given below will help you understand the basic difference between adjectives vs adverbs. 

Quality	Adjective	Adverb
What does it modify?	Nouns and pronouns	quickly ran, extremely fast, rarely eat fast food, unfortunately, it rained
What does it describe?	Qualities, characteristics or state of being	Manner, place, degree, time
Examples	Beautiful house, shiny hair, lousy students	quickly ran, extremely fast, rarely eat fast food, unfortunately it rained

Also Read: Adverbs – Definition, Types, Use, Examples & Exercises

Examples of Adjective vs Adverb

Here are some examples of sentences where adjectives and adverbs are used correctly for your reference:

• The big dog barked loudly. (an adjective modifies a noun, an adverb modifies a verb).
• The student studied hard for the test. (an adjective modifies a noun, an adverb modifies a verb).
• The car was driving fast. (an adjective modifies a noun, an adverb modifies a verb).
• The bird sang beautifully. (an adjective modifies a noun, an adverb modifies a verb).
• The child was very happy. (adverb modifies adjective).
• I rarely eat fast food. (adverb modifies adverb).
• Unfortunately, it rained on the day of the picnic. (adverb modifies entire sentence).

Adjective vs Adverb: Linking Verbs

Linking verbs causes a lot of confusion when it comes to adjectives vs. adverbs. In case you are not acquainted with linking verbs, they are a particular kind of verb that conveys additional information about the subject rather than demonstrating an action.

Some common linking verbs include:

• Be
• Become
• Feel
• Grow
• Look
• Remain
• Seem
• Smell
• Sound
• Taste

Sentence	Adjective	Adverb
The cake tastes yummy.	adjective	Modifies the subject “cake”
She looks pretty.	adjective	Modifies the subject “she”
The meeting went well.	adverb	Modifies the linking verb “went”
He seemed to be frustrated.	adverb	Modifies the linking “seemed”

Also Read: Want to improve your English? You should definitely read these Best English Grammar Books.

How to Turn Adjectives into Adverbs

As we know, adjectives and adverbs are closely related, some of the root words can used for both. This will help you turn adjectives into adverbs and vice versa. Have a look at the table given below for easy reference: 

For many adjectives, you have to add -ly to the end to make an adverb. 

Adjective	Adverb
imperfect	imperfectly
beautiful	beautifully
hope	hopefully

To create an adverb, remove the -y from the adjective’s ending and add -ily.

Adjective	Adverb
happy	happily
easy	easily
busy	busily
lucky	luckily

To create an adverb, change the adjective’s final -e to a -y if it ends in -tle or -ble. 

Adjective	Adverb
gentle	gently
comfortable	comfortably
cute	cutely
terrible	terribly
fake	fakely

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