Adjective and Adverbs – Common Errors Writing Lab Adjective and Adverbs – Common Errors

Adjectives Adjectives modify nouns and pronouns. Adjective Test: The _____ thing is very _____. Correct: The quiet thing is very quiet. Incorrect: The quietly thing is very quietly. Adjectives answer the following questions: “Which one?” “What kind?” “How many?”

Adverbs Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. Adverbs generally end in –ly. Adverbs answer the following questions: “Where?” “When?” “How?” “How often or how long?” “How much?”

Commonly confused adjective/adverb pairs Since many adverbs are formed by adding an –ly suffix to an existing adjective, people often confuse adjective/adverb pairs such as real and really or sure and surely. To determine which word you need, replace the commonly confused adjective with a synonym that does not have a corresponding confusing option.

Real and really Real is an adjective meaning “genuine”: The admiral has real charm. Really is an adverb meaning “very”: He is really charismatic. Note: in academic writing, avoid really and very as many professors see these words as informal. The use of real as an adverb is colloquial and nonstandard: He writes really (NOT real) well.

Sure and surely Sure is an adjective meaning “certain”: Are you sure (certain)? Yes, I’m sure (certain) about the date. Surely is an adverb meaning “certainly”: You surely (certainly) do look good. This Bundu mask surely (certainly) is expensive.

That’s all, folks! This lesson is part of the UWF Writing Lab Grammar Mini-Lesson Series Lessons adapted from Real Good Grammar, Too by Mamie Webb Hixon To find out more, visit the Writing Lab’s website where you can take a self-scoring quiz corresponding to this lesson