40 English Grammar Demystifi ed
- Ted is sympatheticer than Juan.
- That dress is the beautifulest in my closet.
Adverbs
Using adverbs is another way of adding interest and color to your sentences. Adverbs
are frequently formed by adding -ly to an adjective. Add an -ly to the adjective sin-
cere, and you have formed an adverb: sincerely. However, not all adverbs end in -ly.
Ver y,almost,quite, always, and often are adverbs as well. Like an adjective, the
adverb modifi es or describes another word. The difference between the two is that
the adverb describes a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. Adverbs usually follow
the verbs they describe:
The beam tilted slightly to the left.The adverb slightly describes the verb tilted.
The slightly faded shirt lay on the dresser.The adverb slightly describes the adjective faded.
The very slightly faded shirt could still be worn.The adverb very describes the adverb slightly.
We are accustomed to changing adjectives into adverbs simply by adding -ly:
simple, simply.
That is a simple dress.Simple describes the noun dress.
Isimply want to dress for the occasion.Simply describes the verb want.