English Grammar Demystified - A Self Teaching Guide

Unfortunately, some adverbs don’t follow the -ly rule. They keep the same spell-
ing. The words that are often misused are fast and hard:

I run fast.

Fast is an adverb in this sentence; it describes the verb run.

Mel is a fast runner.

In this sentence, fast is an adjective that modifi es the noun runner.

Mel runs hard.

Hard is the adverb that describes the verb runs.

Mel loves hard tasks.

Hard is the adjective that describes the noun tasks.

COMMON ERRORS

One of the most common errors occurs when people struggle to make the choice between

good and well. Because it is an adjective, the word good describes people, places, or

things—nouns.Good never describes an action. Well is the adverb form of good, so it

describes an action. The only exception occurs when referring to someone’s health:

Incorrect: We heard a very well speaker

Correct: We heard a very good speaker.

Incorrect: Chuck plays the guitar so good.

Correct: Chuck plays the guitar so well.

Incorrect: Chuck doesn’t feel so good today.

Correct: Chuck doesn’t feel well today. (Well refers to Chuck’s health.)

CHAPTER 2 Introduction to the Parts of Speech^41