Practice Makes Perfect

Adverbs

You already know that adjectives modify nouns. For example: the

bluehouse, our littlebrother, a sillypoem. Adverbsare also modi-

fiers, but they modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. You can

easily identify adverbs because most end in -ly: happily, quickly,

slowly, beautifully.

Most adjectives can be changed to an adverb by adding -lyto the

end of the adjective. If the adjective ends in -y, change the -yto -i

and then add -ly.

Adjective Adverb

bad badly

bright brightly

cold coldly

happy happily

merry merrily

speedy speedily

sudden suddenly

wrong wrongly

There are a few adjectives and adverbs that have special forms and

uses. One important one is good. If goodmeans “kind,” it is only

used as an adjective. Use kindlyin place of it as an adverb. If good

means “talented,” use well as its adverb. Careful! If well means

“healthy,” it is not an adverb; it is an adjective.

good kind: He is a goodman.

He spoke to us kindly.

good talented: Hayley is a goodtennis player.

Hayley plays tennis well.

well healthy: I am glad that your father is wellagain.

There is only one form for the word fast. It is both an adjective and

an adverb:

Lee is a fasttalker. (adjective)

Lee talks fast. (adverb)

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Unit 9

03 (044-061) Units 6-9 11/3/04 1:41 PM Page 59

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