Use Basic Adjectives And Adverbs Correctly

Sometimes in written expression questions on the TOEFL test, adjectives are used in place of adverbs, or adverbs are used in place of adjectives. Adjectives and adverbs have very different uses. Adjectives have only one job: they describe nouns or pronouns.

Example 1:

• She is a beautiful woman.

Explanation: In this sentence, the adjective beautiful describes the noun woman.

Example 2:

• She is beautiful.

Explanation: Here, the adjective beautiful describes the pronoun She.

In the first example, the adjective beautiful describes the noun woman. In the second example, the adjective beautiful describes the pronoun she.

Adverbs do three different things. They describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs.

Example 1:

• She sings beautifully.

Explanation: The adverb beautifully describes the verb sings.

Example 2:

• She is a beautifully dressed woman.

Explanation: The adverb beautifully describes the adjective dressed (which in turn describes the noun woman).

Example 3:

• She is a truly beautifully dressed woman.

Explanation: The adverb truly describes another adverb, beautifully (which then describes the adjective dressed).

In the first example, the adverb beautifully describes the verb sings. In the second example, the adverb beautifully describes the adjective dressed (which describes the noun woman). In the third example, the adverb truly describes the adverb beautifully, which describes the adjective dressed (which describes the noun woman).

The following are examples of incorrect sentences as they might appear on the TOEFL test.

Incorrect Sentence Example 1:

• They were seated at a largely table.*

Explanation: The word largely is an adverb trying to describe the noun table. This is incorrect. The adjective large should be used to describe table.

Incorrect Sentence Example 2:

• The child talked quick to her mother.*

Explanation: The word quick is an adjective trying to describe the verb talked. This is incorrect. The adverb quickly should be used to describe talked.

Incorrect Sentence Example 3:

• We read an extreme long story.*

Explanation: The word extreme is an adjective trying to describe the adjective long. This is incorrect. The adverb extremely should be used to describe long.

In the first example, the adverb largely is incorrect because the adjective large is needed to describe the noun table. In the second example, the adjective quick is incorrect because the adverb quickly is needed to describe the verb talked. In the last example, the adjective extreme is incorrect because the adverb extremely is needed to describe the adjective long.

The following chart outlines the important information that you should remember about the basic use of adjectives and adverbs:

BASIC USE OF ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS

• ADJECTIVES: Adjectives describe nouns or pronouns.
• ADVERBS: Adverbs describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs.