English grammar · Beginner
English Adjectives and Adverbs
Adjectives describe nouns (a quiet street); adverbs describe verbs, adjectives, other adverbs, or whole sentences (she spoke quietly, a very quiet street, luckily). Both can be compared, both have rules about where they go in a sentence, and both come in sets that learners mix up.
What it is
An adjective adds information to a noun and usually sits either directly in front of it (a red car) or after a linking verb (the car is red). An adverb adds information to almost anything else, and its position is far more flexible: quickly she left, she quickly left, she left quickly. Many adverbs are made from adjectives with -ly, but the most common ones (well, fast, hard, late) are not.
It was a hard exam (adjective). She worked hard (adverb). She hardly worked (a different adverb, meaning almost not at all).
How to spot it
Ask what the word is describing. If it describes a thing, it is an adjective. If it describes an action, a quality, or the whole sentence, it is an adverb, even when it has no -ly.
- a careful driver (adjective describing the noun driver)
- She drives carefully. (adverb of manner describing the verb)
- an extremely careful driver (adverb (intensifier) describing the adjective)
- Honestly, I forgot. (sentence adverb commenting on the whole statement)
After linking verbs (be, seem, feel, look, taste) English uses an adjective, not an adverb: the soup tastes good, I feel bad. Feel badly is one of the classic overcorrections.
Adjectives & Adverbs Quick Reference
Adjective or adverb: the common pairs
| Adjective | Adverb | Note |
|---|---|---|
| quick | quickly | regular: add -ly |
| happy | happily | -y becomes -ily |
| good | well | irregular; well is also an adjective meaning healthy |
| fast | fast | same form; fastly does not exist |
| hard | hard | same form; hardly means almost not |
| late | late | same form; lately means recently |
| friendly | in a friendly way | -ly adjective with no adverb form |
All 25 adjectives & adverbs lessons
The adjective pages cover the things learners search for most: the order of several adjectives before a noun, comparatives and superlatives and how to modify them, -ed against -ing adjectives (bored and boring), extreme and gradable adjectives, and the intensifiers and mitigators that scale them up and down. The adverb pages take the types one by one, manner, time, place, direction, frequency, and probability, and then deal with the harder question of where an adverb goes in the sentence.
- Adverbs of Manner: An adverb of manner tells you how an action is done: slowly, carefully, well, fast. Most are made by adding -ly to an adjective (quiet, quietly), a few keep the same form as the adjective (hard, fast, late), and well is the adverb of good. They normally follow the verb or its object, never come between the verb and its object, and after linking verbs like feel and look English uses an adjective instead.
- Adverbs of Time: Adverbs of time tell you when something happens (yesterday, now, soon, later), how long it lasts (for two hours, all day, since Monday), or how often it happens (often, rarely, every week). They can be single words or phrases, and most of them go at the end of the sentence, or at the beginning for emphasis.
- Comparatives and Superlatives: Comparatives and superlatives are the forms of an adjective that compare. The comparative (taller, more expensive) sets one thing against another and is followed by than; the superlative (the tallest, the most expensive) picks out the extreme in a group of three or more and is preceded by the. Short adjectives take the endings -er and -est, longer ones take more and most, and a handful of very common adjectives (good, bad, far) have irregular forms.
- Adjectives in Sentences: An adjective describes a noun, but English gives it two main seats in the sentence: before the noun (a steep path) or after a linking verb (the path is steep). A few adjectives accept only one of those seats, and after words like something, anyone, and nothing the adjective comes after, not before. Position is the whole lesson on this page.
- Adverbs of Place: An adverb of place tells you where something is or where an action happens: here, there, upstairs, downstairs, abroad, away, nearby, inside, outside, home, somewhere, nowhere, everywhere. It does not take a noun after it. That is what separates it from a preposition of place, which always has a noun (on the shelf, in the loft).
- How Often: Adverbs of frequency say how often something happens: always, usually, often, sometimes, rarely, and never. They sit in mid-position, before the main verb and after be. How often questions ask for that information (How often do you swim?), and definite phrases such as every Tuesday or twice a month usually go at the end.
- Adverbials: An adverbial is any word, phrase, or clause that adds extra information to a verb or to a whole sentence: when, where, how, why, how often, or under what condition. Single-word adverbs are one kind of adverbial, not the whole category. Prepositional phrases (in the shed) and clauses (because rain was coming) do the same job, and the three forms often sit in the same slots at the front, in the middle, or at the end.
- Comparatives: A comparative adjective compares two things: shorter, bigger, more expensive, better. Short adjectives add -er, longer ones take more, and a few common ones change form (good, better). Than follows the comparative when you name the second thing. To say two things are equal, use as ... as; to say they are not, use not as ... as.
- Adverbs in a Sentence: Adverb position in a sentence is the choice between front, mid, and end. Manner, place, and time normally occupy the end, in that order (She spoke calmly in the foyer yesterday). Frequency and certainty sit in mid position, after the first auxiliary or after be, and before a simple lexical verb (She has always arrived early. She always arrives early). Front position is used for linking, viewpoint, and for putting time or place in focus.
- Adjective Order: When several adjectives sit in front of a noun, English puts them in a fairly fixed order: opinion, size, age, shape, colour, origin, material, purpose, then the noun. The mnemonic OSASCOMP captures that sequence. You do not need every slot, and native speakers can shuffle a pair for emphasis, but a stack that ignores the order (a French old little lovely desk) sounds wrong even when every word is right.
- Adjectives: An adjective is a word that describes a noun or pronoun: it tells you what kind of thing you mean, or which one. English adjectives do not change for number or gender (a red car, two red cars), and they usually sit in front of the noun or after a linking verb such as be, seem, or look. This page is the overview: what adjectives do, where they go, and how gradable ones (cold, tired) differ from non-gradable ones (freezing, exhausted).
- Adverbs of Possibility: Adverbs of possibility tell you how likely the speaker thinks a statement is: certainly, definitely, probably, possibly, perhaps, maybe. They do not change the grammar of the verb the way a modal does; they add a comment on the whole clause and sit in a small set of positions, most often mid-clause after the first auxiliary or before a simple verb. This page is about those adverbs and their placement. Modals of possibility (might, may, could) and intensifiers (very, absolutely) are neighbouring systems, not the same one.
- Extreme Adjectives: Extreme adjectives (also called strong or ungradable adjectives) already sit at the end of a scale: boiling, freezing, exhausted, filthy, furious, fantastic, awful, tiny, enormous. Because the meaning is already complete, they do not take very or a comparative in careful English. They collocate with absolutely, completely, totally, and utterly. Their ordinary partners (hot, cold, tired, dirty, angry, good, bad, small, big) are gradable and take very, really, and -er. This page is the adjective list and the collocation rule; intensifiers as a class have their own page.
- Intensifiers: Intensifiers are words that strengthen an adjective, an adverb, or sometimes a verb: very, really, extremely, absolutely, completely, totally, so. The grammar is a collocation rule. Gradable adjectives (cold, tired, difficult) take very, really, and extremely. Non-gradable and extreme adjectives (freezing, exhausted, impossible) take absolutely, completely, and totally. Really is the one intensifier that sounds natural with both sets. Mitigators such as fairly, rather, a bit, and slightly do the opposite job and have their own pages; this one stays with strengthening.
- Comparative Adverbs: A comparative adverb compares how two actions are done: more quickly, faster, better, less carefully. Most -ly adverbs take more (and most for the superlative). A short set of common adverbs take -er and -est instead (faster, harder, earlier). A handful are irregular: well becomes better, badly becomes worse. This page is about adverbs, not about comparative adjectives such as quicker or more careful.
- Adjectives with Prepositions: Many English adjectives take a fixed preposition before a noun or an -ing form: good at drawing, interested in otters, afraid of heights, famous for kingfishers, similar to the last brood, keen on birdwatching. The preposition belongs to the adjective, not to the noun, and it does not change. After most of these adjectives you cannot switch to a to-infinitive (*interested to otters); a smaller set (happy to, ready to, likely to) does take the infinitive, and those are the exception, not the rule.
- -ed and -ing Adjectives: Pairs like interested/interesting, bored/boring, and fascinated/fascinating are adjectives, not tenses. The -ed form describes a person's feeling (Laila was fascinated). The -ing form describes the person, thing, or event that causes the feeling (the show was fascinating). Mix them up and you say something unintended: I am boring means I cause boredom in other people, not that I feel bored.
- Still, No Longer, Already, and Yet: Still, no longer (and not any more), already, and yet are four time adverbs that locate a situation against what the speaker expected. Still says a state continues (The ferry is still on the pontoon). No longer and not any more say a state has ended (Nia no longer keeps a spare painter on that cleat). Already says something has happened sooner than expected. Yet says an expected event has not happened, and it lives in negatives and questions. The four belong together; already, just, and yet with the present perfect have a sibling page of their own.
- So and Such: So and such both intensify, but they sit in different places. So goes in front of an adjective or an adverb (so humid, so quickly). Such goes in front of a noun phrase (such humidity, such a humid evening, such beautiful terraces). Both can open a result with that (so humid that..., such a humid evening that...). So many, so much, so few, and so little are the forms you need before a noun of quantity.
- Already, Just, and Yet: Already, just, and yet are small time words that typically travel with the present perfect. Just means a moment ago (I've just put the kettle on). Already means sooner than expected (She's already left). Yet means up to now, in questions and negatives, and it sits at the end (Has the hummus arrived yet? I haven't eaten yet). American English often uses the past simple with the same three words.
- Comparative Modifiers: A comparative modifier grades a comparative rather than forming one. Much, far, and a lot make the gap bigger (much quieter, far more reliable). A bit, slightly, and a little make it smaller. Even adds a further step on a scale already in play. The double comparative (the more ... the more) links two changing amounts. How to build shorter, more reliable, and better is the comparatives page; this page is only the words that sit in front.
- Intensifiers and Mitigators: Intensifiers turn the volume up on an adjective, adverb, or verb (very, really, extremely, absolutely). Mitigators turn it down (quite, rather, fairly, pretty, a bit, slightly). Together they form a scale from a bit warm through fairly warm and very warm to extremely warm or absolutely boiling. This page is that two-way scale. The intensifiers page stays with strengthening; mitigators will cover softening on its own. Quite is the awkward member, because it can strengthen or soften depending on the adjective and the stress.
- Adverbs of Direction: An adverb of direction tells you which way something moves: up, down, in, out, away, back, forward, backwards, north, left, home, downstairs, towards, past. It answers where to, not where at. That is the split from an adverb of place, which locates something that is already there (here, upstairs, nearby). Many of the same words do both jobs, and the verb decides which job you are looking at.
- Adverbs of Location: Adverbs of location tell you where something sits or stands: here, there, indoors, outdoors, upstairs, downstairs, nearby, abroad, overhead, underground, somewhere, nowhere. They locate a state, not a path. The neighbouring direction page covers movement (go in, walk north); this page covers the still picture (be in, wait here, live nearby).
- Mitigators: Mitigators are softeners: quite, rather, fairly, pretty, slightly, a bit, a little. They turn the volume down on a gradable adjective or adverb (fairly warm, a bit long, slightly late). They are the opposite of intensifiers such as very and extremely. Quite is the awkward one: quite warm often means fairly warm, but quite impossible means completely impossible, because quite with a non-gradable adjective switches from softener to completer.
Adjectives & Adverbs FAQs
- What is the difference between an adjective and an adverb?
- An adjective describes a noun or pronoun: a loud noise, she is tall. An adverb describes a verb, an adjective, another adverb, or a whole clause: he shouted loudly, a very loud noise, quite loudly, frankly, I doubt it. The quick test is the question being answered: what kind of thing (adjective) or how, when, where, how often (adverb).
- What is the correct order of adjectives in English?
- Opinion, size, age, shape, colour, origin, material, purpose: a lovely little old round brown French wooden coffee table. Nobody uses eight at once, but the order holds for any two or three: a big red car, not a red big car. Opinion always comes first because it is the speaker's judgement rather than a fact about the thing.
- When do I use -ed and when -ing adjectives?
- The -ed adjective describes how someone feels; the -ing adjective describes what causes the feeling. I am bored because the lecture is boring. The film was terrifying, so the children were terrified. Mixing them up (I am boring) changes the meaning rather than making a small error, so it is worth getting right early.
- Where does an adverb go in a sentence?
- It depends on the type. Adverbs of frequency (always, often, never) go before the main verb but after be: she always arrives early, she is always early. Adverbs of manner usually go after the verb or its object: she sang the song beautifully. Adverbs of time and place tend to go at the end: we met there yesterday. Never put an adverb between a verb and its object: she sang beautifully the song is a mistake.
- Can I say very delicious or very freezing?
- No. Delicious and freezing are extreme (non-gradable) adjectives that already contain the idea of very. They take absolutely, completely, or really instead: absolutely delicious, completely freezing. Very goes with gradable adjectives: very tasty, very cold. Quite also changes meaning between the two groups: quite good means fairly good, quite perfect means completely perfect.