Adverb or Adjective #1

Adverbs and adjectives both describe, but they’re used differently. Examine the
chart and examples below to see how each is used.

Adverbs Modify Adjectives Modify

how ? slowly
Verbs nouns
how often ? sometimes
how much ? very Adjectives pronouns
Other adverbs
when ? soon - yesteray
where ? here - there
For example: For example:

Verb adverb noun adjective

^ ^ ^ ^
My sister drives carefully. Mike was tired after the race.

Directions: Look at the sentences below and decide whether an adverb or adjective is
needed. Circle your choice. Then underline the word it modifies. (Hint: adverbs
usually, but not always, end in “ly”).

1. The house looked (empty, emptily).

2. Jason pitched (wild, wildly).
3. The choir sang (good, well).
4. Those hills look (beautiful, beautifully).
5. The teams were matched (even, evenly).
6. The cheese on this cracker tastes (strange, strangely).
7. You print so (neat, neatly).
8. Ron arrived (prompt, promptly) at ten.
9. I go to the gym (regular, regularly).
10.The snow fell (steady, steadily).
11.The solution to the crime seemed (obvious, obviously).
12.The hem of the skirt was (real, really) crooked.
 Adjectives or Adverbs? #2

Directions: Determine whether each underlined word below is an adjective or an

adverb.

1. The woolly mammoth is believed to be the ancestor of the modern elephant. adj

2. She jumped up suddenly and left the room. adverb

3. This recipe calls for coarsely ground nuts. adverb

4. The early bird gets the worm. adjective

5. She speaks so softly that I can hardly hear her. adverb

6. She has curly blond hair and blue eyes. adj

7. “Come here, quickly,” she said, “and help me get this curtain hung.” adverb

8. At the pet shop a cuddly little kitten snuggled up to me, and I almost bought it. adj

9. A nicely trimmed hedge is an asset to a yard. adverb

10.His kingly bearing makes him a perfect choice for the role of pharaoh in our play.

11.That oil painting is absolutely magnificent!

12.Toothpaste ads on television always feature models with gleaming, pearly teeth.

13.“I’m the greatest,” he said jokingly, as he flexed his almost nonexistent muscles.
 Adjective or Adverb Exercise #5

Directions: Choose the correct item from the choices in the parentheses.

1. He (correct, correctly) defined the terms. The answer sounded (correctly, correct).
2. She (quickly, quick) adjusted the fees. She adapted (quick, quickly) to any
situation.
3. He measured the floor (exact, exactly). They proved to be (perfectly, perfect)
(exact, exactly) measurements.
4. The stillness of the tomb was (awfully, awful). The tomb was (awfully, awful)
still.
5. It was a (dangerously, dangerous) lake to swim in. The man was (dangerous,
dangerously) drunk. The gas smelled (dangerously, dangerous).
6. She performed (magnificent, magnificently). It was a (magnificent,
magnificently) beautiful performance.
7. Her voice sounds (beautifully, beautiful). She sang the song (exact, exactly) as it
was written. We heard it (perfectly, perfect).
8. He was a very (sensibly, sensible) person. He acted very (sensible, sensibly).
9. Mike wrote too (slow, slowly) on the exam. He always writes (slow, slowly).
10. Talk (softly, soft) or don't talk at all. The music played (softly, soft).
11. Andrea knows the material very (good, well). She always treats us (good, well).
12. You must send payments (regular, regularly). We deal on a (strictly, strict) cash
basis.
13. The mechanic's tools were (well, good). The foreman said that his work was
(good, well) done.
14. She worked (careful, carefully) with the sick child. She was a very (careful,
carefully) worker.
15. He did not pass the course as (easy, easily) as he thought he would.
16. I find this novel very (interesting, interestingly). It was (interesting,
interestingly) written.
 Adjective or Adverb #6

Directions: Write down the correct form of the red word in parentheses (adjective or
adverb).

1. Tom is (slow) _____. He works _____.

2. Sue is a (careful) _____ girl. She climbed up the ladder _____.
3. The dog is (angry) _____. It barks _____.
4. He acted (excellent) _____. He's an _____ actor.
5. They learn English (easy) _____. They think English is an _____ language.
6. Max is a (good) _____ singer. He sings _____.
7. It's (awful) _____ cold today. The cold wind is _____.
8. Dogs rely on their noses as they can smell (extreme / good) _____. If that is true,
why does dog food smell so (terrible) _____?
9. The little boy looked (sad) _____. I went over to comfort him and he looked at me
_____.
10.I tasted the soup (careful) _____ but it tasted (wonderful) _____.
 Adjectives #9: Adjectives, Nouns, or Pronouns?

Directions: Identify the word that is underlined as either an adjective, noun, or

pronoun.

1. The science book is on the shelf.

2. The airplane ride was exciting.
3. My favorite school subject is science.
4. My favorite school subject is science.
5. I spilled ink on the desk top.
6. The desk in the corner is mine.
7. The swimming class has five students.
8. Swimming is my favorite sport
9. Each person did the assignment.
10. This is my favorite television show.
11. Whose gloves are these?
12. Most of the answers are correct.
13. I chose that subject for my speech.
14. Most puppies sleep for many hours a day.
 Adverbs #11: Modifying Verbs, Adjectives, and Other Adverbs

Directions: Identify the adverb for each of the following sentences and identify the
word that adverb is modifying (describing).

1. Speak now or forever hold your peace.

2. Yesterday, Mrs. Blue thoughtfully assigned two brief assignments.
3. Today, the students will arrive early.
4. She did well on the first test, but she failed the second test miserably.
5. The skaters put on a very exciting show.
6. The runner was an unusually fast starter.
7. Kangaroos are extremely fast animals.
8. They look quite awkward when they jump.
9. The great red kangaroo is surprisingly tall.
10.Before 1900, fingerprinting was very rarely used by the police.
11.People used their fingerprints quite often to protect themselves from forgers.
12.Fingerprinting has been used much longer than we ordinarily think.
13.The expert worked quite rapidly.
 Recognizing Adjectives #12

Directions: Select the underlined word in each sentence that is an adjective.

1. Grandpa always told us exciting tales about his boyhood in the “old country.”

2. He will probably be reelected, since his performance during his term in office has
been outstanding.

3. Among older workers there is less absenteeism and greater productivity.

4. This painting appears to be an exact copy of an earlier work.

5. Visiting the site of the ancient city of Troy was an experience I will never forget.

6. Bud’s reply to the teacher’s question was instantaneous.

7. The salesman said he was nervous because it was his first day on the job.

8. Helen is the most sensible girl in this group.

9. I wonder how Vivian can afford to wear the very latest styles.

10.Vigorous exercise several times a week is recommended for keeping muscles in

good condition.

11.As he stared at the trophy, he pictured himself making the crucial hit that won
the game.

12.Neglected children often have serious psychological problems that get them into
trouble.

13.Water shortages in parts of the United States have prompted the growing of xeric
plants (those requiring less water).
 Adverbs #13: Writing Adverbs?

Directions: Rewrite the words in brackets as adverbs.

1. [In a rough way of] speaking, Beethoven and the great composer Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart were contemporaries.
2. The two crossed paths only [one time] or [two times].
3. This was not because they disliked each other; on the contrary, Beethoven, who
was the younger of the two had [at all times] admired Mozart [in a way that is
tremendous].
4. [In a way that is tragic] for music lovers, Mozart died at the age of thirty-five.
5. Rumors [in not much time] began to spread that Mozart had [in actual terms]
been murdered by a music rival.
6. [It is alleged], Antonio Salieri, who was a friend of Mozart’s and a fellow
composer, poisoned the young genius.
7. According to legend, Salieri was [to an extreme degree] jealous of Mozart.
8. Mozart was by all indications one of the most [in a remarkable way] gifted
musicians who ever lived.
9. Salieri, by comparison, was only [in a moderate way] talented.
10.The relationship between the two composers is [in a thorough way] explored in
a movie called Amadeus.