Lecture Notes
Adjectives and Adverbs

Review

In our last class (August 30), we discussed a formula to help you find the primary parts of a sentence—subjects, verbs, and direct objects.  The formula can reduced to this question:
WHO DOES WHAT TO WHOM?
As you answer each part of the question, you locate the main parts of the sentence.
WHO = the subject
DOES WHAT = the verb
TO WHOM = the object or direct object

New Formulas

As you have probably discovered, there are many more words in a sentence than just the subject, verb, and direct objects.  What are those words doing there?  Well, as you recall from your previous English courses, adjectives describe nouns and adverbs describe verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.

Here are some formulas to help you determine whether a word is an adjective or adverb:

ADJECTIVES
Adjectives describe nouns (subjects and objects), so you will usually find adjectives placed very close to subjects and objects.  In regards to those subjects and objects, adjectives will always answer at least one of these questions:
WHICH ONE?
WHAT KIND?
HOW MANY?
ADVERBS
Adverbs describe verbs, adjective, and other adverbs.  Words acting as adverbs will always answer at least one of these questions:
WHERE (did it happen)?
WHEN (did it happen)?
HOW (did it happen)?
TO WHAT DEGREE (did it happen)?
UNDER WHAT CONDITION (did it happen)?

The Formulas at Work?

To figure out which words are "acting" as adjectives and adverbs, first figure out the subject and verb.  Then work with the formulas for adjectives and adverbs.

Sample sentence #1:  Last night, the two timid poodles barked excitedly.
 

STEP 1 Locate the action.  "Barked" shows an action.  "Barked" is the verb.
STEP 2 Ask this question: Who (or what) _ (verb)_? Who "barked"?
STEP 3 Answer from the sentence:  The poodles barked.  "Poodles" is the subject.
You just found the subject and the verb.  Now find the adjectives and adverbs, if there are any.
STEP 4 For adjectives, ask these questions:
What kind of _(subject)_?
Which _(subject)_?
How many _(subject)_?		 What kind of poodles?
Which poodles?
How many poodles?
STEP 5 Answer from the sentence:  "Timid" tells you what kind or which.
"Two" tells how many. 
"Two" and "timid" are adjectives.
STEP 6 For adverbs, ask these questions:
_(subject)_ _ (verb)_ where?
_(subject)_ _ (verb)_ when?
_(subject)_ _ (verb)_ how?
_(subject)_ _ (verb)_ to what degree?
_(subject)_ _ (verb)_ under what condition?		 The poodles barked where?
The poodles barked when?
The poodles barked how?
The poodles barked to what degree?
The poodles barked under what condition?
STEP 7 Answer from the sentence:  Where?  (no answer)
When?  Last night.
How?  Excitedly.
To what degree?  (no answer)
Under what condition?  (no answer)
"Last night" and "excitedly" are adverbs.

Sample sentence #2:  I will definitely not go there again!
 

STEP 1 Locate the action.  Look for known helping verbs. "Go" shows an action, but I recognize "will" as a helping verb.  "Will go" is the whole verb.
STEP 2 Ask this question: Who (or what) _ (verb)_? Who "will go"?
STEP 3 Answer from the sentence:  I will go.  "I" is the subject.
You just found the subject and the verb.  Now find the adjectives and adverbs, if there are any.
STEP 4 For adjectives, ask these questions:
What kind of _(subject)_?
Which _(subject)_?
How many _(subject)_?		 What kind of "I"?
Which "I"?
How many "I"?
STEP 5 Answer from the sentence:  No words answer those question, so there are no adjectives.
STEP 6 For adverbs, ask these questions:
_(subject)_ _ (verb)_ where?
_(subject)_ _ (verb)_ when?
_(subject)_ _ (verb)_ how?
_(subject)_ _ (verb)_ to what degree?
_(subject)_ _ (verb)_ under what condition?		 I will go where?
I will go when?
I will go how?
I will go to what degree?
I will go under what condition?
STEP 7 Answer from the sentence:  Where?  "There."
When?  "Again."
How?  (no answer)
To what degree?  (no answer)
Under what condition?  "Not," meaning "under no condition."
"There," "again," and "not" are adverbs.
PLUS What about "definitely"?  I recognize "definitely" as an adverb because it ends in –ly. EXPLANATION:
"Definitely" describes the adverb not: "Definitely" tells us to what degree not: not to a definite degree!

 

The Bottom Line

Adjectives and adverbs add "juice" to the meaning of other words in a sentence. More confused than ever?  Bring your questions to class for further discussion.
 

Check Your Answers

Click HERE to compare your answers (to the exercises, pp. 220-22) to the instructor's answers.

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