Adjectives and

Adverbs as Modifiers
 What are
Adjectives modify nouns or pronouns. They
adjectives ?
can tell “Which one?” or “How many?”
 A hot day
 A happy camper
 A silly twit
 A big, bloody mess (both “big” and “bloody” modify
“mess”)

 She is creative (“creative” is a subject

complement that
follows the linking verb “is”)

A boring course (present participle used as an adjective)

Articles (a, an, the), numbers, and some pronouns
can also serve as adjectives.
 What are
• adverbs
Adverbs ?adjectives, and
modify verbs,
other adverbs.
• Many adverbs end with -ly
• Many adverbs answer the questions “How?”
or “When?” Some tell “Where?” and “To
what extent?”
• All these words are adverbs:
Eating quickly (modifying a verb)
Trying very hard (modifying an adverb)

A really big show (modifying an adjective)

 Recognizing Adjectives &
Adverbs
Many words have both an adjective and
adverb form
Adjective Adverb
happy kids play happily
smooth rock runs smoothly
good food eat well
efficient workers work efficiently
casual dress dress casually
quick meeting talk quickly
hopeful children wait hopefully
real butter really hot
Comparatives and Superlatives
Usually, add -er/more or
-est/most.
Simple Comparative Superlative
Hot Hotter Hottest
Good Better Best
Exciting More exciting Most exciting
Careful Less careful Least careful

• comparative = 2
Sally is the larger of thetwins. (not largest)
• superlative = 3 or more
August was the hottest month of the year.
How to decide: -er/-est or
more/most?
• One syllable , use -er or -est:
smarter, smartest

faster, fastest

• Two-syllable adjective that ends in

-y, change the -y to -i and add -er or -est:
lovelier, loveliest

happier, happiest

• All other words , use more or most:

more beautiful, most beautiful

more helpful, most helpful

 Irregular Adjectives and
Adverbs
These four words do not use - er/- estor
more/most to form the comparative or superlative:

Simple Comparative Superlative

Good (adj.) Better Best
Well (adv.) Better Best
Bad (adj.) Worse Worst
Badly (adv.) Worse Worst
They can be confusing because the adjective and
adverb forms are the same word.
 Avoid Double
Comparatives!
• NEVER use more or most with -er
or -est.
Yesterday was more hotter than today.
That was he most dirtiest story I ever
heard.
You are the bestest student.
 Absolute
• Concepts
Don’t use comparati
ves or superlatives with absolute concepts, which are
adjectives or adverbs that haveonly two possibilities with nolevels or degrees
in between.

more priceless sort of dead

more on very pregnant
quite unanimous extremely perfect
slightly unique completely anonymous
Don’t use adjectives when
adverbs are needed
You did a real nice job.
– ( an adjective can’t modify another
adjective)

You did a really nice job.

– ( the adverb “ really” modifies “ nice”)

He did good .

He did well. or
He did a good job.

Come quick!
Come quickly !
 Compound
• Two orAdjectives
more adjectives appearing together
are often separated by commas .
Brad’s tiny, tight swimsuit showed off his hairy
belly.
• The words “tiny” and “tight” work separately
to modify “swimsuit.”
• Don’t use a comma when the last modifier and
the noun have to go together. Try adding
“and.” If it still sounds OK, the comma is
necessary.
Brad’s red sports car can go 120 miles an hour.
 Compound
• Adjectives
Connect the words with a hyphen when they function
together before a noun.

Brad’s gold-plated piercings stood out against his bright-

red sunburn.

“Gold-plated” and “bright-red” are compound

adjectives.
they modify, and do not hyphenate -ly
Do not
• Brad washyphenate
well knownthe words
along the when
Bradthey
wascome
a well-after
known
adverbs.
the noun (no hyphen)
boardwalk. jerk. (hyphenated)

His SUV was fully equipped . He drove a fully equipped SUV.

Brad worked full time on his Brad was a full- time chick
tan. magnet.
 Misplaced
Modifiers
cause confusion; not
clear what they are
modifying because
they are located too
far from the word(s)
they are modifying

To avoid confusion, put

modifiers as close as
possible to the word(s)
they modify.
Purdue University Writing Lab
 Misplaced
• Modifiers
Put adjectives and adverbs closeto the
words they modify . Notice how the
meaning can change:
An old pile of clothes is on the floor.
A pile of old clothes is on the floor.

I almost believe you are finished.

I believe you are almost finished.

The winners will only be contacted.

Only the winners will be contacted.
 Misplaced
Modifiers
• The following LIMITING MODIFIERS
often cause confusion, so be careful with
them:

almost just nearly simply

even hardl merel only
y
y
Explain the meaning
of each
sentence:
• Almost everyone in
the class passed the
calculus exam.
• Everyone in the class
almost passed
the
calculus exam.

• Which sentence
indicates that everyone
in the class FAILED the
exam?
 Explain the meaning
of each
sentence:
• John nearly earned
$100.
•
John earned nearly
$100.

• Which sentence
indicates that John
earned some money?
Misplaced Modifiers:
Phrases
Consider the
different meanings
of the following
sentences:
The dog
under the tree
bit
Carrie.
vs.
The dog bit
Carrietree.
under
Misplaced
are sometimes
Modifiers
used for comic effect:

“The other day I shot an

elephant in my pajamas. How
he got in my pajamas, I'll
never know.”
-- Groucho
Marx

Still, you don’t want to

be unintentionally
 How might you correct the
following sentence?
Julia called her
adorable kitten
opening the can of
tuna and filled the
food bowl.

Better: Opening the can

of tuna, Julia called her
adorable kitten and filled
the food bowl.
 How might you correct the
following sentence?
Portia rushed to the
store loaded with cash
to buy the birthday gift.
Better: Loaded with cash,
Portia rushed to the
store to buy the birthday
gift.
Or: Portia, loaded with
cash, rushed to the store
to buy the birthday gift.
 Dangling
Modifier
• a word or phrase that modifies
something that has not been
stated clearly within the sentence
 often occur at the beginnings
and ends of sentences
 often indicated by an -ing
verb or a to
+ verb phrase
Dangling
Modifiers

Having finished dinner,

the football game was
turned on.

Having finished dinner,

Joe turned on the football
game.
Dangling modifiers can be
repaired by:
 using the person or thing being
modified as the subject of the
main clause :
Having finished dinner, Joe turned on
the football game.

 adding the subject of the action

tothe dangling phrase :
After Joe finished dinner, he turned on
the football game.
 How might you correct
the following
sentence?
Playing solitaire on the computer for
three hours, Michael’s paper was not
completed.
Better: Playing solitaire on the
computer for three hours,
Michael did not complete his
paper.

Better: Because Michael played

solitaire on the computer for three
hours, he did not complete his
paper.
 How might you correct the
following sentence?

Locked away in the old

chest, Richard was
surprised by the antique
hats.

Better: Locked away in the old

chest, the antique hats
surprised Richard.
Better: The antique hats
locked away in the old chest
surprised Richard.
 How might you correct the
following sentence?
To work as a loan officer, an education
in financial planning is required.

Better:better:
Even To work If as a loan officer,
a person wants one
to
is required
work as a to have
loan an education
officer, he or shein
financial
must haveplanning.
an education in financial
planning.
How might
you correct
the
following
sentence?
After eating the cayenne-pepper chocolate bar,
it made me sick.
Better: After eating the cayenne-pepper
chocolate bar, I felt sick.