Adjectives and Adverbs. Adjective is a ‘describing’ word;

Adjectives and Adverbs

Adjective is a 'describing' word; the main syntactic role of which is to qualify a noun or noun phrase, giving more information about the object signified. Adjectives

A given occurrence of an adjective can generally be classified into one of four kinds of uses: Attributive adjectives are part of the noun phrase headed by the noun they modify; for example, happy is an attributive adjective in "happy people". In some languages, attributive adjectives precede their nouns; in others, they follow their nouns; and in yet others, it depends on the adjective, or on the exact relationship of the adjective to the noun. In English, attributive adjectives usually precede their nouns in simple phrases, but often follow their nouns when the adjective is modified or qualified by a phrase acting as an adverb. For example: "I saw three happy kids", and "I saw three kids happy enough to jump up and down with glee." See also Postpositive adjective. Predicative adjectives are linked via a copula or other linking mechanism to the noun or pronoun they modify; for example, happy is a predicate adjective in "they are happy" and in "that made me happy." (See also: Predicative expression, Subject complement.)

Absolute adjectives do not belong to a larger construction (aside from a larger adjective phrase), and typically modify either the subject of a sentence or whatever noun or pronoun they are closest to; for example, happy is an absolute adjective in "The boy, happy with his lollipop, did not look where he was going." Nominal adjectives act almost as nouns. One way this can happen is if a noun is elided and an attributive adjective is left behind. In the sentence, "I read two books to them; he preferred the sad book, but she preferred the happy",happy is a nominal adjective, short for "happy one" or "happy book". Another way this can happen is in phrases like "out with the old, in with the new", where "the old" means, "that which is old" or "all that is old", and similarly with "the new". In such cases, the adjective functions either as a mass noun (as in the preceding example) or as a plural count noun, as in "The meek shall inherit the Earth",

In general, the adjective order in English is: Determiners — articles, adverbs, and other limiters. Observation — postdeterminers and limiter adjectives (e.g., a real hero, a perfect idiot) and adjectives subject to subjective measure (e.g., beautiful, interesting), or objects with a value (e.g., best, cheapest, costly) Size and Shape — adjectives subject to objective measure (e.g., wealthy, large, round), and physical properties such as speed. Age — adjectives denoting age (e.g., young, old, new, ancient, six-year-old). Color — adjectives denoting color (e.g., red, black, pale). Origin — denominal adjectives denoting source of noun (e.g., French, American, Canadian). Material — denominal adjectives denoting what something is made of (e.g., woolen, metallic, wooden). Qualifier — final limiter, often regarded as part of the noun (e.g., rocking chair, hunting cabin, passenger car, book cover).

Adverbs An adverb is a word that changes or simplifies the meaning of a verb, adjective, other adverb, clause, or sentence. Adverbs typically answer questions such as how?, in what way?, when?, where?, andto what extent?. This function is called the adverbial function, and is realised not just by single words (i.e., adverbs) but by adverbial phrases and adverbial clauses.

Adverbs are words like slowly, now, soon, and suddenly. An adverb usually modifies a verb or a verb phrase. It provides information about the manner, place, time, frequency, certainty, or other circumstances of the activity denoted by the verb or verb phrase. Examples: 1. She was walking slowly (Slowly is the adverb.) 2. The kids are skating together. (Here, the adverb together provides information about how the kids are skating.) Adverbs can also modify adjectives and other adverbs. 1. You are quite right. (Here, the adverb quite modifies the adjective right.) 2. She spoke very loudly. (Here, the adverb very modifies another adverb – loudly.) In English adverbs can be formed from most adjectives with the ending -ly, and there are also many independent adverbs.

Many English adverbs are formed from adjectives by adding the ending -ly, as in hopefully, widely, theoretically (for details of spelling and etymology, see -ly). Certain words can be used as both adjectives and adverbs, such as fast, straight, andhard. The adverb corresponding to the adjective good is well (note that bad forms the regular badly, although ill is occasionally used in some phrases). There are also many adverbs that are not derived from adjectives, including adverbs of time, of frequency, of place, of degree and with other meanings. Some suffixes that are commonly used to form adverbs from nouns are -ward[s] (as inhomeward[s]) and -wise (as in lengthwise). Most adverbs form comparatives and superlatives by modification with more and most: often, more often, most often;smoothly, more smoothly, most smoothly (see also comparison of adjectives, above). However, a few adverbs retain irregular inflection for comparative and superlative forms: much, more, most; a little, less, least; well, better, best; badly, worse,worst; far, further (farther), furthest (farthest); or follow the regular adjectival inflection: fast, faster, fastest; soon, sooner,soonest; etc. How Adverbs are formed