An adverb modifies–changes, enhances, limits, describes, intensifies, muffles–a verb, an adjective or another adverb.

AN ADVERB ANSWERS THE QUESTION HOW?
[In the following examples, the adverb is bold and the word it modifies is underlined.]

• It isn’t just the practice, studying, running, bad days, great days and traveling that experienced players handle well.
  • WELL tells us how the players HANDLE things.
• They have quickly figured out how to deal with their boss.
  • QUICKLY tells us how they HAVE FIGURED OUT.
• It’s nice to have a group that handles the situations better than others have.
  • BETTER describes how the group HANDLES the direct objects SITUATIONS.
• Either they sit quietly and watch, not taking a side, or find themselves actually rooting for one of these two.
  • QUIETLY describes how they SIT.

AN ADVERB INDICATES TO WHAT DEGREE?

• This has been a really nice group to work with,” Penn State coach Rene Portland said of her team.
  • To what degree is the group nice? REALLY.
    • NOTE: NICE is an adjective. This is an example of an adverb modifying an adjective.
• How do so-called neutral fans react to this game between two programs they certainly respect but probably can’t stand?
  • What kind of neutral are the fans? SO-CALLED.
    • NOTE: NEUTRAL is an adjective.
• The coach did not sound overly concerned about it.
  • What is the degree of concern not expressed? OVERLY
    • NOTE: CONCERNED is a PREDICATE adjective.
• She is not sure our crowd will bother them that much.
  • To what degree will the crowd bother them? MUCH.

AN ADVERB ANSWERS THE QUESTION WHEN?

• We are in a busy time now,” the mayor said.
  • When is the busy time? NOW
    • NOTE: ARE is not a linking verb here. It is intransitive.
• “Confident” would not have described the student yesterday.
  • When was the STUDENT not CONFIDENT? YESTERDAY
• Recently, we’ve allowed her to sneak outside and play the wing.
  • WHEN has she been allowed? RECENTLY.

AN ADVERB ANSWERS THE QUESTION WHERE?

• The little girl plays inside quietly.
  • Where does she play well? INSIDE.
    • NOTE: QUIETLY is also an adverb telling us how she plays.
• Recently, we’ve allowed her to sneak outside and play.
  • OUTSIDE tells us where she has been allowed to sneak.
  • NOTE: RECENTLY is also an adverb telling us when we allowed it.
• The goat has climbed out.
  • OUT indicates where the goat HAS CLIMBED.

An adverb can also introduce sentences or modify entire phrases or sentences.

• Thursday, NBC will show the premieres of its best shows.
  • THURSDAY tells the reader when about the whole sentence.

Adverbs may refer to:

• TIME        (He arrived promptly.)
• MANNER   (Cougars walk silently.)
• DEGREE    (She was quite miserable.)
• PLACE      (The book belongs there.)

Adjectives

Adjectives are one of the eight parts of speech. Just as a reminder, the others are the verb, the noun, the pronoun, the adverb, the preposition, the conjunction, and the interjection.

The primary purpose of an adjective is to modify a noun. They typically answer one of these three questions about the noun: What kind? How many? Which one?

For example:

• the 44th president
• a green product
• a responsible investment
• an economist’s analysis
• the dumbest, worst leader

Now that you have a general sense of an adjective, let’s pause for a moment to consider the adjective in writing.

For the purposes of this discussion, let’s say that writing is the literary equivalent of cooking, and adjectives are one of the spices you bring to the kitchen. Like spices added to a soup, a few adjectives go a long way. Don’t overdo it. Let the more substantial ingredients (strong verbs!) be the stars.

Pay particular attention to adjectives that have lost their pizzazz, words that no longer register in the reader’s palate: interesting, beautiful, fun, exciting, cool. The key to excellence in writing is showing, not telling. In other words, don’t simply tell your readers the snow on the field is beautiful, show them.

Okay, back to examples.

While it may be easier to identify the parts of speech when we are faced with only a few words (as in the examples above), most reading and writing involves full sentences. Consider the following sentences containing particular types of nouns and their accompanying adjectives:

• A subject:

• The volatile Bobby Knight has been accused of choking a player.

• A direct object:

• Tom threw the slimy ball for his dog, Rover.

• An indirect object:

• After the last out, David Justice tossed the excited child the game ball.

• A gerund

• Cecilia enjoys distance running.

• A predicate nominative:

• They didn’t know that Caroline was a decorated officer.

Adjectives are divided into categories as a way of understanding their purpose. Read more about the types of adjectives, here.