Adj.adv.modifiers

Adjectives, Adverbs, and Other Modifiers

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What are adjectivesadjectives?Adjectives modify nouns or pronouns. They 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. (See page 376.)

What are adverbs?• Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and

other adverbs. (See page 381.)• 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 Adverbhappy 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 (pp. 377-379)

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 = 2Sally is the larger of the twins. (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, smartestfaster, fastest

• Two-syllable adjective that ends in -y, change the -y to -i and add -er or -est:

lovelier, loveliesthappier, happiest

• All other words, use more or most:more beautiful, most beautiful more helpful, most helpfulmore quickly, most quickly

pages 377-378

Irregular Adjectives and Adverbs

These four words do not use -er/-est or 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 WorstThey can be confusing because the adjectiveadjective and adverbadverb forms are the same word. (See pages 379-383.)

Avoid Double Comparatives!

• NEVER use more or most with -er or -est.

Yesterday was more hotter than today.

That was the most dirtiest story I ever heard.

You are the bestest student.

page 378

Absolute Concepts• Don’t use comparatives or superlatives with

absolute concepts, which are adjectives or adverbs that have only two possibilities with no levels or degrees in between.

The most perfect student in the classA more unique idea (say “more unusual”

instead)

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!

pages 381-382

Compound Adjectives• Two or 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.

• “Brad’s tiny and tight swimsuit” sounds OK, but “Brad’s red and sports car” sounds wrong. Don’t use a comma in the second example.

Compound Adjectives

Brad was well known along the boardwalk. (no hyphen)

His SUV was fully equipped.

Brad worked full time on his tan.

Brad was a well-known jerk. (hyphenated)

He drove a fully equipped SUV.

Brad was a full-time chick magnet.

• 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.

• Do not hyphenate the words when they come after the noun they modify, and do not hyphenate -ly adverbs.

Purdue University Writing LabPurdue University Writing Lab

Misplaced Modifierscause 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. pages 390-

391

Misplaced Modifiers• Put adjectives and adverbs close to 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.

I can’t quite do this as well as Fred.I can’t do this quite as well as Fred.

Purdue University Writing Lab

Misplaced Modifiers

• The following LIMITING MODIFIERS often cause confusion, so be careful with them:

almost just nearly simply even hardly merely only

page 391


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 Carrie under the tree.


Misplaced Modifiersare sometimes 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 funny!


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.



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, Joeturned 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 to the dangling phrase:

After Joe finished dinner, he turned on the football game.



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.



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.



To work as a loan officer, an education in financial planning is required.

Better: To work as a loan officer, one is required to have an education in financial planning.

Even better: If a person wants to work as a loan officer, he or she must have 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.

Adj.adv.modifiers

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