Real Grammar - Susan Conrad, Douglas Biber 2009

Adjective and Adverb Choices
Unit 25 Do this quick

What have you learned from your grammar textbook?

Adjectives are words that are used to modify nouns, giving extra information about them. They occur before nouns and after linking verbs. Adverbsare used to modify adjectives or verbs. Many adverbs are formed by adding -ly to an adjective.

What does the corpus show?

A

In casual conversation, adjective forms are sometimes used to modify verbs. Speakers may omit the -ly that would make an adjective into an adverb. In addition, the adjective good is used by some people in place of the adverb well:

B

Be careful! In more formal speech and especially in informational writing (newspaper and academic writing), adjective forms are almost never used to modify verbs. Instead, adverbs are used:

• When air is inhaled into the lungs, evaporation occurs quickly. (acad.)

• The reactions would proceed very slowly. (acad.)

• Financial services stocks also did well. gaining 55.4%. (news)

C

Intensifiers are modifiers that strengthen the meaning of the adjective. They are common in both conversation and writing. However, different intensifiers are used in conversation and informational writing. In conversation, the adjective real is common, as well as the adverb really. Only very is common in both conversation and writing.

Activities

1 Notice in context: First read the excerpts from casual conversations, underline all adjectives used as adverbs and circle the intensifiers. Then read the excerpts from informational writing and underline the adverbs.

1. Conversations:

a. Ian: I’m scared, I tell you. I don’t even know where my classes are. I’ll have to get a copy of my schedule and figure it out.

Amy: Don’t worry. You’re going to do good.

b. At school they always have that Santa’s secret gift shop where the kids can do shopping for their family or whatever. This year one of my boys got me a little sewing kit for my purse. It’s in a real nice hard plastic case.

c. Bill: You know, that hotel chain is trying to buy the Santa Barbara Inn.

Jeff: We went there once, and we never liked it at all.

Bill: It’s really expensive.

Jeff: The service was really bad.

d. Telephone rings during conversation.

Lin: Excuse me. I’m gonna grab this phone real quick.

Dan: Okay, no problem.

2. Informational writing:

a. As long as the stock market continues to do well, gold will do poorly.

b. Experiential learning methods ask nurses to experience something for themselves. The learning is personal and yet highly meaningful to the individual.

c. Altogether, 1991 was a very good year for stocks.

d. The former prisoner was extremely thin and managed only a weak smile for photographers.

e. Minda wanted marriage and a child quickly because she’s older, and she says her biological clock is ticking.

2 Analyze discourse: in the chart in Section C, highly, extremely, and very are listed as the most common adverbs that intensify the meaning of adjectives in informational writing. However, other intensifiers are common too. Follow these directions.

1. Get a copy of a recent newspaper. Find a sentence that uses highly, extremely, or very as an intensifier. Then find three sentences that use other adverbs that intensify the meanings of the adjectives that follow them.

2. Do the same with a book or an article on the Internet.

3 Practice conversation and writing: Complete each sentence with two adverbs (or adjective forms used as adverbs), one that you would most likely hear in casual conversation and another that you would most likely read in a newspaper.

4 Practice writing: in Activity 2, you found some new intensifiers in the newspaper, in a book, and on the internet. Use three of these words in sentences of your own.