Adjectives and Adverbs

More Grammar Rules:

Definitions:
Adjectives are words that describe nouns or pronouns. They may come before the word they describe (That is a cute puppy.) or they may follow the word they describe (That puppy is cute.). Adverbs are words that modify everything but nouns and pronouns. They modify adjectives, verbs, and other adverbs. A word is an adverb if it answers how, when, or where. The only adverbs that cause grammatical problems are those that answer the question how, so focus on these.

Rule 1
Generally, if a word answers the question how, it is an adverb. If it can have an -ly added to it, place it there. Examples: She thinks slow/slowly. She thinks how? slowly. She is a slow/slowly thinker. Slow does not answer how, so no -ly is attached. Slow is an adjective here. She thinks fast/fastly. Fast answers the question how, so it is an adverb. But fast never has an -ly attached to it. We performed bad/badly. Badly describes how we performed.

Rule 2
A special -ly rule applies when four of the senses - taste, smell, look, feel - are the verbs. Do not ask if these senses answer the question how to determine if -ly should be attached. Instead, ask if the sense verb is being used actively. If so, use the -ly. Examples: Roses smell sweet/sweetly. Do the roses actively smell with noses? No, so no -ly. The woman looked angry/angrily. Did the woman actively look with eyes or are we describing her appearance? We are only describing appearance, so no -ly. The woman looked angry/angrily at the paint splotches. Here the woman did actively look with eyes, so the -ly is added. She feels bad/badly about the news. She is not feeling with fingers, so no -ly.

Good vs. Well

Rule 3
The word good is an adjective, while well is an adverb. Examples: You did a good job. Good describes the job. You did the job well. Well answers how. You smell good today. Describes your odor, not how you smell with your nose, so follow with the adjective. You smell well for someone with a cold. You are actively smelling with a nose here, so follow with the adverb.

Rule 4
When referring to health, use well rather than good. Example: I do not feel well. You do not look well today. Note: You may use good with feel when you are not referring to health. Example: I feel good about my decision to learn Spanish.

Rule 5

A common error in using adjectives and adverbs arises from using the wrong form for comparison. For instance, to describe one thing we would say poor, as in, "She is poor." To compare two things, we should say poorer, as in, "She is the poorer of the two women." To compare more than two things, we should say poorest, as in, "She is the poorest of them all." Examples: One sweet bad efficient* Two sweeter worse more efficient* Three or More sweetest worst most efficient*

*Usually with words of three or more syllables, don't add -er or -est. Use more or most in front of the words.

Rule 6
Never drop the -ly from an adverb when using the comparison form. Correct: She spoke quickly. She spoke more quickly than he did. Incorrect: She spoke quicker than he did. Correct: Talk quietly. Talk more quietly. Incorrect: Talk quieter.

Rule 7
When this, that, these, and those are followed by nouns, they are adjectives. When they appear without a noun following them, they are pronouns. Examples: This house is for sale. This is an adjective here. This is for sale. This is a pronoun here.

Rule 8
This and that are singular, whether they are being used as adjectives or as pronouns. Thispoints to something nearby while that points to something "over there." Examples: This dog is mine. That dog is hers. This is mine. That is hers.

Rule 9
These and those are plural, whether they are being used as adjectives or as pronouns.These points to something nearby while those points to something "over there." Examples: These babies have been smiling for a long time. These are mine. Those babies have been crying for hours. Those are yours.

Rule 10
Use than to show comparison. Use then to answer the question when. Examples: I would rather go skiing than rock climbing. First we went skiing; then we went rock climbing.

Adverbs: Form and Function (Los adverbios: La forma y el funcionamiento)

Un adverbio es una palabra que acompaa al verbo para modificar su significado. Un adverbio tambin puede modificar a los adjetivos, a los nombres o a otros adverbios.

Ejemplo: She speaks quickly. (Ella habla rpido.) En este ejemplo "quickly" es un adverbio de modo que modifica al verbo "to speak" para expresar como habla ella.

Grammatical Rules (Reglas gramaticales) 1. La regla general para formar adverbios es aadir la terminacin "-ly" a un adjetivo, que equivale a la terminacin en castellano de "-mente."

Ejemplos: quick quickly (rpido rpidamente) honest

honestly (honrado honradamente) 2. Para los adjetivos que terminan en consonante "-y," cambian la terminacin "-y" por la de "-ily."

Ejemplos: easy easily (fcil fcilmente) happy happily (alegre alegremente)

3. Adjetivos terminados en "-ic" se cambia la terminacin "-ic" por "-ically."

Ejemplos: automatic automatically (automtico automticamente) tragic tragically (trgico trgicamente)

4. Adjetivos terminados en "-le," se cambia la terminacin "-le" por "-ly."

Ejemplos: terrible terribly (terrible terriblemente) true truly (verdad verdaderamente)

5. Algunos adverbios no terminan en "-ly."

Ejemplos: hard (difcil, duro o fuerte) fast (rpido)

repositions for Time, Place, and Introducing Objects

Summary: This section deals with prepositions and their standard uses.

Contributors:Chris Berry, Allen Brizee, Elizabeth Angeli Last Edited: 2011-03-23 03:07:43

One point in time

On is used with days:

I will see you on Monday. The week begins on Sunday.

At is used with noon, night, midnight, and with the time of day:

My plane leaves at noon. The movie starts at 6 p.m.

In is used with other parts of the day, with months, with years, with seasons:

He likes to read in the afternoon. The days are long in August. The book was published in 1999. The flowers will bloom in spring.

Extended time
To express extended time, English uses the following prepositions: since, for, by, fromto, from-until, during,(with)in

She has been gone since yesterday. (She left yesterday and has not returned.) I'm going to Paris for two weeks. (I will spend two weeks there.) The movie showed from August to October. (Beginning in August and ending in October.) The decorations were up from spring until fall. (Beginning in spring and ending in fall.) I watch TV during the evening. (For some period of time in the evening.) We must finish the project within a year. (No longer than a year.)

Place
To express notions of place, English uses the following prepositions: to talk about the point itself: in, to express something contained: inside, to talk about the surface: on, to talk about a general vicinity, at.

There is a wasp in the room. Put the present inside the box. I left your keys on the table. She was waiting at the corner.

Higher than a point

To express notions of an object being higher than a point, English uses the following prepositions: over, above.

He threw the ball over the roof. Hang that picture above the couch.

Lower than a point

To express notions of an object being lower than a point, English uses the following prepositions: under, underneath, beneath, below.

The rabbit burrowed under the ground. The child hid underneath the blanket. We relaxed in the shade beneath the branches. The valley is below sea-level.

Close to a point
To express notions of an object being close to a point, English uses the following prepositions: near, by, next to, between, among, opposite.

She lives near the school. There is an ice cream shop by the store. An oak tree grows next to my house The house is between Elm Street and Maple Street. I found my pen lying among the books. The bathroom is opposite that room.

To introduce objects of verbs

English uses the following prepositions to introduce objects of the following verbs.

At: glance, laugh, look, rejoice, smile, stare

She glanced at her reflection. (exception with mirror: She glanced in the mirror.) You didn't laugh at his joke. I'm looking at the computer monitor. We rejoiced at his safe rescue. That pretty girl smiled at you. Stop staring at me.

Of: approve, consist, smell

I don't approve of his speech. My contribution to the article consists of many pages. He came home smelling of alcohol.

Of (or about): dream, think

I dream of finishing college in four years. Can you think of a number between one and ten? I am thinking about this problem.

For: call, hope, look, wait, watch, wish

Did someone call for a taxi? He hopes for a raise in salary next year. I'm looking for my keys.

We'll wait for her here. You go buy the tickets and I'll watch for the train. If you wish for an "A" in this class, you must work hard.

Articles: A versus An
Summary: This short handout deals with which article to use before a noun -- "a" or "an." Contributors:Chris Berry, Allen Brizee Last Edited: 2011-07-27 11:20:13

How do you know when to use the indefinite articles?

The choice of article is actually based upon the phonetic (sound) quality of the first letter in a word, not on the orthographic (written) representation of the letter. If the first letter makes a vowel-type sound, you use "an"; if the first letter would make a consonant-type sound, you use "a." However, you may follow these basic rules when deciding to use "a" or "an," remembering that there are some exceptions to the rules. "A" goes before words that begin with consonants.

a a a a a

cat dog purple onion buffalo big apple

"An" goes before words that begin with vowels:

an an an an an

apricot egg Indian orbit uprising

Exceptions
Use "an" before unsounded "h." Because the "h" hasn't any phonetic representation and has no audible sound, the sound that follows the article is a vowel; consequently, "an" is used.

an honorable peace an honest error

When "u" makes the same sound as the "y" in "you," or "o" makes the same sound as "w" in "won," then a is used. The word-initial "y" sound ("unicorn") is actually a glide [j] phonetically, which has consonantal properties; consequently, it is treated as a consonant, requiring "a."

a a a a a a

union united front unicorn used napkin U.S. ship one-legged man

Using Articles
Summary: This handout discusses the differences between indefinite articles (a/an) and definite articles (the). Contributors:Paul Lynch, Allen Brizee, Elizabeth Angeli Last Edited: 2011-03-03 10:04:28

What is an article? Basically, an article is an adjective. Like adjectives, articles modify nouns. English has two articles: the and a/an. The is used to refer to specific or particular nouns;a/an is used to modify non-specific or non-particular nouns. We call the the definite article and a/an the indefinite article. the = definite article a/an = indefinite article For example, if I say, "Let's read the book," I mean a specific book. If I say, "Let's read abook," I mean any book rather than a specific book. Here's another way to explain it: The is used to refer to a specific or particular member of a group. For example, "I just saw the most popular movie of the year." There are many movies, but only one particular movie is the most popular. Therefore, we use the. "A/an" is used to refer to a non-specific or non-particular member of the group. For example, "I would like to go see a movie." Here, we're not talking about a specific movie. We're talking about any movie. There are many movies, and I want to see any movie. I don't have a specific one in mind. Let's look at each kind of article a little more closely.

Indefinite Articles: a and an

"A" and "an" signal that the noun modified is indefinite, referring to any member of a group. For example:

"My daughter really wants a dog for Christmas." This refers to any dog. We don't know which dog because we haven't found the dog yet. "Somebody call a policeman!" This refers to any policeman. We don't need a specific policeman; we need any policeman who is available. "When I was at the zoo, I saw an elephant!" Here, we're talking about a single, nonspecific thing, in this case an elephant. There are probably several elephants at the zoo, but there's only one we're talking about here.

Remember, using a or an depends on the sound that begins the next word. So...

a + singular noun beginning with a consonant: a boy; a car; a bike; a zoo; a dog an + singular noun beginning with a vowel: an elephant; an egg; an apple; an idiot;an orphan a + singular noun beginning with a consonant sound: a user (sounds like 'yoo-zer,' i.e. begins with a consonant 'y' sound, so 'a' is used); a university; a unicycle an + nouns starting with silent "h": an hour a + nouns starting with a pronounced "h": a horse o In some cases where "h" is pronounced, such as "historical," you can use an. However, a is more commonly used and preferred.

A historical event is worth recording.

Remember that these rules also apply when you use acronyms: Introductory Composition at Purdue (ICaP) handles first-year writing at the University. Therefore, an ICaP memo generally discusses issues concerning English 106 instructors.

Another case where this rule applies is when acronyms start with consonant letters but have vowel sounds: An MSDS (material safety data sheet) was used to record the data. An SPCC plan (Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasures plan) will help us prepare for the worst.

If the noun is modified by an adjective, the choice between a and an depends on the initial sound of the adjective that immediately follows the article:

a broken egg an unusual problem a European country (sounds like 'yer-o-pi-an,' i.e. begins with consonant 'y' sound)

Remember, too, that in English, the indefinite articles are used to indicate membership in a group:

I am a teacher. (I am a member of a large group known as teachers.) Brian is an Irishman. (Brian is a member of the people known as Irish.) Seiko is a practicing Buddhist. (Seiko is a member of the group of people known as Buddhists.)

Definite Article: the

The definite article is used before singular and plural nouns when the noun is specific or particular. The signals that the noun is definite, that it refers to a particular member of a group. For example: "The dog that bit me ran away." Here, we're talking about a specific dog, the dog that bit me. "I was happy to see the policeman who saved my cat!" Here, we're talking about aparticular policeman. Even if we don't know the policeman's name, it's still a particular policeman because it is the one who saved the cat. "I saw the elephant at the zoo." Here, we're talking about a specific noun. Probably there is only one elephant at the zoo.

Count and Noncount Nouns

The can be used with noncount nouns, or the article can be omitted entirely.

"I love to sail over the water" (some specific body of water) or "I love to sail over water" (any water). "He spilled the milk all over the floor" (some specific milk, perhaps the milk you bought earlier that day) or "He spilled milk all over the floor" (any milk).

"A/an" can be used only with count nouns.

"I need a bottle of water." "I need a new glass of milk."

Most of the time, you can't say, "She wants a water," unless you're implying, say, a bottle of water.

Geographical use of the

There are some specific rules for using the with geographical nouns. Do not use the before:

names of most countries/territories: Italy, Mexico, Bolivia; however, the Netherlands,the Dominican Republic, the Philippines, the United States names of cities, towns, or states: Seoul, Manitoba, Miami names of streets: Washington Blvd., Main St. names of lakes and bays: Lake Titicaca, Lake Erie except with a group of lakes likethe Great Lakes names of mountains: Mount Everest, Mount Fuji except with ranges of mountains likethe Andes or the Rockies or unusual names like the Matterhorn names of continents (Asia, Europe) names of islands (Easter Island, Maui, Key West) except with island chains like theAleutians, the Hebrides, or the Canary Islands

Do use the before:

names of rivers, oceans and seas: the Nile, the Pacific points on the globe: the Equator, the North Pole geographical areas: the Middle East, the West deserts, forests, gulfs, and peninsulas: the Sahara, the Persian Gulf, the Black Forest, the Iberian Peninsula

Omission of Articles
Some common types of nouns that don't take an article are:

Names of languages and nationalities: Chinese, English, Spanish, Russian (unless you are referring to the population of the nation: "The Spanish are known for their warm hospitality.") Names of sports: volleyball, hockey, baseball Names of academic subjects: mathematics, biology, history, computer science