［英语写作概要］Chapter 8: Using Adjectives and Adverbs

Adjectives and adverbs are the words we use to describe. Adjectives describe nouns and pronouns and adverbs describe verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. Without adjectives and adverbs we would not have the ability to distinguish between similar items.

　　Adjectives generally appear before the word they describe. They can also appear after a being verb like is, are, was, were, am, has been as well as other being verbs like feels, looks, seems, smells, and sounds. When adjectives are used with being verbs they will follow the verb rather than appearing before the noun or pronoun.

　　Adverbs describe verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. Adverbs answer questions like How? How much? How often? When? Where? and Why? Adverbs can appear either before or after the word they describe.

　　There are a few adjectives and adverbs that can be confused such as good and well and bad and badly. Good and bad are adjectives; well and badly are adverbs. It is also important not to confuse adjectives when you are making comparisons. When you are comparing two items, you use the comparative form in which the adjective ends with -er as in colder or has the word more in front of it as in more intelligent. The superlative form compares three or more items and uses either -est or the word most to create its form. Adjectives and adverbs are often used in making comparisons because adjectives and adverbs are the tools we use to distinguish one item from another.