LANGUAGE

USING ADVERBS

ADVERB
 Modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb.
 It tells how, when, where and to what degree or extent

Adverbs usually modify verbs. Many such adverbs end in ly and tell how something is done.

Example:
I walked carefully.
(Carefully tells how I walked – Carefully modifies the verb walked)

I slept early.
(Early tells when I slept – Early modifies the verb slept)

The car is parked nearby.

(Nearby tells where the car is parked – Nearby modifies the verb parked)

She barely touched her food.

(Barely tells what extent she touched her food – Barely modifies the verb
touched)

Adverbs that modify adjectives or other adverbs usually tell how or to what extent or degree.
They often intensify or make stronger the meaning of the word they modify

Example:
This place is strangely quiet.
(The adverb Strangely modifies the adjective Quiet)

Ms. Delvey is almost always busy.

(The adverb Almost modifies the adverb Always)
4 Kinds Of Adverbs:
1. Adverb of Manner
This adverb answers the question “how?”
Example: I wash my hair gently.

2. Adverb of Place
This adverb answers the question “where?”
Example: Your gift is inside the box.

3. Adverb of Time
This adverb answers the question “when?”
Example: Don’t panic during earthquakes.

4. Adverb of Degree
This adverb answers the question “to what extent?”
Example: Today’s weather is extremely hot.

Negative words are also Adverbs.

Example: She do not always arrive on time.

Words that express addition are also considered Adverbs.

Example: I also forgot my pen.

POSITION OF ADVERBS:
 You can place most adverbs that modify verbs in different positions in a sentence. Use a
comma after most adverbs that begin a sentence.
 Moving some adverbs may change their function and the meaning of a sentence.
 Be careful to place the following words as close as possible to the words they modify:
almost hardly nearly only
even just merely scarcely
 You should place most adverbs that modify adjectives and adverbs close to the words
they modify. Misplaced modifiers may be confusing.
 MAKING COMPARISON

Adjectives and Adverbs can be used to compare 2 or more things.

Modifiers use special forms to make comparisons.

3 Degrees of Comparison:

1. POSITIVE DEGREE – modifies or describes one person, place, thing, idea, or action.
The positive degree is the basic form of the modifier.

2. COMPARATIVE DEGREE – compares 2 persons, places, things, ideas, or actions.

3. SUPERLATIVE DEGREE – compares 3 or more persons, places, things, ideas, or actions.

Example:

Positive Degree : This pencil is long.

Comparative Degree : Jessica’s pencil is longer than Jackson’s.

Superlative Degree : Marco bought the longest pencil in our class.

REGULAR COMPARISONS:

1. A one-syllable modifiers forms the comparative and superlative by adding er and est
Example:

POSITIVE COMPARATIVE SUPERLATIVE

High Higher Highest
Low Lower Lowest
Small Smaller Smallest

2. Some two-syllable modifiers form the comparative and superlative by adding er and est.
Sometimes, a two-syllable modifier sounds awkward when er and est are added. If so,
use more and most to form the comparative and superlative.
Example:

POSITIVE COMPARATIVE SUPERLATIVE

Confused More confused Most confused
Famous More famous Most famous
Many More Most

3. Modifiers with three or more syllables use more and most to form the comparative and
superlative.
Example:

POSITIVE COMPARATIVE SUPERLATIVE

Difficult More difficult Most difficult
Fascinating More fascinating Most fascinating
Wonderful More wonderful Most wonderful
IRREGULAR COMPARISONS

Some modifiers form the comparative and superlative in ways that are different from
the regular comparisons.

POSITIVE COMPARATIVE SUPERLATIVE

Good Better Best
Well Better Best
Badly Worse Worst
Much More Most
Far Farther Farthest
Little Less or lesser Least

To make a negative comparison, use less or least before the positive form of the
modifier.

Example:

POSITIVE COMPARATIVE SUPERLATIVE

Attractive Less attractive Least attractive
Popular Less popular Least popular
Gracefully Less gracefully Least gracefully
AVOID Double Comparisons

A double comparison occurs when the er or est is used with more of most.

Example:

[incorrect] She can shout more louder than I.

[correct] She can shout louder than I.

AVOID Illogical Comparisons

An illogical comparison is one that does not make sense because of missing or illogical
words.

Always use the word other when you compare one thing with all other things of the
same kind.

The DOUBLE Negative

A double negative occurs when two negative words are used when only one is
necessary. Avoid using double negatives.

Contractions like couldn’t contain a shortened form of the negative not. Do not use
other negative words after them.

Some common negative words are no, none, not, nothing, and never. Instead of these
words, use any, anything, or ever after negative contractions.

Other negative words are hardly, scarcely, and barely. Do not use them with negative
contractions like hasn’t and didn’t.
 USING PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES AS MODIFIERS

PREPOSITION – is a word used to show the relationship between a noun or pronoun and some
other words in the sentence.
 Is a word that indicates direction or relation.
COMMONLY USED PREPOSITION
About At Down Near To
Above Before During Of Toward
Across Behind Except Off Under
After Below For On Underneath
Against Beneath From Onto Until
Along Beside In Out Up
Among Between Inside Over Upon
Around But (except) Into Since With
As By Like Through Without

COMPOUND PREPOSITION – prepositions that are consist of two or three words.

Example:
According to Because of In place of On account of
Ahead of Due to In spite of On top of
Along with In addition to Instead of Out of
As of In front of Next to Prior to

OBJECT OF THE PREPOSITION – is always a noun, a pronoun, or a group of words used as a

noun.
Example:
PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE – consists of a preposition, its object, and any modifiers of the object.

 A preposition does not show relationship by itself.

 It always begins a phrase, a group of words without a subject or verb.

PUNCTUATION NOTE:
There are three situations in which a prepositional phrase that comes at the beginning
of a sentence should be followed by a comma:
1. If the phrase is followed by a natural pause when read.
2. After a series of prepositional phrases.
3. To avoid confusion.

PREPOSITION or ADVERB?
A preposition is never used alone. It is always followed by a noun or a pronoun as the
object of the preposition.
If the word does not have an object, it is probably an adverb.

PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES AS MODIFIERS

Modifiers are often single words. However, groups of words may also function as
modifiers. Prepositional phrases work like adjectives or adverbs to modify various parts of a
sentence.

A prepositional phrase that modifies a noun or a pronoun functions as an ADJECTIVES.

 Tells which one or what kind.

A prepositional phrase that modifies a verb, an adjective, or an adverb functions as an

ADVERB.
 Tells how, when, where, or to what extent something occurred.

Sometimes one prepositional phrase follows another. Sometimes both phrases modify
the same word.
 Frequently, however, the second phrase is a prepositional phrase that functions as an
adjective that modifies the object in the first phrase.
PARTICIPLES, PARTICIPIAL PHRASES

PARTICIPLE – is a verb form that functions as an adjective to modify a noun or a pronoun.

PAST PARTICIPLE – is one of the principal parts of a verb.

 The past participle of a regular verb is formed by adding d or ed to the present tense
Example:
Wash – Washed Share – Shared

 The past participle of irregular verbs are formed differently and must be learned
separately
Example:
Tear – Torn Sing – Sung

PRESENT PARTICIPLE – is always formed by adding ing to the present tense

Example:
Sleep – Sleeping Eat – Eating

PARTICIPLES are often used as part of verb phrases.

Example:
had danced am going

When they are used as verbals, participles always function as adjectives. A participle modifies a
noun or pronoun.
Example:
Excited, Lara went home with a smile.
(Excited is a past participle, modifying the noun Lara)

Crying, Loreen showed her grades to her parents.

(Crying is a present participle, modifying the noun Loreen)
PARTICIPIAL PHRASE – is composed of a participle and its accompanying words.
A participial phrase, like a participle alone, modifies a noun or a pronoun.
Example:
Waiting in the room, he practiced the dance step.

The words that complete a participial phrase may be one or more prepositional phrases.

A participial phrase may contain a direct object and it may be modified by an adverb.

You will not confuse the main verb of a sentence with a participial phrase as long as you first
identify the subject and the simple predicate of the sentence.

MISPLACED PARTICIPIAL PHRASE

A participial phrase may come before or after the word it modifies. If too many words
come between the participle and the word it modifies, the meaning becomes unclear.
Example:
[misplaced] John created a robot experimenting in his lab.
(Who was experimenting, the robot or John?)

[correct] Experimenting in his lab, John created a robot.

DANGLING PARTICIPIAL PHRASE

A dangling participial phrase is a participial phrase with no word to modify. This makes
the sentence unclear.
Example:
[dangling] Waving goodbye, the car drove away.
(who is waving goodbye? who is driving the car?)

[corrent] Waving goodbye, he drove the car away.

PUNCTUATION WITH PARTICIPIAL PHRASE

Always place a comma after an introductory participial phrase.

Participial phrases that come in the middle or at the end of a sentence may or may not

use commas.

 If the information in the phrase is essential to identify the noun or the pronoun it

describes, no commas are needed.

 If the information is nonessential, commas are needed to separate it from the rest of

the sentence.

A phrase is nonessential if it contains information that can be removed without

changing the basic meaning of the sentence. A participial phrase that follows a proper

noun is usually nonessential.