One tiny word can change a whole sentence. If you say, "The puppy is playful," you learn about the puppy. If you say, "The puppy played playfully," you learn about the way the puppy played. Both words help us describe, but they do different jobs. Good writers choose the right kind of describing word so their ideas are easy to understand.
Some words tell which one, what kind, or how many. Other words tell how, when, or where something happens. When you know what a word is describing, you can pick the best word for the sentence.
Two important kinds of describing words are adjectives and adverbs. They are both helpful in speaking and writing, but they are not used in the same way.
Adjective: a word that describes a noun or pronoun.
Adverb: a word that describes a verb, and sometimes an adjective or another adverb.
When you edit your writing, it helps to stop and ask, "What am I describing?" That question can guide you to the correct choice.
An adjective tells more about a noun or pronoun. A noun names a person, place, thing, or animal. A pronoun is a word like he, she, it, or they.
Adjectives can tell what kind, which one, or how many.
Here are some examples:
In each example, the adjective describes a noun. The word red describes ball. The word happy describes child. The word small describes kittens. The word tall describes tree.
Adjectives also come after some verbs that connect the subject to a description. In sentences like these, the adjective still describes the subject:
In these sentences, good, sleepy, and blue describe the noun that comes earlier in the sentence.
Writers often use adjectives to help readers make a picture in their minds. A "dog" is clear, but a "shaggy brown dog" gives a much stronger picture.
Too many adjectives can make a sentence crowded, but the right adjective can make writing lively and clear.
An adverb tells more about a verb. A verb is an action word or a being word. Adverbs often tell how, when, or where.
Here are examples of adverbs telling how:
In these sentences, the adverbs describe the verbs sang, hopped, and laughed. They tell how the action happened.
Here are examples of adverbs telling when:
Here are examples of adverbs telling where:
Many adverbs end in -ly, such as slowly, quietly, and neatly. But not all adverbs end in -ly. Words like soon, here, and away are adverbs too.
How to think about adverbs
If the sentence has an action, ask how the action happened. If a word answers that question, it is often an adverb. In "The turtle moved slowly," the action is moved, and slowly tells how the turtle moved.
Adverbs can also describe adjectives or other adverbs, but for now, the most important idea is that adverbs often describe verbs.
The best way to choose between an adjective and an adverb is to look at the word being described. Ask this modification question: What word is this describing?
If the describing word tells about a noun, use an adjective. If it tells about a verb, use an adverb.
Look at these pairs:
In the first sentence part, quiet describes the noun room, so it is an adjective. In the second sentence, quietly describes the verb worked, so it is an adverb.
Again, careful describes the noun painter. Carefully describes the verb worked.
Choosing the correct word
Read the sentence: "Lina is a _____ reader." Choose between careful and carefully.
Step 1: Find the word being described.
The blank describes reader.
Step 2: Decide what kind of word reader is.
Reader is a noun.
Step 3: Choose the kind of describing word that fits a noun.
A noun is described by an adjective.
The correct sentence is: Lina is a careful reader.
Now look at this sentence: "Lina reads _____." The word describes the verb reads, so the correct choice is carefully.
Sometimes two words look almost the same, but one is an adjective and one is an adverb. The ending helps, but the job in the sentence matters even more.
| Sentence | Describing Word | What It Describes | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| The puppy is playful. | playful | puppy | adjective |
| The puppy played playfully. | playfully | played | adverb |
| It was a sudden shower. | sudden | rain | adjective |
| Rain fell suddenly. | suddenly | fell | adverb |
| He is a loud singer. | loud | singer | adjective |
| He sang loudly. | loudly | sang | adverb |
Table 1. Examples showing whether the describing word tells about a noun or a verb.
Changing one word can change the meaning a little. "A loud singer" tells what kind of singer he is. "He sang loudly" tells how he sang. Writers choose the form that matches the meaning they want.
This is why editing matters. A sentence may sound almost right, but a careful writer checks whether the describing word matches the job it is doing.
Many adverbs end in -ly, but not all of them do. Also, some words can be tricky because they do not follow the pattern you might expect.
Here are some helpful clues:
Some common mistakes happen after verbs like look, feel, smell, sound, and taste. These verbs often need adjectives because the word after the verb describes the subject, not the action.
Read these examples:
In these sentences, sweet, beautiful, and soft describe the noun before the verb. They are adjectives.
Remember: A noun names a person, place, thing, or animal. A verb tells what someone or something does, or tells what someone or something is. Knowing nouns and verbs makes it easier to choose adjectives and adverbs.
Another clue is to listen to whether the sentence tells about a person or thing, or tells about an action. "The bright sun" describes the sun. "The sun shone brightly" describes how it shone.
Using adjectives and adverbs correctly helps your writing sound clear and polished. It helps your reader understand exactly what you mean.
Compare these sentences:
The second sentence gives more information. The adjective excited describes the girl. The adverb quickly describes how she ran.
Writers do not add describing words just to make sentences longer. They add them to make ideas stronger and clearer. If you are writing about a storm, a game, a pet, or a favorite place, the right adjective or adverb can help the reader picture it better.
Improving a sentence while editing
Start with: "The boy answered."
Step 1: Add an adjective to describe the noun.
"The shy boy answered."
Step 2: Add an adverb to describe the verb.
"The shy boy answered softly."
Step 3: Check each describing word.
Shy describes boy, so it is an adjective. Softly describes answered, so it is an adverb.
The new sentence gives a much clearer picture.
When you revise, read each sentence slowly. Ask yourself these questions:
Those questions can help you fix grammar and make your ideas easier to understand.
Here are more sentence pairs to notice:
Each pair shows the same pattern. The adjective describes the noun. The adverb describes the action.
As you become a stronger writer, you will notice these choices everywhere: in books, in songs, in stories, and in your own sentences. Small words do important work.
