Ampersand Lab

Intermediate grammar · Lesson 100 · B1

Adjectives and adverbs 1 (quick/quickly)

Adjectives describe nouns; adverbs describe verbs, and also adjectives, other adverbs and past participles. Many adverbs are formed by adding -ly to the adjective.

Start the lesson

17Steps · about 32 minutes

In this lesson

Adjective + -lyA2 screens of questions
Adjective or adverb?B3 screens of questions
After be, look, feel and sound: an adjectiveC1 screen of questions
Adverbs before adjectives, adverbs and past participlesD2 screens of questions
Put it together+3 screens of mixed questions

Point A of 4

Adjective + -ly

Many adverbs are an adjective + -ly:

adjective adverb
quick quickly
serious seriously
careful carefully
bad badly
heavy heavily
terrible terribly

Note the spelling changes: heavy becomes heavily, terrible becomes terribly.

Not every word ending in -ly is an adverb. Friendly, lively, elderly, lonely and lovely are adjectives. A lovely day remains a lovely day, however many letters it ends with.

  • The weekend went far too quickly.
  • Three people were seriously hurt in the fire.
  • Our new neighbours are very friendly.
  • It was a lovely evening.

Point A · Exercise 100.1 · part 1 of 2

Complete each sentence with an adverb. The first letters of the adverb are given in brackets.

  1. Example

    It snowed heavily (he...) all night, so the schools were closed.

    AnswerIt snowed heavily all night, so the schools were closed.

  2. The test wasn't difficult at all. I passed it quite (ea...).

  3. The queue at the post office went out of the door, but everybody waited (pat...).

  4. We weren't expecting anybody, but my cousin from Dundee turned up (unex...) on Sunday.

  5. Dev keeps fit by swimming (reg...).

Point A · Exercise 100.1 · part 2 of 2

Complete each sentence with an adverb. The first letters of the adverb are given in brackets.

  1. My German isn't brilliant, but I can follow a conversation (per...) as long as people speak (sl...) and (cl...).

Point B of 4

Adjective or adverb?

Adjectives (quick, careful, heavy) tell us about a noun, that is, a person or a thing. We put adjectives before nouns.

Adverbs (quickly, carefully, heavily) describe a verb: the manner in which someone acts, or in which something happens.

adjective + noun verb (+ object) + adverb
Dad is a careful driver. Dad drove carefully down the hill.
The match was cancelled because of the heavy snow. It was snowing heavily.
Kasia speaks perfect English. Kasia speaks English perfectly.

One does not drive careful, and one is not a carefully driver.

  • Dad's a careful driver.
  • Dad drove carefully down the hill.
  • It was snowing heavily, so the match was cancelled.
  • Kasia speaks perfect English.
  • Kasia speaks English perfectly.

Point B · Exercise 100.3 · part 1 of 3

Complete each sentence using a word from the box. Sometimes you need the adjective (careful etc.) and sometimes the adverb (carefully etc.).

Use these

careful(ly)complete(ly)dangerous(ly)financial(ly)fluent(ly)frequent(ly)nervous(ly)perfect(ly)permanent(ly)special(ly)

  1. Example

    Lydia never rushes when she's using a knife. She's always careful.

    AnswerLydia never rushes when she's using a knife. She's always careful.

  2. The trains are late now and then, but it doesn't happen .

  3. Tomasz's English is very , although he still makes the odd mistake.

  4. I baked this cake for your birthday, so I hope you like it.

  5. The library was very quiet. There was silence.

Point B · Exercise 100.3 · part 2 of 3

Complete each sentence using a word from the box. Sometimes you need the adjective (careful etc.) and sometimes the adverb (carefully etc.).

Use these

careful(ly)complete(ly)dangerous(ly)financial(ly)fluent(ly)frequent(ly)nervous(ly)perfect(ly)permanent(ly)special(ly)

  1. I tried the jacket on and it fitted me .

  2. We'd love a new kitchen, but it's impossible for us at the moment.

  3. I'm only renting this flat for the summer. I won't be living here .

  4. Do you usually get before you go to the dentist?

Point B · Exercise 100.3 · part 3 of 3

Complete each sentence using a word from the box. Sometimes you need the adjective (careful etc.) and sometimes the adverb (carefully etc.).

Use these

careful(ly)complete(ly)dangerous(ly)financial(ly)fluent(ly)frequent(ly)nervous(ly)perfect(ly)permanent(ly)special(ly)

  1. Kai overtakes on bends and never slows down. He drives .

Point C of 4

After be, look, feel and sound: an adjective

After be, and after look, feel, sound and similar verbs, we use an adjective, because we are describing the subject. With an ordinary action verb, we use an adverb.

adjective adverb
Please be quiet. Please talk quietly.
My driving test was really bad. I did really badly in my driving test.
You look very serious. Nobody takes me seriously.
I feel happy. The dog was wagging its tail happily.
  • Please be quiet. The baby's asleep.
  • Please talk quietly. The baby's asleep.
  • My driving test was really bad.
  • I did really badly in my driving test.
  • Why do you look so serious?
  • Why does nobody take me seriously?

Point C · Extra practice

Put in the adjective or the adverb.

  1. Please be . The baby's asleep. (quiet / quietly)

  2. Please talk . The baby's asleep. (quiet / quietly)

  3. You look . Is everything all right? (serious / seriously)

Point D of 4

Adverbs before adjectives, adverbs and past participles

An adverb can also go before an adjective or another adverb:

adverb + adjective or adverb
reasonably cheap (adjective)
awfully sorry (adjective)
remarkably quickly (adverb)

An adverb can also go before a past participle (hurt, organised, written and so on): badly organised, seriously injured, beautifully written.

  • The café is reasonably cheap and the coffee is extremely good.
  • I'm awfully sorry. I didn't see you there.
  • Lily picks up new songs remarkably quickly.
  • The driving test was surprisingly easy.
  • Two climbers were seriously injured on Ben Nevis.
  • The school trip was badly organised.

Point D · Exercise 100.4 · part 1 of 2

Choose two words, one from each box, to complete each sentence.

Use these

absolutelybadlycompletelyhappilyreasonablyseriouslyslightlyunnecessarilyunusuallychangedcheapdamagedenormousilllongmarriedplannedquiet

  1. Example

    I expected the hotel to cost a fortune, but it was reasonably cheap.

    AnswerI expected the hotel to cost a fortune, but it was reasonably cheap.

  2. Ollie's grandad is and has been taken into hospital.

  3. Have you seen their new telly? It's .

  4. Nobody was hurt in the crash. The van was only .

  5. The office is normally full of noise, but it's this morning.

Point D · Exercise 100.4 · part 2 of 2

Choose two words, one from each box, to complete each sentence.

Use these

absolutelybadlycompletelyhappilyreasonablyseriouslyslightlyunnecessarilyunusuallychangedcheapdamagedenormousilllongmarriedplannedquiet

  1. I went back to my old school after thirty years. Everything had .

  2. The meeting was . We could have finished in half the time.

  3. I'm amazed that Priya and Sam have split up. I thought they were .

  4. Half the guests got lost on the way to the wedding because it was so .

Put it together · Exercise 100.2 · part 1 of 3

Put in the correct word.

  1. Example

    She parked carefully between two vans. (careful / carefully)

    AnswerShe parked carefully between two vans.

  2. I thought he behaved very at the party. (rude / rudely)

  3. In the middle of the film, the lights went out . (sudden / suddenly)

  4. There was a crash from the kitchen. (sudden / suddenly)

  5. Tom fell off his bike and hurt his knee quite . (bad / badly)

Put it together · Exercise 100.2 · part 2 of 3

Put in the correct word.

  1. I think something I ate disagreed with me. I feel . (awful / awfully)

  2. Jodie is worried about her exam results. (terrible / terribly)

  3. This sofa is very . I could fall asleep on it. (comfortable / comfortably)

  4. Please write your postcode as as you can. (clear / clearly)

Put it together · Exercise 100.2 · part 3 of 3

Put in the correct word.

  1. Hold on to the rail. These steps don't look very . (safe / safely)

  2. Enjoy your holiday, and I hope you have a flight. (safe / safely)

  3. Thanks for texting to say you'd got back . (safe / safely)

Lesson 100 · Result

How you did

Next lesson: Adjectives and adverbs 2 (well, fast, late, hard/hardly)Back to the course

–Right

Each point

A. Adjective + -ly–Not checkedB. Adjective or adverb?–Not checkedC. After be, look, feel and sound: an adjective–Not checkedD. Adverbs before adjectives, adverbs and past participles–Not checkedPut it together–Not checked