Chapter 42: Adjectives and Adverbs

CHAPTER 42
Adjectives and Adverbs

CONNECT: Why are adjectives sometimes used in place of adverbs in informal language? 29c and d, 42c

CREATE: Keep a log of situations in which you hear adjectives used in place of adverbs in speech (for example, in phrases like They played great).

REFLECT: Write or record a reflection about spoken use of adjectives and adverbs.

AS WORDS THAT DESCRIBE OTHER WORDS, adjectives and adverbs add liveliness and color to writing, helping writers show rather than just tell. In addition, adjectives and adverbs often provide indispensable meanings to the words they modify. In basketball, for example, there is an important difference between a flagrant foul and a technical foul, or an angry coach and an abusively angry coach. In each instance, the modifiers are crucial to accurate communication.