eng6-6.1· Unit 6: Words & Forms· ~13 min

Adjectives vs adverbs of manner

The -ly ending: quick → quickly.

Adjectives describe nouns — they tell us what a person or thing is like. We place them before a noun ('a quiet street') or after linking verbs such as be, look, feel, seem, and sound ('The music sounds loud'). Adverbs of manner describe verbs — they tell us how an action is done and usually come after the verb or its object ('She sang beautifully'). Most adverbs of manner are formed by adding -ly to the adjective: slow → slowly, quiet → quietly. There are small spelling rules to remember: adjectives ending in -y change y to i before adding -ly (happy → happily, easy → easily, heavy → heavily). A few adverbs are irregular: the adjective good becomes the adverb well ('She is a good dancer' / 'She dances well'), and fast and hard stay the same for both adjective and adverb ('a fast car' / 'He drives fast'). Never confuse 'good' (adjective) with 'well' (adverb). For example: 'The students worked hard and answered the questions well, so the teacher was happy with their careful work.'

Key terms

adjective — A word that describes a noun or pronoun — it tells us what someone or something is like (e.g., 'a quiet street', 'she is happy').
adverb of manner — A word that describes a verb — it tells us HOW an action is done (e.g., 'She sang beautifully', 'He ran quickly').
linking verb — A verb that connects the subject to an adjective describing it. Common linking verbs: be, look, feel, seem, sound, smell, taste.
-ly suffix — The ending added to most adjectives to form adverbs of manner (slow → slowly, careful → carefully).
irregular adverb — An adverb that does NOT follow the regular -ly rule. Examples: good → well; fast → fast; hard → hard.
Adjective → Adverb of Manner: Spelling Rules
Adjective endingRuleAdjectiveAdverb
most adjectivesadd -lyslowslowly
most adjectivesadd -lycarefulcarefully
most adjectivesadd -lyquietquietly
ends in -ychange -y → -i, then add -lyhappyhappily
ends in -ychange -y → -i, then add -lyeasyeasily
ends in -ychange -y → -i, then add -lyheavyheavily
irregularno -ly — same form for adj and advfastfast
irregularno -ly — same form for adj and advhardhard
irregularcompletely different wordgoodwell

Note: 'fastly' and 'hardly' are NOT adverbs of manner. 'Hardly' means 'almost not' — a completely different word.

Where to Use: Adjective or Adverb?
Position / UseWord type neededExample
before a nounadjectivea careful student
after a linking verb (be, look, feel, seem, sound, smell, taste)adjectiveThe music sounds loud.
after an action verb (describing HOW)adverb of mannerHe ran quickly.
after a verb + object (describing HOW)adverb of mannerShe cut the cake equally.

Linking verbs act like 'equals signs' — they connect the subject to a describing word (adjective), not an action.

Common Irregular Adverbs
AdjectiveAdverbAdjective exampleAdverb example
goodwellShe is a good dancer.She dances well.
fastfastHe has a fast car.He drives fast.
hardhardIt is a hard exam.She studied hard.

Never say 'goodly', 'fastly', or 'hardness' as adverbs — these are not real words in this context.

✎Forming adverbs of manner step by step
  1. 1Step 1 — regular adjective: Start with the adjective: quick
  2. 2Step 2 — add -ly: quick + ly = quickly → 'He ran quickly to catch the bus.'
  3. 3Step 3 — adjective ending in -y: Start with: happy → change -y to -i → happi → add -ly → happily → 'The children played happily in the garden.'
  4. 4Step 4 — check if linking verb or action verb: Linking verb → adjective: 'The soup smells wonderful.' | Action verb → adverb: 'She answered correctly.'
✎good vs well — the key irregular pair
  1. 1Adjective (before noun): She is a good cook. ('good' describes the noun 'cook')
  2. 2Adjective (after linking verb): She feels good today. ('feels' is a linking verb → adjective)
  3. 3Adverb (after action verb): She cooks well. ('well' describes HOW she cooks — the action)
  4. 4Common mistake to avoid: WRONG: 'She cooks good.' → CORRECT: 'She cooks well.'
💡Note

Linking verbs (be, look, feel, seem, sound, smell, taste) are followed by ADJECTIVES, not adverbs. Think of them as 'equals signs': 'The baby looks sleepy' means 'the baby = sleepy'. Never add -ly after a linking verb: 'sounds loud' is correct, NOT 'sounds loudly'.

🚫Common mistake

A very common mistake is using the adjective 'good' after an action verb. WRONG: 'She sings good.' / 'He did the job good.' CORRECT: 'She sings well.' / 'He did the job well.' Remember: good = adjective (describes a noun); well = adverb (describes a verb).

🚫Common mistake

Another frequent error is using an adverb after a linking verb. WRONG: 'She felt nervously before the test.' / 'They felt happily after the trip.' / 'The flowers smell sweetly.' CORRECT: 'She felt nervous.' / 'They felt happy.' / 'The flowers smell sweet.' After feel, look, seem, sound, smell — always use an adjective.

⚠️Caution

'hard' and 'hardly' are NOT the same word! 'Hard' as an adverb means 'with great effort': 'She studied hard.' 'Hardly' means 'almost not': 'He works hardly' means he almost does NOT work. Do not confuse them. Also, 'fastly' and 'goodly' do NOT exist as adverbs — use 'fast' and 'well'.

Rules

  1. 1Adjectives describe nouns and come before the noun or after linking verbs (be, look, feel, seem, sound): 'a slow train', 'The soup smells good.'
  2. 2Adverbs of manner describe verbs (how an action is done) and usually come after the verb or object: 'He speaks quietly.'
  3. 3Form most adverbs of manner by adding -ly to the adjective: slow → slowly, careful → carefully, quiet → quietly.
  4. 4Spelling rule: adjectives ending in -y change y → i before -ly: happy → happily, easy → easily, heavy → heavily.
  5. 5Irregular forms to memorise: good (adj) → well (adv); fast (adj) → fast (adv); hard (adj) → hard (adv).

Practice

10 easy · 10 medium · 10 hard

10 random questions per test

EasyMediumHardMixed