[etni] Fw: Adjectives and adverbs
- From: "Ask" <ask@xxxxxxxx>
- To: <etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 19 Aug 2005 18:24:13 +0200
From: "Esther Lucas" <lucas@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Adjectives and adverbs
At the risk of repeating what others have said, I would
like to summarize the discussion on use of words such as:
very (adverb), great (adjective), fun (noun or adjective).
When I was taught grammar in England in the nineteen
twenties, perhaps not as extensively as in Kansas in the
eighteen eighties, the following rules were laid down.
I never had any problem teaching grammar to students
once they could distinguish between an adjective and an
adverb. Though I had no problem teaching, they may well
have had a problem learning. These at least are my explanations:
When fun is used as a noun, it can be "described " by an adjective
eg. great fun more fun
When fun is used as an adjective, it "behaves" like an
adjective and can "decribe" a noun
(Because it is used as an adjective it cannot have a plural form))
eg. fun party (cf. tooth brush charity event)
Very is an adverb. It can "describe" an adjective OR an adverb
Unlike most adverbs it cannot "describe" a verb
eg. (with an adjective) very good very funny very like
something
(with an adverb) very well very likely
Hope this helps,
Esther
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