Adverbs of Manner vs Adjectives: How to Tell the Difference

Introduction

Do you sometimes wonder if you should say “drive safe” or “drive safely”? This common confusion is all about understanding the difference between adjectives and adverbs of manner. Mastering this will make your English much clearer and more accurate.

What Is the Difference Between Adjectives and Adverbs of Manner?

An adjective is a word that describes a noun (a person, place, or thing). It tells us what kind it is. An adverb of manner is a word that describes a verb (an action). It tells us how the action is done. Think of it this way: adjectives describe things, while adverbs describe actions.

Rules

1. Adjectives modify nouns. They answer the question “What kind?” about the noun.
2. Adverbs of manner modify verbs. They answer the question “How?” about the action.
3. Many adverbs of manner are formed by adding -ly to an adjective (e.g., quick → quickly).
4. Linking verbs (like be, seem, look, feel, sound, taste, smell) are followed by adjectives, not adverbs, because they describe the subject, not the action.
5. Some words can be both adjectives and adverbs without changing form (e.g., fast, hard, early, late).

How to Use It

Follow these steps to choose the right word.

Step 1: Identify the word you want to describe. Find the main subject (noun) and the main action (verb) in the sentence.

Step 2: Ask the right question. If you are describing the noun (the thing), ask “What kind of [noun] is it?” The answer will be an adjective. If you are describing the action (the verb), ask “How is the action done?” The answer will be an adverb.

Step 3: Check for linking verbs. If the main verb is a linking verb (like is, seems, looks), you almost always need an adjective after it to describe the subject.

Step 4: Apply the -ly rule carefully. Remember that not all adverbs end in -ly, and not all words ending in -ly are adverbs (e.g., “friendly” is an adjective).

Examples in Sentences

• She is a quick learner. (Adjective ‘quick’ describes the noun ‘learner.’)
• She learns quickly. (Adverb ‘quickly’ describes the verb ‘learns.’)
• The music sounds beautiful. (Adjective after linking verb ‘sounds’ describes ‘music.’)
• The bird sang beautifully. (Adverb ‘beautifully’ describes the verb ‘sang.’)
• He is a careful driver. (Adjective describes ‘driver.’)
• He drives carefully. (Adverb describes ‘drives.’)
• That soup smells delicious. (Adjective after linking verb ‘smells’ describes ‘soup.’)
• The chef cooked the soup deliciously. (Adverb describes ‘cooked.’)
• We had an early breakfast. (Adjective describes ‘breakfast.’)
• We woke up early. (Adverb ‘early’ describes the verb ‘woke up.’)
• She gave a hard task. (Adjective describes ‘task.’)
• She worked hard. (Adverb ‘hard’ describes the verb ‘worked.’)
• He spoke in a loud voice. (Adjective describes ‘voice.’)
• He spoke loudly. (Adverb describes ‘spoke.’)

Common Mistakes

Let’s look at some frequent errors and how to fix them.

Mistake 1: Using an adjective to describe a verb.
❌ She walks quick to school.
✅ She walks quickly to school. (We need an adverb to describe *how* she walks.)

Mistake 2: Using an adverb after a linking verb when an adjective is needed.
❌ I feel badly about the mistake.
✅ I feel bad about the mistake. (‘Feel’ is a linking verb here, so we use the adjective ‘bad’ to describe ‘I.’)

Mistake 3: Confusing adjectives and adverbs that look similar.
❌ He did good on the test.
✅ He did well on the test. (‘Good’ is an adjective. ‘Well’ is usually the adverb form. Here, it describes how he *did*.)

Mistake 4: Forgetting that some words don’t change.
❌ He runs fastly.
✅ He runs fast. (‘Fast’ is both an adjective and an adverb. ‘Fastly’ is not a word.)

Quick Summary

• Adjectives describe nouns (things).
• Adverbs of manner describe verbs (actions).
• Ask “What kind?” for adjectives. Ask “How?” for adverbs.
• Linking verbs (be, seem, look, feel) are followed by adjectives.
• Many adverbs end in -ly, but not all.

Practice Exercises

Choose the correct word (adjective or adverb) to complete each sentence.

1. She answered the question ______ (correct / correctly).
2. The cat looked very ______ (sleepy / sleepily) on the sofa.
3. You must be ______ (quiet / quietly) in the library.
4. He closed the door ______ (quiet / quietly) behind him.
5. That was a ______ (real / really) good movie.

Answers:
1. correctly (describes how she answered)
2. sleepy (adjective after linking verb ‘looked’ describes the cat)
3. quiet (adjective describes ‘you’ after the linking verb ‘be’)
4. quietly (describes how he closed the door)
5. really (adverb ‘really’ modifies the adjective ‘good’)

Conclusion

Understanding the difference between adjectives and adverbs of manner is a key step to speaking and writing English with confidence. Remember the core question: are you describing a thing (use an adjective) or an action (use an adverb)? Keep practicing, and it will soon become second nature.

FAQ

Q1: Is “I feel badly” ever correct?
A: Yes, but only in a very specific context. “I feel badly” means your sense of touch is not working well. If you want to express an emotion, like sadness or regret, you should always say “I feel bad.” For example, “I feel bad that I forgot your birthday.”

Q2: What about “drive safe” vs. “drive safely”?
A: Traditionally, “drive safely” is grammatically correct because the adverb “safely” modifies the verb “drive.” However, “drive safe” has become a very common and accepted informal phrase in everyday spoken English. For formal writing or exams, it’s safer to use “drive safely.”

Q3: How can I remember which verbs are linking verbs?
A: A good trick is to replace the verb with a form of “be” (is, am, are, was, were). If the sentence still makes sense, it’s probably a linking verb. Example: “The cake smells delicious.” → “The cake is delicious.” It makes sense, so “smells” is a linking verb and needs the adjective “delicious.”

Q4: Are words like “friendly,” “lovely,” and “lonely” adverbs?
A: No, this is a common trick! Words like “friendly,” “lovely,” “lonely,” “silly,” and “ugly” are adjectives, even though they end in “-ly.” They describe nouns. For example: “She is a friendly person.” To make an adverb from these, you often need a phrase like “in a friendly way.”