Adjectives and Adverbs: Quick or Quickly?
Choose adjective and adverb forms according to whether a word describes a noun, a subject complement, or an action.
Learning Objective
Adjectives and Adverbs: Quick or Quickly?
Distinguish adjective and adverb functions and handle common forms that do not follow a simple -ly rule.
Clear Explanation
Adjectives typically modify nouns or follow linking verbs; adverbs can modify verbs, adjectives, other adverbs, or whole clauses. Form and meaning must both be checked.
Form and Structure
adjective + noun; linking verb + adjective; lexical verb + adverb
“It was a quick response.”
Not every word ending in -ly is an adverb: friendly and lively are adjectives. Some flat adverbs, such as fast and hard, have no -ly ending.
Meaning and Use
Noun description
Use an adjective before a noun or as a complement that describes the subject.
“a careful driver; the driver is careful”
Action description
Use an adverb to describe how an action happens.
“The driver reacted carefully.”
Irregular and ambiguous forms
Some pairs change form irregularly or have different meanings, such as good/well and hard/hardly.
“work hard; hardly work”
Common Errors and Meaning Traps
She is a carefully writer.
She is a careful writer.
Use an adjective to modify the noun writer.
He speaks very slow.
He speaks very slowly.
Use an adverb to modify the action speaks.
The flowers smell sweetly.
The flowers smell sweet.
After the linking verb smell, use an adjective to describe the flowers.
Guided Practice
Use the grammar in context
“She responded quickly.”
“The soup tastes good.”
Write three pairs in which the same idea appears once with an adjective and once with an adverb.
Quick Recap
Adjectives typically modify nouns or follow linking verbs; adverbs can modify verbs, adjectives, other adverbs, or whole clauses. Form and meaning must both be checked.
Use an adjective before a noun or as a complement that describes the subject.
Not every word ending in -ly is an adverb: friendly and lively are adjectives. Some flat adverbs, such as fast and hard, have no -ly ending.
Use an adjective to modify the noun writer.
Independent Mastery Check
Complete these four checks before taking the quiz. If one feels difficult, return to the matching section and try again.
Explain the core rule in your own words without looking back at the lesson.
Find the target form in “It was a quick response.” and explain what it communicates in this context.
Explain why “She is a careful writer.” is the recommended revision for “She is a carefully writer.”.
Write three pairs in which the same idea appears once with an adjective and once with an adverb.
Continue at B1-B2 Level
Aim for at least 5 out of 6 in the quiz below. For every missed answer, read the explanation, return to the relevant section, and try the quiz again.
Which statement best explains Adjectives and Adverbs: Quick or Quickly??
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