English
Guidelines for Using Adjectives and Adverbs

• Use the comparative degree of the adjective or adverb to compare two persons or things; use the superlative degree to compare three or more; eg., Of the two movies which is better (not best)?  Of all the movies, Harry likes this one best (not better).
• Do not create a double comparative or superlative by using –er with more or –est with most; eg., His decision couldn’t have been fairer (not more fairer).
• A linking verb (such as is, are, look, feel, sound, and appear) may introduce a word that describes the verb’s subject.  In this case, be certain to use an adjective, not an adverb; eg., I feel bad (not badly) when I see an abused animal.  The characters on the monitor look bright (not brightly).
• Use adverbs, not adjectives, to describe or limit the action of verbs; eg., The car runs smoothly (not smooth). She took his remarks personally (not personal).
• Two or more adjectives that are joined to create a compound modifier before a noun should be hyphenated; eg., His six-year-old child could read at a Grade Four level.  Please follow the step-by-step procedure.
• Hyphenate a compound modifier following a noun only if your dictionary shows the hyphen(s); eg., The report James Leroy submitted was all-inclusive.  The child who could read at a Grade Four level was six years old.
• Keep adjectives and adverbs close to the words that they modify; eg., Mary asked for a cup of hot cocoa (not a hot cup of cocoa).  Stephen had only two days of vacation left (not Stephen only had two days).  Graduates may sit in the first five rows (not in the five first rows).  Sarah has saved almost enough money for the dress (not Sarah has almost saved).
• Don’t confuse the adverb there with the possessive pronoun their or the contraction they’re; eg., Put the books there.  There are two boys in the black car.  We already have their reports.  They’re coming to visit us today.