Adjectives and Adverbs 1
quick / quickly
Forming Adverbs · Adjective vs Adverb · After Linking Verbs · Adverbs before Adjectives — Complete Guide
Adjectifs et Adverbes 1
quick / quickly
Former les Adverbes · Adjectif vs Adverbe · Verbes d’état · Adverbes devant Adjectifs — Guide Complet
Master how to form adverbs with -ly, when to use an adjective vs an adverb, adjectives after linking verbs, and how adverbs modify adjectives and other adverbs.
Maîtrisez la formation des adverbes en -ly, quand utiliser un adjectif ou un adverbe, les adjectifs après les verbes d’état, et comment les adverbes modifient les adjectifs et d’autres adverbes.
Our holiday was too short — the time passed very quickly. · Two people were seriously injured. — Quickly and seriously are adverbs. Most adverbs are formed by adding -ly to the adjective. Adjectives describe nouns; adverbs describe verbs, adjectives and other adverbs.
Our holiday was too short — the time passed very quickly. · Two people were seriously injured. — Quickly et seriously sont des adverbes. La plupart des adverbes se forment en ajoutant -ly à l’adjectif. Les adjectifs décrivent les noms ; les adverbes décrivent les verbes, les adjectifs et d’autres adverbes.
Forming Adverbs with -ly
Former les Adverbes en -ly
Many adverbs are formed by adding -ly to the adjective:
De nombreux adverbes se forment en ajoutant -ly à l’adjectif :
| Adjective | Adverb | Adjective | Adverb | Adjectif | Adverbe | Adjectif | Adverbe |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| quick | quickly | serious | seriously | quick | quickly | serious | seriously |
| careful | carefully | bad | badly | careful | carefully | bad | badly |
| heavy | heavily | terrible | terribly | heavy | heavily | terrible | terribly |
| sudden | suddenly | easy | easily | sudden | suddenly | easy | easily |
| complete | completely | fluent | fluently | complete | completely | fluent | fluently |
✓ It was a lovely day. (adjective before noun — correct) Certains adjectifs se terminent aussi en -ly : friendly, lively, elderly, lonely, lovely, silly.
✓ It was a lovely day. (adjectif avant nom — correct)
Adjective Before Noun / Adverb After Verb
Adjectif Avant le Nom / Adverbe Après le Verbe
Adjectives describe nouns — they go before the noun. Adverbs describe verbs (how something is done) — they go after the verb.
Les adjectifs décrivent les noms — ils se placent avant le nom. Les adverbes décrivent les verbes (comment quelque chose est fait) — ils se placent après le verbe.
Adjective + Noun
Adjectif + Nom
Verb + Adverb
Verbe + Adverbe
✗ Sam drove careful along the road. — WRONG (adverb needed after verb) ✗ Sam is a carefully driver. — FAUX (adjectif requis avant nom)
✗ Sam drove careful along the road. — FAUX (adverbe requis après verbe)
Adjectives After Linking Verbs — Be / Look / Feel / Sound / Taste / Smell
Adjectifs Après les Verbes d’État — Be / Look / Feel / Sound / Taste / Smell
We use adjectives (not adverbs) after linking verbs. These verbs describe a state rather than an action:
On utilise des adjectifs (pas des adverbes) après les verbes d’état. Ces verbes décrivent un état plutôt qu’une action :
look / feel / sound / taste / smell / appear + adjective
Please be quiet. · My results were really bad.
Why do you always look so serious? · I feel happy.
Please speak quietly. (adverb after action verb “speak”)
I did really badly in the exam. (adverb after action verb “did”)
“She looks tired” → “She is tired” ✓ → adjective ‘tired’ is correct.
“She runs quickly” → “She runs is”? ✗ → adverb ‘quickly’ needed. Peut-on remplacer le verbe par is/was ? → adjectif.
“She looks tired” → “She is tired” ✓ → adjectif ‘tired’ correct.
“She runs quickly” → “She runs is” ? ✗ → adverbe ‘quickly’ requis.
Adverbs Before Adjectives, Other Adverbs & Past Participles
Adverbes Devant les Adjectifs, d’Autres Adverbes et les Participes Passés
Adverbs can also go before adjectives and before other adverbs:
Les adverbes peuvent aussi se placer avant les adjectifs et avant d’autres adverbes :
It’s a reasonably cheap restaurant. · I’m terribly sorry.
The exam was surprisingly easy.
Adverb + Adverb:
Maria learns languages incredibly quickly.
Adverb + Past Participle:
Two people were seriously injured. · The conference was badly organised.
Complete each sentence with an adverb. First letters are given.
Complétez chaque phrase avec un adverbe. Les premières lettres sont données.
Choose the correct word: adjective or adverb?
Choisissez le bon mot : adjectif ou adverbe ?
Complete using a word from the box. Sometimes adjective, sometimes adverb.
Complétez avec un mot de la liste. Parfois adjectif, parfois adverbe.
careful(ly) · complete(ly) · dangerous(ly) · financial(ly) · fluent(ly) · frequent(ly) · nervous(ly) · perfect(ly) · permanent(ly) · special(ly)
careful(ly) · complete(ly) · dangerous(ly) · financial(ly) · fluent(ly) · frequent(ly) · nervous(ly) · perfect(ly) · permanent(ly) · special(ly)
Choose two words (one from each box) to complete each sentence.
Choisissez deux mots (un de chaque liste) pour compléter chaque phrase.
Adverbs: absolutely · badly · completely · happily · reasonably · seriously · slightly · unnecessarily · unusually | Adjectives: changed · cheap · damaged · enormous · ill · long · married · planned · quiet
Adverbes : absolutely · badly · completely · happily · reasonably · seriously · slightly · unnecessarily · unusually | Adjectifs : changed · cheap · damaged · enormous · ill · long · married · planned · quiet
Frequently Asked Questions — Adjectives & Adverbs 1
Questions Fréquentes — Adjectifs & Adverbes 1
Ask: what does the word describe? If it describes a noun → adjective. If it describes a verb (how something is done) → adverb. Special case: linking verbs (be/look/feel/seem/taste/smell) take an adjective, not an adverb: She looks tired (not ‘tiredly’).
Demandez-vous : que décrit ce mot ? S’il décrit un nom → adjectif. S’il décrit un verbe → adverbe. Cas particulier : les verbes d’état (be/look/feel/seem/taste/smell) prennent un adjectif : She looks tired (pas ‘tiredly’).
No — they are adjectives that happen to end in -ly. They cannot be used as adverbs: ✓ a friendly person (adjective before noun). To say how someone does something in a friendly way, you need a phrase: She greeted me in a friendly way.
Non — ce sont des adjectifs qui se terminent en -ly. Ils ne peuvent pas être utilisés comme adverbes : ✓ a friendly person. Pour décrire la manière, utilisez une expression : She greeted me in a friendly way.
“Feel” here is a linking verb — it describes a state (how you are), not an action. Linking verbs take adjectives: ✓ I feel awful. Compare with an action context where adverb is used: She speaks awfully fast (adverb modifying adjective ‘fast’).
“Feel” ici est un verbe d’état — il décrit un état, pas une action. Les verbes d’état prennent des adjectifs : ✓ I feel awful.
Yes! Adverbs can modify adjectives and other adverbs: It’s a reasonably cheap restaurant. · I’m terribly sorry. · The exam was surprisingly easy. They can also go before past participles: Two people were seriously injured.
Oui ! Les adverbes peuvent modifier des adjectifs et d’autres adverbes : It’s a reasonably cheap restaurant. · I’m terribly sorry. Ils peuvent aussi précéder des participes passés : Two people were seriously injured.
Safe is an adjective: ✓ Have a safe journey. (describes the noun ‘journey’). ✓ The ladder doesn’t look safe. (after linking verb ‘look’). Safely is an adverb: ✓ I’m glad you got home safely. (describes the verb ‘got’).
Safe est un adjectif : ✓ Have a safe journey. ✓ The ladder doesn’t look safe. Safely est un adverbe : ✓ I’m glad you got home safely.
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