subject + be + adjectiveUse this pattern to describe the subject. Do not use an -ly word here.
Adjective vs Adverb
A2Use adjectives after be and adverbs with action verbs: She is slow, but she walks slowly. Fast, hard, and late often stay the same.
What you'll learn
- Choose an adjective after be.
- Choose an adverb with an action verb.
- Build many adverbs by adding -ly.
- Keep fast, hard, and late in the same form when needed.
- Decide if the sentence describes a state or an action.
Structure
subject + action verb + adverbUse this pattern to describe how an action happens. Many adverbs end in -ly.
Build a sentence
Subject
Word
Sheisslow
She is slow today.
After be, use the adjective form.
When to use
Describe people and things
Use an adjective after be, seem, look, feel, smell, sound, and taste when the word describes the subject: The room is quiet. The soup smells good.
Describe actions
Use an adverb with action verbs to show how someone does something: Maria sings beautifully. Tom answered quickly.
Markers
belookseemfeelworkdrivespeak
Spelling
many adjectives
→ + lyslow → slowlyends in -ful
→ + lycareful → carefullyexception
→ same formfast → fastexception
→ same formhard → hardexception
→ same formlate → lateCommon mistakes
Wrong
Maria is quietly today.
Correct
Maria is quiet today.
After be, use an adjective to describe Maria.
Wrong
Tom speaks slow.
Correct
Tom speaks slowly.
Speak is an action verb, so use an adverb to show how Tom speaks.
Wrong
Anna drives careful.
Correct
Anna drives carefully.
With an action verb, careful changes to carefully.
Wrong
Lisa works hardly.
Correct
Lisa works hard.
Hard is the correct adverb for strong effort. Hardly has a different meaning.
Wrong
The soup smells warmly.
Correct
The soup smells warm.
Here the word describes the soup, not the action of smelling.
Common misconceptions
❝ All adverbs end in -ly. ❞
Many adverbs end in -ly, but some common ones do not: fast, hard, and late can already work as adverbs.
❝ If a word describes something, the -ly form is more correct. ❞
After be and similar verbs, English uses an adjective: She is happy, not She is happily.
Skills in this rule (5)
ADJECTIVE_AFTER_BEw5Use an adjective after be
After be, choose an adjective to describe the person or thing. The word tells us what someone or something is like, not how an action happens.
ADVERB_FOR_ACTIONSw5Use an adverb to describe how an action happens
With action verbs, choose an adverb to show the manner of the action. Many adverbs end in -ly.
ADD_LYw4Add -ly to make many adverbs
Many adverbs come from adjectives with -ly: slow → slowly, careful → carefully. Use this form when you describe an action.
KNOW_SAME_FORM_EXCEPTIONSw4Keep fast, hard, and late the same in adjective and adverb use
Some common words do not add -ly here: fast, hard, and late. The position and meaning show whether the word describes a thing or an action.
PICK_DESCRIPTION_OR_ACTIONw5Choose whether the sentence needs a description word or an action word
Look at the verb. After be, use a describing word; after an action verb, use a word that describes the action.