Exercise:
- Every one hoped that you would have spoken.
- I saw it in the window. It was the very book I wanted so long.
- If I was sick, I should go home.
- They expected to have won the game.
- The Masons never invite men to join their lodge, but if a person expresses a desire to join, his friends would probably be able to secure membership for him.
[Adjective and Adverb]
[56a.] Do not use an adjective to modify a verb.
- Crude: He spoke slow and careful.
- Right: He spoke slowly and carefully.
- Crude: He sure did good in his classes.
- Right: He surely did well in his classes.
[b.] In such sentences as He stood firm and The cry rang clear the modifier should be an adjective if it refers to the subject, an adverb if it refers to the verb.
- Right: The sun shines bright on my old Kentucky home. [Here the thought is that the sun which shines is bright.]
- Right: He worked diligently. [Here the modifier refers to the manner of working rather than to the person who works. It should therefore be an adverb.]
- Right: It stood immovable. The shot rang loud. He becomes angry. The weeds grow thick. They remain obstinate. He seems intelligent.
[c.] After a verb pertaining to the senses, look, sound, taste, smell, feel, an adjective is used to denote a quality pertaining to the subject. (An adverb is used only when the reference is clearly to the verb.)
- She looks beautiful. [Not beautifully.]
- The dinner bell sounds good. [Not well.]
- My food tastes bad. [Not badly.]
- That flower smells bad. [Not badly.]
- I feel good [in good spirits.]
- I feel well [in good health. An adjectival use of well.]
- I feel bad [in bad health or spirits. "I feel badly" would mean "My sense of touch is impaired.">[
Exercise: