Exercise 4

Adverbs should always be placed where there can be no doubt as to what they are intended to modify. A mistake in placing the adverb in the sentence often alters the meaning of the sentence. Choose the right word in each of the following sentences:

  1. He looked glad—gladly when I told him the news.
  2. Slaves have always been treated harsh—harshly.
  3. I prefer my eggs boiled soft—softly.
  4. The lecturer was tolerable—tolerably well informed.
  5. Speak slower—more slowly so I can understand you.
  6. The evening bells sound sweet—sweetly.
  7. The house appears comfortable—comfortably and pleasant—pleasantly.
  8. If you will come quick—quickly you can hear the music.
  9. I was exceeding—exceedingly glad to hear from you.
  10. The bashful young man appeared very awkward—awkwardly.
  11. The young lady looked beautiful—beautifully and she sang beautiful—beautifully.
  12. I looked quick—quickly in the direction of the sound.
  13. The sun is shining bright—brightly today and the grass looks green—greenly.

SPELLING

LESSON 17

In our study of adjectives we have found that we use them to express some quality possessed by a noun or pronoun which they modify. You will recall when we studied nouns, we had one class of nouns, called abstract nouns, which were the names of qualities. So we find that from these adjectives expressing quality we form nouns which we use as the name of that quality.

For example from the adjective happy, we form the noun happiness, which is the name of the quality described by the adjective happy, by the addition of the suffix ness. We use this suffix ness quite often in forming these derivative nouns from adjectives but there are other suffixes also which we use; as for example, the suffix ty as in security, formed from the adjective secure, changing the e to i and adding the suffix ty. When the word ends in t we sometimes add only y as in honesty, derived from the adjective honest.

You remember that an abstract noun may express not only quality but also action, considered apart from the actor; so abstract nouns may be made from verbs. For example:

Running, from the verb run; settlement, from the verb settle.

In our lesson for this week the list for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday contains adjectives of quality from which abstract nouns expressing quality can be made, by the addition of the proper suffix, either ness, y, ty or tion. The list for Thursday, Friday and Saturday consists of verbs from which abstract nouns can be made by the addition of the suffixes ment and ing.