Word Classes

Adjectives & Adverbs

Adjectives and adverbs are the describing words. An adjective describes a noun. An adverb describes almost anything else: a verb, an adjective, another adverb or a whole sentence. Some words can be either (an early train, arrived early), so you decide by what the word describes, not by its ending.

What you’ll learn

Tell an adjective from an adverb by the word it describes, not by its ending
Tag the three degrees of adjectives (JJ, JJR, JJS) and adverbs (RB, RBR, RBS), including forms with more and most
Explain why the same word, such as longer, can be JJR in one sentence and RBR in another
Give the coarse category of not, today and the wh-adverbs, none of which is ADV
Avoid three common mistakes, such as “smells well” for “smells good”

Decide by what the word attaches to

The ending is a hint, not a rule. Most -ly words are adverbs, but friendly and lovely are adjectives. Some words, such as fast, early, late and hard, can be either, with no change of spelling. What decides is the word being described. If it describes a noun, it is an adjective, with the few exceptions in the note below. If it describes a verb, an adjective, another adverb or the whole sentence, it is an adverb.

Three degrees: positive, comparative, superlative

The fine tags add degree. The positive is the plain form; the comparative compares two things; the superlative picks one out of a group. When more or most builds the form, the degree tag goes on more or most, and the word after it keeps its plain tag. One more tag, WRB, has no degree: it marks the wh-adverbs when, where, why and how.

Degree	Adjective	Adverb
Positive	tall `JJ`	fast `RB`
Comparative	taller `JJR`; more `RBR` + careful `JJ`	faster `RBR`; more `RBR` + slowly `RB`
Superlative	tallest `JJS`; most `RBS` + careful `JJ`	fastest `RBS`; most `RBS` + slowly `RB`

Two categories, seven tags

ADJ Adjective

A word that describes a noun — its size, colour, quality or state. It stands before the noun (a tiny weed) or after a linking verb, where it describes the subject (the soup tasted salty). A Reed-Kellogg diagram draws the first kind, an attributive adjective, on a slant under its noun. The second kind, a predicate adjective, sits on the base line after a backslash.

How the parser decides: from the word itself and its position. A word between a determiner and a noun is usually ADJ, and so is a word after seem, taste or be. Past participles vary: broken in a broken vase is ADJ, but retired in a retired pilot stays VERB. The parser decides word by word; see Participles.

A (^DET)tiny (^ADJ, ringed),stubborn (^ADJ, ringed)weed (^NOUN)split (^VERB)the (^DET)concrete (^NOUN).

The (^DET)soup (^NOUN)tasted (^VERB)salty (^ADJ, ringed)and (^CCONJ)slightly (^ADV)bitter (^ADJ, ringed).

JJ Adjective

The plain, positive-degree adjective: bright, calm, salty. Also every adjective that has no other degree — ordinals like first and second, and classifying adjectives like wooden.

How the parser decides: an adjective without a comparative or superlative ending. It is the most common of the seven tags on this page.

A (^DT)bright (^JJ, ringed)kite (^NN)floated (^VBD)above (^IN)the (^DT)calm (^JJ, ringed)sea (^NN).

Two plain adjectives, one before each noun:

The (^DT)old (^JJ, ringed)map (^NN)showed (^VBD)a (^DT)narrow (^JJ, ringed)path (^NN).

JJR Adjective, comparative

The comparative adjective: longer, bigger, funnier. Most one-syllable adjectives add -er, and so do two-syllable ones ending in -y (funny → funnier). Most other adjectives of two or more syllables use more instead (more careful). Then only more gets the comparative tag, as an adverb (RBR), and careful stays JJ. Never use both: more bigger is wrong.

How the parser decides: the -er ending on an adjective, or one of the irregulars (better, worse, less). A following than is a strong clue but not required.

This (^DT)bridge (^NN)is (^VBZ)longer (^JJR, ringed)than (^IN)the (^DT)old (^JJ)one (^CD).

We (^PRP)need (^VBP)a (^DT)bigger (^JJR, ringed)tent (^NN)for (^IN)the (^DT)trip (^NN).

JJS Adjective, superlative

The superlative adjective: ripest, worst, youngest. Usually after the or a possessive, because a superlative picks out one thing from a set. Longer adjectives use most (the most careful), and again only most carries the degree, as RBS.

How the parser decides: the -est ending or an irregular superlative (best, worst). The word most on its own before a noun (most people) is JJS too.

Ella (^NNP)chose (^VBD)the (^DT)ripest (^JJS, ringed)peach (^NN)in (^IN)the (^DT)bowl (^NN).

That (^DT)was (^VBD)the (^DT)worst (^JJS, ringed)storm (^NN)in (^IN)decades (^NNS).

ADV Adverb

A word that describes a verb (arrived early), an adjective (rather late), another adverb (very carefully) or the sentence as a whole (surprisingly, the train arrived). It answers how, when, where, how much. Because it can attach to so many things, the dependency tree is the place to look for what a given adverb modifies.

How the parser decides: the -ly ending, a closed list of common adverbs (very, never, quite, rather), and position next to a verb or adjective.

Three words that look like adverbs are not ADV here. The words today and yesterday are nouns (NOUN, NN), although Spanish grammar calls hoy and ayer adverbs. The Reed-Kellogg diagram still draws them like adverbs, on a slant under the verb: see Adverbial Objectives. And not is a particle (PART), although its fine tag is still RB.

The (^DET)train (^NOUN)arrived (^VERB)surprisingly (^ADV, ringed)early (^ADV, ringed)today (^NOUN).

The (^DET)guests (^NOUN)left (^VERB)rather (^ADV, ringed)late (^ADV, ringed)last (^ADJ)night (^NOUN).

RB Adverb

The plain adverb: slowly, very, never, quite. Also the negator not (and the n’t of a contraction), enough after an adjective, and the intensifiers, which make another adjective or adverb stronger or weaker.

How the parser decides: an adverb with no degree marking. This one tag covers two coarse categories. Most RB words are ADV, but not and n’t are PART. The fine tag treats them as adverbs; the coarse category treats them as function words.

He (^PRP)answered (^VBD)slowly (^RB, ringed)and (^CC)very (^RB, ringed)carefully (^RB, ringed).

The (^DT)road (^NN)is (^VBZ)not (^RB, ringed)wide (^JJ)enough (^RB, ringed).

RBR Adverb, comparative

The comparative adverb: sooner, faster, more (in more softly). Adverbs made with -ly (softly, slowly) take more rather than -er, so this tag most often goes on more itself.

How the parser decides: a comparative form that describes a verb or an adverb. The parser is not fully consistent: in He arrived later than the others, it tags later as plain RB. If the Tags exercise rejects RBR on a word like this, it is following the parser, not a rule you missed.

The (^DT)second (^JJ)runner (^NN)finished (^VBD)sooner (^RBR, ringed)than (^IN)expected (^VBN).

She (^PRP)spoke (^VBD)more (^RBR, ringed)softly (^RB)after (^IN)that (^DT).

Nina (^NNP)waited (^VBD)longer (^RBR, ringed)than (^IN)her (^PRP$)brother (^NN).

RBS Adverb, superlative

The superlative adverb: fastest, best, and most when it builds the superlative of another adverb (most quickly). Rarer than the adjective superlative, because English tends to rephrase — Ana runs fastest is more often written Ana is the fastest.

How the parser decides: a superlative form that describes a verb or an adverb. It is the least common of the seven tags on this page, and the exercises almost never ask for it.

Of (^IN)all (^PDT)the (^DT)students (^NNS),Max (^NNP)reads (^VBZ)most (^RBS, ringed)quickly (^RB).

Of (^IN)the (^DT)three (^CD),Ana (^NNP)runs (^VBZ)fastest (^RBS, ringed).

WRB Wh-adverb

The wh-adverbs: when, where, why, how. They open a question (Where did you park?) or introduce a clause (Nobody knows why the bell rang). The tag is the same in both uses.

How the parser decides: by the spelling (only however also needs its meaning, as the list below shows). Its coarse category is SCONJ, not ADV, as the note under ADV explains.

Every word tagged WRB

when, where, why, how, and whenever, wherever
The formal whereby and wherein (a system whereby…)
however, only when it means “in whatever way” or “to whatever degree”: However hard he tried, …
Not WRB: however meaning “but” (However, the shop was closed.) is RB, and who, what and which are wh-pronouns and wh-determiners (WP, WDT).

Where (^WRB, ringed)did (^VBD)you (^PRP)park (^VB)the (^DT)van (^NN)?

Nobody (^NN)knows (^VBZ)why (^WRB, ringed)the (^DT)bell (^NN)rang (^VBD).

Visit (^VB)us (^PRP)whenever (^WRB, ringed)you (^PRP)like (^VBP).

Common mistakes with adjectives and adverbs

Three mistakes that many learners make, especially Spanish speakers:

This bread smells good, not smells well. After a linking verb such as smell, the word describes the subject, so it is an adjective (JJ), even though Spanish says huele bien.
Santiago works hard (with effort), not works hardly. The adverb hardly means almost not: Santiago hardly works means he almost does not work. Both words are adverbs (RB), but they mean different things.
-ly is not always -mente: friendly is an adjective. Say Priya waved in a friendly way, not Priya waved friendly.

Quick check

Both lonely and slowly end in -ly. In The lonely farmer walked slowly, which one is an adjective and which one is an adverb?
Answer
lonely is the adjective (ADJ, JJ): it describes the noun farmer. slowly is the adverb (ADV, RB): it describes the verb walked and tells how he walked. The ending is the same, so only the word each one describes can decide.
What fine tag does harder get in each sentence, and why? (a) This exam is harder than the last one. (b) Diego trained harder than his teammates.
Answer
(a) JJR: after the linking verb is, harder describes the exam (exam = harder ✓), so it is a comparative adjective. (b) RBR: harder tells how Diego trained, so it describes the verb and is a comparative adverb (Diego = harder ✗). Same spelling, different attachment, different tag.
Look at Why did the bus not stop today? Which coarse category (POS) does the parser give Why, not and today?
Answer
None of them is ADV. Why is SCONJ (fine tag WRB): this model files the wh-adverbs under SCONJ, even in a direct question. not is PART (fine tag RB). today is NOUN (fine tag NN): a noun that tells when.
Choose the correct word and say why. (a) The coffee smells (good / well). (b) Marta studied (hard / hardly), so she passed the exam.
Answer
(a) good: smells is a linking verb here, so the word describes the coffee (coffee = good ✓). It must be an adjective (JJ). (b) hard: it means with effort. hardly means almost not, which does not fit so she passed the exam.

Key terms

Attributive adjective: An adjective before its noun — a tiny weed. Drawn on a slant under the noun. A tiny weed grew. The old map tore.
See: Articles, Adjectives & Objects
Predicate adjective: An adjective after a linking verb, describing the subject — the soup tasted salty. Same tag, different diagram. The soup tasted salty. The road was icy.
See: Subjective Complements
Degree: Positive, comparative or superlative — long, longer, longest. The fine tag records it: JJ, JJR, JJS for adjectives and RB, RBR, RBS for adverbs. This road is longer. That road is the longest.
Intensifier: An adverb that makes another word stronger or weaker — very, rather, quite. Tagged RB before an adjective or adverb. The soup is very hot. She left rather early.
See: Adverbs

Practice on a real sentence

Three describing words stand before antagonist (the character who works against the hero). For each one, ask which word it describes before you choose a label. A word that describes the noun is an adjective; a word that describes another describing word is an adverb. None of the three is comparative or superlative.

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