Exercises

99.1 Complete the sentences with adverbs. The first letter(s) of each adverb are given.

1. We didn't go out because it was raining _heavily._

2. Our team lost the game because we played very ba---.

3. I had little difficulty finding a place to live. I found a flat quite ea---.

4. We had to wait for a long time but we didn't complain. We waited pa---.

5. Nobody knew George was coming to see us. He arrived unex---.

6. Mike keeps fit by playing tennis reg---.

99.2 Put in the right word.

1. The driver of the car was _seriously_ injured. (serious/seriously)

2. The driver of the car had serious_ injuries. (serious/seriously)

3. I think you behaved very ---. (selfish/selfishly)

4. Rose is --- I upset about losing her job. (terrible/terribly)

5. There was a --- change in the weather. (sudden/suddenly)

6. Everybody at the party was --- dressed. (colourful/colourfully)

7. Linda likes wearing --- clothes. (colourful/colourfully)

8. She fell and hurt herself quite ---.(bad/badly)

9. He says he didn't do well at school because he was --- taught. (bad/badly)

10. Don't go up that ladder. It doesn't look ---. (safe/safely)

11. He looked at me --- when I interrupted him. (angry/angrily)

99.3 Complete each sentence using a word from the list. Sometimes you need the adjective (careful etc.) and sometimes the adverb (carefully etc.).

careful(ly) complete(ly) continuous(ly) financial(ly) fluent(ly) happy/happily nervous(ly) perfect(ly) quick(ly) special(1y)

1. Our holiday was too short. The time passed very _quickly._

2. Tom doesn't take risks when he's driving. He's always ---.

3. Sue works --- She never seems to stop.

4. Alice and Stan are very --- married.

5. Monica's English is very --- although she makes quite a lot of mistakes.

6. I cooked this meal --- for you, so I hope you like it.

7. Everything was very quiet. There was --- silence.

8. I tried on the shoes and they fitted me ---.

9. Do you usually feel --- before examinations?

10. I'd like to buy a car but it's --- impossible for me at the moment.

99.4 Choose two words (one from each box) to complete each sentence.

absolutely reasonably unusually badly seriously unnecessarily completely slightly

cheap enormous planned badly changed ill quiet damaged long

1. I thought the restaurant would be expensive but it was _reasonably cheap._

2. George's mother is --- in hospital.

3. What a big house! It's ---.

4. It wasn't a serious accident. The car was only ---.

5. The children are normally very lively but they're --- today.

6, When I returned home after 20 years, everything had ---.

7. The film was --- It could have been much shorter.

8. A lot went wrong during our holiday because it was ---.

UNIT 100 Adjectives and adverbs (2) (well/fast/late, hard/hardly)

A. Good/well

Good is an adjective. The adverb is well:

* Your English is good. but You speak English well.

* Susan is a good pianist. but Susan plays the piano well.

We use well (not 'good') with past participles (dressed/known etc.):

well-dressed well-known well-educated well-paid

But well is also an adjective with the meaning 'in good health':

* 'How are you today? ', 'I'm very well, thanks.' (not 'I'm very good')

B. Fast/hard/late

These words are both adjectives and adverbs:

adjective:

* Jack is a very fast runner.

* Ann is a hard worker.

* The train was late.

adverb:

* Jack can run very fast.

* Ann works hard. (not 'works hardly')

* I got up late this morning.

Lately = 'recently'

* Have you seen Tom lately?

C. Hardly

Hardly = very little, almost not. Study these examples:

* Sarah was rather unfriendly to me at the party. She hardly spoke to me. (= she spoke to me very little, almost not at all)

* George and Hilda want to get married but they've only known each other for a few

days. I don't think they should get married yet. They hardly know each other. (= they know each other very little)

Hard and hardly are completely different. Compare:

* He tried hard to find a job but he had no luck. (= he tried a lot, with a lot of effort)

* I'm not surprised he didn't find a job. He hardly tried to find one. (= he tried very little)

We often use hardly + any/anybody/anyone/anything/anywhere:

* A: How much money have you got?

B: Hardly any. (= very little, almost none)

* I'll have to go shopping. We've got hardly any food.

* The exam results were very bad. Hardly anybody in our class passed. (= very few students passed, almost nobody passed)

* She ate hardly anything. She wasn't feeling hungry. (= she ate very little, almost nothing) Note the position of hardly. You can say:

* She ate hardly anything. or She hardly ate anything.

* We've got hardly any food. or We've hardly got any food. We often use can/could + hardly. I can hardly do something = it's almost impossible for me to do it:

* Your writing is terrible. I can hardly read it. (= it is almost impossible for me to read it)

* My leg was hurting me. I could hardly walk. Hardly ever = almost never

* I'm nearly always at home in the evenings. I hardly ever go out.