STRUCTURE AND WRITTEN EXPRESSION SKILL 47: USE ADJECTIVES AFTER LINKING VERBS

LONGMAN COMPLETE COURSE FOR THE TOEFL TEST

STRUCTURE AND WRITTEN EXPRESSION

SKILL 47: USE ADJECTIVES AFTER LINKING VERBS

Genereally an adverb rathe than an adjective will come directly after a verb because the adverb is describing the verb.

The verb spoke is followed by the adverb nicely. This adverb describes the verb spoke.

 However you must be careful if the verb is a linking verb. A linking verb is followed by an adjective rather than an adverb.

The linking verb looks is followed by the adjective nice. This adjective describes the subject she.

You should be sure to use an adjective rather than an adverb after a linking verb. Be careful, however, because the adjective that goes with the linking verb does not always directly follow by the linking verb

The adjective nice, which describes the subject he, is itself described by the adverb unusually. From this example, you should notice that it is possible to have an adverb directly after a linking verb, but only if the adverb describes an adjective that follows.

The following chart lists commonly used linking verbs and outlines the different uses of adjectives and adverbs after regular verbs and linking verbs:

 

    EXERCISE 47: Each of the following sentences contains at least one adjective or adverb. Circle the adjectives and adverbs, and label them. Draw arrows to the words they describe. Then indicate if the sentences are correct (C) or incorrect (I).

……………	3	After she drank the lemonade, the cake tasted sweetly to her.
……………	4	Throughout dinner we were bored because he spoke incessantly.
……………	5	Sam felt terribly depressed after the accident.
……………	6	The neighbour appeared calm in spite of the fact that his house was on fire.
……………	7	He looked quite unhappily at the thought of leaving his job.
……………	8	Marla jumped up quick when she heard the gunshot.
……………	9	Even though we were not really hungry, the food smelled delicious.
……………	10	The history course that I took last semester proved more difficulty than I had expected.

ANSWER KEY

1	I	(angrily should be angry)
2	C
3	I	(sweeetly should be sweet)
4	C
5	C
6	C
7	I	(unhappily should be unhappy)
8	I	(quick should be quickly)
9	C
10	I	(difficultly should be difficult)