37 Practice Activities: Adjectives and Adverbs
Adjectives
Comparable or Non-Comparable?
Read the following passage. Identify the adjectives, and categorize them by comparable and non-comparable.
The Principality of Sealand has been described as the world’s smallest nation. However, it is more accurate to describe it as an unrecognized micronation. It claims Roughs Tower, an offshore platform located approximately 7.5 miles off the coast of Suffolk, England, as its territory. Roughs Tower is a disused Maunsell Sea Fort, originally called HM Fort Roughs, built as an anti-aircraft defensive gun platform by the British during World War II.
Since 1967, the decommissioned HM Fort Roughs has been occupied by family and associates of Paddy Roy Bates, who claim that it is an independent sovereign state. However, Sealand is not officially recognized by any established sovereign state. Bates moved to the mainland when he became elderly, naming his son Michael regent.
[practice-area rows=”4″][/practice-area]
Show Answer
The adjectives are smallest, accurate, unrecognized, Roughs, offshore, Roughs, disused, Maunsell Sea, anti-aircraft, defensive, gun, decommissioned, independent, sovereign, recognized, established, sovereign, elderly
Here’s the passage again with all the adjectives bolded:
The Principality of Sealand has been described as the world’s smallest nation. However, it is more accurate to describe it as an unrecognized micronation. It claims Roughs Tower, an offshore platform located approximately 7.5 miles off the coast of Suffolk, England, as its territory. Roughs Tower is a disused Maunsell Sea Fort, originally called HM Fort Roughs, built as an anti-aircraft defensive gun platform by the British during World War II.
Since 1967, the decommissioned HM Fort Roughs has been occupied by family and associates of Paddy Roy Bates, who claim that it is an independent sovereign state. However, Sealand is not officially recognized by any established sovereign state. Bates moved to the mainland when he became elderly, naming his son Michael regent.
The comparable adjectives are smallest, accurate, unrecognized, offshore, disused, defensive, independent, recognized, established, and elderly.
The non-comparable adjectives are Roughs, Maunsell Sea, anti-aircraft, gun, decommissioned, and sovereign. As you can see, several of these non-comparable adjectives are places or things that have acted as adjectives in this passage (like Maunsell Sea and gun).
Now that you’ve identified the comparable adjectives, write their comparative and superlative forms in the text frame below:
[practice-area rows=”4″][/practice-area]
Show Answer
| Adjective | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| small | smaller | smallest |
| accurate | more accurate | most accurate |
| unrecognized | more unrecognized | most unrecognized |
| offshore | more offshore | most offshore |
| disused | more disused | most disused |
| defensive | more defensive | most defensive |
| independent | more independent | most independent |
| recognized | more recognized | most recognized |
| established | more established | most established |
| elderly | more elderly | most elderly |
Adjective Order
Read the following sentences. Are the adjectives in the correct order? Type any corrections in the text frame below:
- Ramin was throwing a party out at his ancient stone big house.
- Can you believe James lost his leather dumb Italian wallet?
- Sofía was transfixed by that green big singing fish.
- He bought a pink new nice bouquet of flowers.
[practice-area rows=”4″][/practice-area]
Show Answer
- Ancient describes age, stone describes material, and big describes size. The correct order would be size, age, material:
- Ramin was throwing a party out at his big ancient stone house.
- Leather describes material, dumb describes opinion, and Italian describes origin. The correct order would be opinion, origin, material:
- Can you believe James lost his dumb Italian leather wallet?
- Green describes color, big describes size, and singing describes purpose. The correct order would be size, color, purpose:
- Sofía was transfixed by that big green singing fish.
- Pink describes color, new describes age, nice describes opinion. The correct order would be opinion, age, color:
- He bought a nice new pink bouquet of flowers.
Adverbs
Intensifiers and Adverbs of Degree
Read the following passage and identify the adverbs. Are the intensifiers and adverbs or degree being used well? Or would you suggest revision? The sentences have been numbered to aid you in your comments.
(1) Wojtek (usually spelled Voytek in English) was a Syrian brown bear found in Iran and literally adopted by soldiers of the 22nd Artillery Supply Company of the Polish II Corps. (2) Wojtek initially had problems swallowing and was fed with condensed milk from an old vodka bottle. (3) Later in life, he was oftenly rewarded with beer, which became his favorite drink. (4) He really also enjoyed smoking (or eating) cigarettes.
(5) To get him onto a British transport ship when the unit sailed from Egypt, Wojtek was officially drafted into the Polish Army as a Private and was listed among the soldiers of the 22nd Artillery Supply Company. (6) As an enlisted soldier of the company, with his own paybook, rank, and serial number, he lived either with the other soldiers in tents or by himself in a special wooden crate, which was transported by truck. (7) According to numerous accounts, Wojtek helped by carrying ammunition during the Battle of Monte Cassino—he never dropped a single crate. (8) In recognition of the bear’s immensely popularity, the HQ approved a depiction of a bear carrying an artillery shell as the official emblem of the 22nd Company.
[practice-area rows=”4″][/practice-area]
Show Answer
- The adverb literally is misused here. The soldiers did not actually adopt the bear (filling out papers), they simply took the bear in. The best solution is to omit the adverb entirely.
- The adverb initially is used correctly.
- The adverb later is correct; oftenly is not a word; the correct word is often.
- Should be also really, not really also. Also is modifying the phrase “really enjoyed smoking,” so it should come before the phrase, not in the middle of it.
- The adverb officially is used correctly.
- There are no adverbs in this sentence.
- The adverb never is used correctly.
- Immensely should be the adjective immense. Popularity is a noun.