Forming Adverbs (adjective + suffix)

Choose the word that correctly completes the sentence: The magician made the rabbit ______ disappear.

• magical

• magically

• magicly

• magic

Answer explanation

The adverb 'magically' correctly describes the verb 'disappear'. 'Magical' is an adjective, 'magic' is a noun, and 'magicly' is a common misspelling.

Match each adjective to the correct spelling rule for changing it into an adverb.

• Add '-ally'

• happy

• Replace '-le' with '-ly'

• final

• Change 'y' to 'i', then add '-ly'

• gentle

• Just add '-ly'

• basic

Answer explanation

Different adjectives follow different spelling rules when adding a suffix. 'happy' becomes 'happily', 'gentle' becomes 'gently', 'final' becomes 'finally', and 'basic' becomes 'basically'.

Sort these words into the correct categories: Adjective or Adverb.

Groups:

(a) Adjective (describes a noun)

,

(b) Adverb (describes a verb)

• angry

• angrily

• loudly

• quick

• loud

• quickly

Answer explanation

Adjectives describe nouns (a quick run), while adverbs describe verbs (he ran quickly). The '-ly' suffix often signals that a word is an adverb.

Which word is the adverb form of the adjective 'brave'?

• bravely

• brave

• bravelly

• braveness

Answer explanation

The adverb 'bravely' is formed by adding the suffix '-ly' to the adjective 'brave'. 'Bravelly' is a misspelling, and 'braveness' is a noun.

Match each adjective to the sentence where its adverb form fits best.

• The car stopped ______ in the middle of the road.

• quiet

• He tiptoed ______ down the hall so he wouldn't wake anyone.

• careful

• She handled the glass vase ______.

• sudden

Answer explanation

Each sentence requires an adverb to describe the action. 'Carefully' describes how she handled the vase, 'suddenly' describes how the car stopped, and 'quietly' describes how he tiptoed.

Choose the word that correctly completes the sentence: My dog wagged its tail ______ when I came home from school.

• happy

• happyly

• happily

• happiness

Answer explanation

The adverb 'happily' correctly describes the verb 'wagged'. The spelling rule is to change the 'y' in 'happy' to 'i' before adding '-ly'. 'Happyly' is a common misspelling.

Sort these adjectives based on the rule for changing them into adverbs.

Groups:

(a) Just Add '-ly'

,

(b) Change 'y' to 'i', then Add '-ly'

• messy

• sad

• clumsy

• easy

• quick

• loud

Answer explanation

Adjectives ending in a consonant usually just add '-ly'. Adjectives ending in 'y' usually change the 'y' to 'i' before adding '-ly'.

What is the most common suffix used to change an adjective into an adverb?

• -ly

• -ness

• -ful

• -ing

Answer explanation

The suffix '-ly' is the most common ending for adverbs that are formed from adjectives. The other suffixes typically form nouns or adjectives.

Match each adjective to the rule for forming its adverb.

• Just add '-ly'

• tragic

• Add '-ally'

• simple

• Replace '-le' with '-ly'

• soft

• Change 'y' to 'i' and add -ly

• heavy

Answer explanation

Adjectives follow specific spelling patterns: 'heavy' -> 'heavily', 'simple' -> 'simply', 'tragic' -> 'tragically', and 'soft' -> 'softly'.

To change an adjective ending in '-le', like 'possible', into an adverb, what is the correct spelling rule?

• Replace the '-le' with '-ly'

• Just add '-ly' to the end

• Drop the 'e' and add '-y'

• Change 'l' to 'i' and add '-ly'

Answer explanation

For adjectives ending in a consonant followed by '-le', the '-le' is dropped and replaced with '-ly' to form the adverb (e.g., possible -> possibly).