Adjective vs Adverb

rogersgeorge on February 10th, 2023

Here’s a good example of an adjective-adverb combination that people often get wrong:

Our ancestors probably didn’t smell good, but did they smell well? 

https://newatlas.com/biology/neanderthal-denisovan-odor-receptors-smell-sensitivity/
  • “Good” is an adjective; it refers to nouns.
  • “Well” is an adverb; it refers to verbs.

Do you know the exception? (Well is an adjective referring to illness, as in “I don’t feel well.”)

Here’s the picture that goes with the article:

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Funny List of Grammar Goofs

rogersgeorge on November 8th, 2022

This is an easy post for me.

Each item is an example of the error it describes. I’ll show you the first couple, then click the link to get them all. I confess I edited the example list. (the original number 2 is incorrect. Those are adverbs, not prepositions.. and you have permission to end sentences with them. Actually, you also have permission to split an infinitive, but I left that one in.)

1. Remember to never split an infinitive.

2. The passive voice should never be used.

3. Avoid run-on sentences they are hard to read.

The site has some fluff at the top, but the list is easy to find.

https://www.listsofnote.com/p/avoid-commas-that-are-not-necessary

Well and Good

rogersgeorge on October 9th, 2022

First the comic. Can you explain the difference?

https://www.gocomics.com/pickles/2022/09/22

“Well” is an adverb. It describes his ability to detect odors.

“Good” is an adjective. It describes his body odor.

Did you get the answer correct?

Multiple Prepositions in a Row

rogersgeorge on June 4th, 2022

Two examples of two in a row in the cartoon; second and third panels:

https://www.gocomics.com/frazz/2022/06/01

You might know that technically, the word that looks like a preposition is really an adverb when you have a separable verb (such as “put up” and “stress out.”) And these adverbs can go at the end of a sentence, such as “put ’em up” and “Don’t stress me out.”

But what about when you have more than one? The kid’s “up with” feels like an adverb, but the teacher’s “over” feels like a preposition. After all, she could have ended the sentence with “over this.” That gives “over” an object. Maybe we have some flexibility here. The longest series of prepositions I know of is five:

Come on up to over by the picnic table.

Where would you say the adverbs stop and the prepositions begin? Can you come up with a longer series? Feel free to put something in the comments.

How Do You Make an Adverb out of a Separable Verb?

rogersgeorge on November 4th, 2021

The verb I’m thinking about is “to blend in.” Do we have an adverb for it? Well, here’s the pattern I’ve seen in this situation. Last panel.

https://www.gocomics.com/frazz/2014/02/20

How would you say it? What verbs can you think of to change into adverbs?