Adjective vs. Adverb: What's the Difference?
Both are describing words, but they describe different things. An adjective describes a noun — a person, place, or thing — telling you what kind, which one, or how many ('a quick runner'). An adverb describes a verb, an adjective, or another adverb — telling you how, when, where, or to what degree ('she runs quickly'). The quick test: if it's describing a thing, it's an adjective; if it's describing an action or a quality, it's an adverb.
See the difference, explained visually.
Watch a 2-minute animated lesson comparing adjective and adverb.
At a glance
| Adjective | Adverb | |
|---|---|---|
| Describes | A noun (or pronoun) | A verb, adjective, or adverb |
| Answers | What kind? Which? How many? | How? When? Where? How much? |
| Example | a quick runner | she runs quickly |
| Typical ending | Various | Often '-ly' |
| Position | Before a noun / after 'is' | Near the verb it modifies |
Which should you use?
Adjective
Use an adjective when you're describing a thing — its colour, size, or quality, like 'a loud noise' or 'a happy child'.
Adverb
Use an adverb when you're describing an action or a quality — how something is done, like 'spoke loudly' or 'very happy'.
Frequently asked questions
- What's the easiest way to tell an adjective from an adverb?
- Look at what it describes. If it describes a noun (a thing), it's an adjective: 'a slow car'. If it describes a verb (an action), an adjective, or another adverb, it's an adverb: 'the car moved slowly'.
- Do all adverbs end in -ly?
- No. Many do (quickly, softly), but words like 'fast', 'well', 'often', and 'very' are adverbs too. And not every -ly word is an adverb — 'friendly' and 'lovely' are adjectives.
- Is it 'drive safe' or 'drive safely'?
- Grammatically, 'drive safely' — you need the adverb 'safely' to describe the verb 'drive'. 'Safe' is an adjective, so it would describe a noun, not the action of driving.