4
votes
Accepted
"The layer of haze starts out tenuous": why not "tenuously"?
An adjective can be a "subject complement". If I say "The elephant looks big," then big tells us something about the elephant, not its eyesight. In this case, "tenuous" ...
- 10.1k
3
votes
Accepted
Kind or kindly ways?
The example is a slightly bizarre / "pathological"1 one.
Strictly speaking, kind and kindly are both syntactically / semantically valid choices for both positions. But although I can't say ...
- 68.6k
2
votes
Any difference between "walking slow" and "walking slowly"?
There's no difference.
In He walks so slow, "slow" is an adverb formed by conversion from the adjective "slow".
The plain form, "slow", is not acceptable to everyone, ...
- 15.8k
2
votes
"The layer of haze starts out tenuous": why not "tenuously"?
The most common situation where an adjective following a verb should not be changed into an adverb is when the adjective is the subject complement of a linking verb. You can tell this case because ...
- 1,184
2
votes
"The layer of haze starts out tenuous": why not "tenuously"?
The sentence is parallel to
This morning I awoke hungry,
A week after the accident, his memory returned intact,
Having spent the day digging ditches, she arrived home exhausted,
and even
The soup ...
- 5,599
1
vote
Accepted
In this context "Possibly" is modifying what?
Possibly is a 'modifier of uncertainty'* [a term I just made up.]
Like 'potentially', 'perhaps', 'might' or 'maybe' it's one of those words** someone uses when they think or estimate a situation has a ...
- 16.5k
1
vote
Adverbs in mid postition and end position
Surely, certainly, seldom, always, and hopefully are just a few of the adverbs that can be placed before verbs, though some of them aren’t modifying the verb they proceed. In
He seldom drinks tea,
...
- 5,599
1
vote
He is in politics some
Some is an adverb there and Merriam-Webster has this (AE usage):
2
a
: in some degree : SOMEWHAT
felt some better
b
: to some degree or extent : a little
the cut bled some
I need to work on it some ...
- 559
1
vote
Accepted
"Best"—adverb or adjective (in the sentence)
Best is an adverb here, as Britannica explains:
2 best
/ˈbɛst/
adverb
superlative form of 1well
1
: in the best way : in a way that is better than all others
The sauce is best served/eaten/enjoyed ...
- 7,269
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible