+297.+ The position in the sentence of such adverbs as, _only_, _also_
and _merely_, depends upon the meaning to be conveyed. The place where
these adverbs occur in the sentences, may completely alter the meaning
of the sentence. For example:
_Only the address can be written on this side._ We mean that nothing but
the address can be written on this side.
_The address can only be written on this side._ We mean that the address
cannot be printed, but must be written.
_The address can be written only on this side._ We mean that it cannot
be written on any other side, but on this side only.
So you see that the place in which the adverb appears in the sentence
depends upon the meaning to be conveyed and the adverb should be placed
in the sentence so as to convey the meaning intended.
+Never use an adjective for an adverb.+ One common error is using an
adjective for an adverb. Remember that adjectives modify nouns only.
Whenever you use a word to modify a verb, adjective or another adverb,
use an adverb. For example, _He speaks slow and plain_. This is
incorrect. The sentence should be, _He speaks slowly and plainly_. Watch
this carefully. It is a very common error.
+Another very common error is that of using an adverb instead of an
adjective with the copulative verb.+ Never use an adverb in place of an
adjective to complete a copulative verb. When a verb asserts an action
on the part of the subject, the qualifying word that follows the verb is
an adverb. For example, you would say:
The sea was calm.
Here we use an _adjective_ in the predicate, for we are describing the
appearance of the sea, no action is expressed. But if we say: _He spoke
calmly_, we use the adverb _calmly_, for the verb _spoke_ expresses an
action on the part of the subject, and the adverb _calmly_ describes
that action, it tells how he spoke. So we say: _The water looks clear_,
but, _We see clearly_. _She appears truthful._ _They answered
truthfully._ _She looked sweet._ _She smiled sweetly._
With all forms of the verb _be_, as _am_, _is_, _are_, _was_, _were_,
_have been_, _has been_, _will be_, etc., use an adjective in the
predicate; as, _He is glad_. _I am happy._ _They were eager._ _They will
be sad._ Use an adjective in the predicate with verbs like _look_,
_smell_, _taste_, _feel_, _appear_ and _seem_. For example: _He looks
bad._ _It smells good._ _The candy tastes sweet_. _The man feels fine
today._ _She appears anxious._ _He seems weary._
+Never use two negative words in the same sentence.+ The second negative
destroys the first and we really make an affirmative statement. The two
negatives neutralize each other and spoil the meaning of the sentence.
For example, never say:
I don't want no education.
He didn't have no money.
Don't say nothing to nobody.
She never goes nowhere.
He won't say nothing to you.
He does not know nothing about it.
He never stops for nothing.
The stingy man gives nothing to nobody.
In all of these sentences we have used more than one negative; _not_ and
_no_, or _not_ and _nothing_, or _never_ and _no_, or _never_ and
_nothing_. Never use these double negatives. The correct forms of these
sentences are:
I don't want any education.
He didn't have any money.
Don't say anything to any one.
She never goes anywhere.
He won't say anything to you.
He knows nothing about it.
He never stops for anything.
The stingy man gives nothing to any one.
+Where to place the negative adverb, not.+ In English we do not use the
negative adverb _not_ with the common verb form, but when we use _not_
in a sentence, we use the auxiliary _do_. For example, we do not say:
I like it not.
They think not so.
He loves me not.
We strive not to succeed.
Only in poetry do we use such expressions as these. In ordinary English,
we say:
I do not like it.
They do not think so.
He does not love me.
We do not strive to succeed.
+We often use _here_ and _there_ incorrectly after the words _this_
and _that_.+ For example, we say:
This here lesson is shorter than that there one was.
This should be: _This lesson is shorter than that one_.
Bring me that there book.
This here man will not listen.
These sentences should read:
Bring me that book.
This man will not listen.
Never use _here_ and _there_ in this manner.
+Another common mistake is using _most_ for _almost_.+
For example, we say:
We are most there.
I see her most every day.
These sentences should read:
We are almost there.
I see her almost every day.
_Most_ is the superlative degree of _much_, and should be used only in
that meaning.
+We often use the adjective _real_ in place of _very_ or _quite_,
to modify an adverb or an adjective.+
For example, we say:
I was real glad to know it.
She looked real nice.
You must come real soon.
Say instead:
I am very glad to know it.
She looked very nice.
You must come quite soon.
_Really_ is the adverb form of the adjective _real_. You might have
said: