Plain English Part 61

_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 a.s.serts 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 n.o.body.

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 n.o.body.

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.