An adjective is a word that describes a noun (= substantiv) or a pronoun (= pronomen). It tells us more about a particular person, place, or thing. In other words, an adjective adds details to a sentence.
Adjectives
A good student.
I ate an enormous meal.
A blue car.
He dropped the hot plate.
What a beautiful view.
I have a mean cat.
An adverb is a word that describes a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. Just like adjectives, adverbs are used to add details to a sentence.
Adverbs tell us how, when, where, or why something happened.
Many adverbs (but not all) end with -ly.
Examples
The dog barks loudly.
Mary answered cleverly.
He stared deeply into her eyes.
He drove quickly.
She sang beautifully.
I walked slowly.
Some adjectives and adverbs have the same form:
She’s a fast driver. (adjective)
Victor drives fast. (adverb)
This is a hard exam. (adjective)
The students worked hard. (adverb)
Sue has straight hair. (adjective)
Moe went straight home. (adverb)
Exceptions
After the following verbs, adjectives (not adverbs) are normally used: seem, sound, look, feel, be (= is/are), taste, appear, small.
Examples
Steve seems sad.
The president sounds bitter.
The ice-cream looks delicious.
Roger feels sleepy.