Adverbs

“You have done great.”

Adjectives, Adverbs

I read this in a company’s employee-education course about a week ago.

Problem:
The word “great” is not an adverb.

Explanation:
The word “great” in “You have done great.” acts as an adverb because it modifies the verb “done”.

Writing “You have done great.” is just as wrong as writing “You have done good.” because neither the adjective “good” nor the adjective “great” should be used to modify a verb.

The solution comes from replacing the adjective “great” with an adverb that carries a similar sentiment.

Solution:
“You have done well.”

“Women are still not paid equal to men.”

Adjectives, Adverbs, Common English Blunders, Devolution toward Simpler

My wife heard this two days ago on NPR.

Problem:
The speaker used an adjective where an adverb was required.

Explanation:
National Public Radio on March 12 aired a report in which my wife heard someone say, “Women are still not paid equal to men.”

As is true for “naked” verbs, the passive-voice construction “are still not paid” may be modified by an adverb but may never be modified by an adjective.

The word “equal” is an adjective, not an adverb.

Many adjectives — including “equal” — can be converted into adverbs by adding the “ly” suffix.

I believe that the omission of the “ly” suffix from what should be the adverbial forms of adjectives is consistent with my “Devolution toward Simpler” linguistic hypothesis.

It is simpler to omit the “ly” suffix, which adds two more letters and an extra syllable, than to include it.

Solution:
“Women are still not paid equally to men.”

“inverse” vs. “converse”

Adjectives, Adverbs, Versus

I heard someone say “inversely” yesterday to introduce a contrary opinion to what he first stated.

Problem:
The adverbs “inversely” and “conversely” are not synonyms, just as the adjectives “inverse” and “converse” are not synonyms.

Explanation:
When I heard someone yesterday state one opinion and then introduce an opposing opinion with the adverb “inversely”, I thought that it sounded odd.

I was expecting him to say “conversely” instead of “inversely”, so I decided to learn more about the adjectives “inverse” and “converse”.

This adjective “inverse” dates back to around 1610 from a Latin verb that means to turn inside out or upside down.

So an example of valid use of the adjective “inverse” is “The inverse form of the fraction 3/4 is the fraction 4/3.”

The adjective “converse” dates back to the second half of the 1300s from a Latin verb that means to turn around.

So an example of a valid use of the adjective “converse” is “The converse perspective to ‘The glass is half-full.’ is ‘The glass is half-empty.'”

It may help to look at the words “inverse” and “converse” when they are used as nouns in mathematics.

Given the statement “if p, then q”:

  • “if not p, then not q” is the inverse;
  • “if q, then p” is the converse.

Notice how the inverse “turns inside out” the original statement and how the converse “turns around” the original statement.

Solution:
Use the adjective “inverse” to label something that is upside down or inside out. Use the adjective “converse” to label something that is contrary or turned around.