Question

Identify the word which the adverb modifies.
You are walking too slowly.
A) Slowly
B) You
C) Too
D) No word

Answer 1

Hint: Adverbs are certain words which have the function of modifying or describing other words like adjectives, verbs, other adverbs etc. We can also say that an adverb itself can also be modified by an adverb.

Complete answer:
In this question we need to detect the word which is being modified by the adverb. The given sentence has two adverbs; too and slowly. Therefore, the word that we are looking for must be a verb, adjective or an adverb.

Now let us analyze the given options:
Option A) Slowly – The word ‘slowly’ is the word which is being modified by an adverb i.e. ‘too’. Thus, this option is correct.
Option B) You – Adverbs always modify verbs, adjectives or other adverbs. They do not modify nouns or pronouns. The word ‘you’ is a pronoun, hence it cannot be modified by an adverb. Thus, this option is incorrect.
Option C) Too – The word ‘too’ is an adverb that is modifying another adverb ‘slowly’ in the given sentence. The word ‘too’ itself is not being modified by any word. Therefore, this option is incorrect.
Option D) No word – This option is incorrect as we know that option (A) ‘slowly’ is the correct answer.

Thus, the correct answer is Option (A) Slowly.

Note: A very simple way to identify an adverb is by looking at the –ly at its end. For e.g. quickly, slowly, densely. The following are some examples of its usage;
- He dances very nicely. (adverb used to modify a verb)
- The box was extremely heavy. (adverb used to modify an adjective)
- I am losing very badly at this game. (adverb used to modify another adverb)