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I found them at the restaurant.

He spent time in [the] hospital.

or how

They arose quickly.

She worked hard.

Most single-word adverbs end in -ly and are formed by adding the suffix -ly to an adjective:

mad → madly

wonderful → wonderfully

When the adjective ends in -y, the adverb is formed by changing -y to -i and adding the suffix -ly:

happy → happily

dainty → daintily

When the adjective ends in -ic, the adverb is formed by adding the suffix -ally:

basic → basically

numeric → numerically

When an adjective ends in -ly, the adverb retains the same spelling:

a daily routine (adjective)

she calls her mother daily (adverb)

an early meeting (adjective)

the show started early (adverb)

Also, there are adverbs that do not end in -ly, for example:

again

now

soon

too

there

how

Positive, Comparative, and Superlative Degrees of Adverbs

Adverbs, like adjectives, can have three degrees of comparison: the positive form exists without reference to anything else; the comparative degree relates to another—as being more or less of the adverb quality; and superlative relates to all members of a class. As a general rule, a single-syllable adverb ends in -er when it is comparative (as faster) and in -est when it is superlative (as fastest). For adverbs of three or more syllables, the comparative and superlative degrees are formed by using the adverbs more/less and most/least. The comparative and superlative degrees of an adverb of two syllables are formed by following either one of these methods:

Positive Comparative Superlative

early earlier earliest

easy easier easiest

nearly more nearly most nearly

quickly more quickly most quickly

satisfactorily less satisfactorily least satisfactorily

Some adverbs, such as only, quite, and very, have no comparative or superlative forms.

Intensive Adverbs

Intensive adverbs, such as just and only, are usually used only to emphasize other words. The emphasis varies according to the placement of the adverb within the sentence:

He just nodded to me as he passed.

He nodded to me just as he passed.

I only wanted to speak with you.

I wanted to speak only with you.

Interrogative Adverbs

Interrogative adverbs, such as when, where, and why, are used chiefly to introduce questions:

When will he return?

Where is the remote control?

Why did you hide it?

THE ARTICLE

Articles, sometimes called “determiners,” are elements of a noun phrase that indicate whether the noun is “definite,” that is, a specific individual, or “indefinite,” that is, very general in nature.

The Definite Article

There is only one form of the definite article: the.

The boys were expelled.

It was the best movie I have seen.

The Indefinite Article

The indefinite article a is used with every noun or abbreviation beginning with either a consonant or the sound of a consonant:

a door

a union

a one-way street

a B.A. degree

a hat

a U.S. Senator

The indefinite article an is used with every noun or abbreviation that begins with a vowel sound, whether or not the first letter of the noun or abbreviation is a vowel or consonant:

an icicle

an MP

an honor

an FAQ

When the first syllable of a noun beginning with h is not stressed or has only a slight stress, the article a is frequently used:

a historian

a heroic attempt

a hilarious performance

However, the article an is sometimes used in these cases:

an historian

an heroic attempt

an hilarious performance

Both forms are acceptable.

THE CONJUNCTION

There are three main types of conjunctions: coordinating conjunctions, correlative conjunctions, and subordinating conjunctions.

Coordinating Conjunctions

Coordinating conjunctions, such as and, but, for, or, nor, so, and yet, are used to connect grammatical elements of the same type. These elements may be words, phrases, clauses, or complete sentences. Coordinating conjunctions are used to connect similar elements, to make exclusions or contrasts, to indicate an alternative, to indicate a cause, or to specify a result:

Connecting similar elements: