Courseversity

Adjectives and adverbs

Primary EducationGrade 3English & Language ArtsCV-PRI-G03-ELA-U06-L0445–60 min

You will learn

  • Identify adjectives.
  • Identify adverbs.
  • Form -ly adverbs.
  • Use comparative and superlative forms.

Version 0.2 · expanded edition · built from cited public sources Content is based on the official frameworks and sources listed under Sources and standards. No official endorsement is claimed. Written in the style of common primary school assessments. No exam result is promised.

Student lesson

The lesson in 60 seconds

  1. Adjectives describe nouns.
  2. Adverbs describe verbs.
  3. Many adverbs end in -ly.
  4. Compare: big, bigger, biggest.

Words to know

adjective
a word that describes a noun
adverb
a word that tells how, when or where
comparative
a form that compares two things, such as taller
superlative
a form that compares three or more, such as tallest

1. Discover: The tall girl and the quick runner

The tall girl walked slowly to the red gate. She quietly opened it. A small dog ran quickly out. Ayo is taller than Tolu, but Chidi is the tallest boy in the class.

Think: Which words describe nouns? Which describe verbs?

2. Understand: Describing words

Idea 1: Adjectives

An adjective describes a noun: tall girl, red gate, small dog.

Idea 2: Adverbs

An adverb describes a verb: walked slowly, quietly opened, ran quickly. Many end in -ly.

Idea 3: Comparing

Use the comparative for two (taller) and the superlative for three or more (tallest).

Remember: Adjectives describe nouns; adverbs describe verbs; -er compares two and -est compares three or more.

3. Worked examples

Example 1 (I show you): Adjective

Name an adjective.

  1. Describes a noun.

Answer: tall (or red, small)

Example 2 (We do it together): Adverb

Name an adverb.

  1. Describes a verb.

Answer: slowly (or quietly, quickly)

Example 3 (You try): Superlative

Who is the tallest?

Show the steps and answer
  1. Superlative.

Answer: Chidi

Did you know?

Many adjectives can become adverbs by adding -ly: quick→quickly, quiet→quietly.

Why this matters

Adjectives and adverbs make writing detailed and exact.

4. Explore: Describe it

Add adjectives and adverbs.

  1. Write a plain sentence.
  2. Add two adjectives.
  3. Add one adverb.
  4. Read it aloud.
Think about it: what did you notice?

You can use adjectives and adverbs.

5. Practise

Say it in a sentence

Use these starters when you talk about the lesson. Say them out loud.

  • The adjective ___ describes ___.
  • The adverb ___ describes ___.
  • ___ is taller than ___.
  • ___ is the tallest.

Guided practice

Question 1. A word that describes a noun is an ___.

adjective

Question 2. A word that tells how is an ___.

adverb

Question 3. A form that compares two things is the ___.

comparative

Independent practice

Level 1: Start

  1. A word that describes a noun is an ___.
  2. A word that tells how is an ___.
  3. A form that compares two things is the ___.
  4. A form that compares three or more is the ___.
  5. The girl walked ___.

Level 2: Grow

  1. Add -ly to quiet.
  2. Comparative of tall.
  3. Superlative of tall.

Level 3: Stretch

  1. Is tall an adjective?
  2. Is quickly an adverb?
  3. Does -est compare three or more?

Answers are in the answer key below. Try first, then check.

6. Apply: English in everyday life

Write six sentences using adjectives and adverbs.

Show a sample answer

six sentences

Another one. Write six sentences with adjectives and adverbs and underline them.

Show a sample answer

a completed task

7. Common mistakes

Mistake: Rushing without checking.
Fix: Slow down and check your work.
Another mistake: Skipping the worked example.
Fix: Study the example first, then try.

8. Lesson summary and revision card

I can…

  • I can identify adjectives.
  • I can identify adverbs.
  • I can form -ly adverbs.
  • I can use comparative and superlative forms.

9. Check and master

Answer all 14 questions. You will see feedback after each one.

1. An adjective describes a ___.

2. An adverb describes a ___.

3. In the red gate, red is an ___.

4. In walked slowly, slowly is an ___.

5. Which is an adverb?

6. Which is an adjective?

7. Quiet becomes an adverb as ___.

8. Taller compares ___ things.

9. Tallest compares ___ or more.

10. Ayo is ___ than Tolu.

11. Chidi is the ___ boy.

12. Which sentence uses an adverb?

Challenge 1. Which word is the adverb? The boy ran quickly home.

Challenge 2. Which word is the adjective? A tiny bird sat there.

Your result appears here after you answer every question.

10. Key takeaways

  • Adjectives describe nouns.
  • Adverbs describe verbs.
  • Many adverbs end in -ly.
  • Compare: big, bigger, biggest.

11. Next lesson

Next lesson: Conjunctions. Keep going with the next idea in this course.

Exam practice

These questions are written in the style of common school and international primary assessments. Try them on your own, without looking back. Then check your answers in the marking guide. The marks are shown in brackets.

  1. What does an adjective do? [1 mark]
  2. What does an adverb do? [1 mark]
  3. Add -ly to quick and slow. [2 marks]
  4. Write comparative and superlative of big. [2 marks]
  5. Explain the difference between an adjective and an adverb. [3 marks]

Total: 9 marks.

Marking guide and model answers
  1. describes a noun [1]
  2. describes a verb [1]
  3. quickly [1]; slowly [1]
  4. bigger [1]; biggest [1]
  5. adjective describes a noun [1]; adverb describes a verb [1]; example of each [1]

Score guide: 8 to 9 = secure. 6 to 7 = nearly there, revise the parts you missed. Under 6 = work through the lesson again with a grown-up.

Printable worksheet

  1. A word that describes a noun is an ___.
  2. A word that tells how is an ___.
  3. A form that compares two things is the ___.
  4. A form that compares three or more is the ___.
  5. The girl walked ___.
  6. Add -ly to quiet.
  7. Comparative of tall.
  8. Superlative of tall.
  9. Is tall an adjective?
  10. Is quickly an adverb?

Homework

Write six sentences with adjectives and adverbs and underline them.

Answer key and marking scheme

Question Expected response Marks
1. A word that describes a noun is an ___. adjective 1
2. A word that tells how is an ___. adverb 1
3. A form that compares two things is the ___. comparative 1
4. A form that compares three or more is the ___. superlative 1
5. The girl walked ___. slowly 1
6. Add -ly to quiet. quietly 1
7. Comparative of tall. taller 1
8. Superlative of tall. tallest 1
9. Is tall an adjective? yes 1
10. Is quickly an adverb? yes 1
Total 10

Independent practice answers. Level 1: 1 adjective; 2 adverb; 3 comparative; 4 superlative; 5 slowly. Level 2: 1 quietly; 2 taller; 3 tallest. Level 3: 1 yes; 2 yes; 3 yes.

Quiz answers: 1 B, 2 C, 3 A, 4 B, 5 C, 6 A, 7 B, 8 C, 9 A, 10 B, 11 C, 12 A, Challenge 1 B, Challenge 2 C.

Mastery and remediation

Objective Bronze (Developing) Silver (Proficient) Gold (Advanced)
O1 Identify adjectives Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation
O2 Identify adverbs Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation
O3 Form -ly adverbs Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation
O4 Use comparative and superlative forms Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation

Courseversity badge thresholds (overall quiz score): Gold = 90–100%; Silver = 80–89.9%; Bronze = 70–79.9%. A badge is never a full record of progress.

If a learner struggles

  1. Find the misconception: Rushing without checking. Slow down and check your work.
  2. Explain another way: use real objects, pictures or actions first, then words.
  3. Show a simpler example: Re-read the examples slowly and use the sentence frames.
  4. Guided practice: work through one example together and let the learner try the next one.
  5. Reassess: use the quiz again or the worksheet.
  6. Move on when the learner shows Silver-level evidence independently.

For parents and guardians

In this lesson your child practises a key Grade 3 English skill with clear examples and a quiz. You do not need to be an expert to help.

  • Listen while your child explains the idea.
  • Ask for one new example.
  • Praise effort and careful work.
  • Ask “how do you know?” after each answer, and listen.
  • Praise effort, not only right answers. Mistakes are how we learn.
  • Ten to fifteen minutes a day is better than one long session.

Teacher package

1–5. Objectives, prerequisites, materials, preparation, duration

Lesson objectives. Learners will: identify adjectives; identify adverbs; form -ly adverbs; use comparative and superlative forms.

Prerequisite knowledge. Subject–verb agreement.

Materials. Chart paper or board, pencils, picture or word cards, a reading book if available. Low-resource options: use chalk or charcoal on a board or wall, drawings in the sand, and objects from the classroom instead of printed materials.

Preparation. Write the key words and examples on the board or on cards before the lesson.

Suggested duration. 45–60 minutes. It can be split into two shorter sessions.

6–9. Teaching procedure, explanation notes, guided and independent activities

Introduction (5 min). Introduce the idea with the opening example.

Explanation (10 min). Teach the key words.

Guided activity (10 min). Practise together.

Independent activity (10 min). Check understanding with the quiz.

Assessment and reflection (5 min). Ask each learner to say one thing they learned and how they know it.

Key questions. What is the key idea? Can I give my own example?

Teacher explanation notes. Move from the spoken word to pictures and then to print. Read aloud often, point to the words, and let learners hear and say before they read and write.

10–12. Differentiation, formative assessment, common misconceptions

Support. Use the sentence frames and work with a partner. Extension. Create a harder example of your own.

Formative assessment. Listen to learners read and explain, ask “how do you know?”, and check the independent work.

Misconceptions. Rushing without checking. Slow down and check your work.

13–15. Assessment questions, answer keys, marking scheme

Use the quiz, the 9-mark exam practice and the worksheet on this page. All answers and marking guides are in the answer sections above. Re-check every answer before use.

16–19. Remediation, enrichment, homework, teacher reflection

Remediation. Re-read the examples slowly and use the sentence frames. Enrichment. Make up your own example and teach it to someone at home. Homework. See above.

Teacher reflection. After teaching, record: which ideas learners understood; which misconceptions occurred; which activities worked; which learners need more practice; and what to improve next time.

Sources and standards

This lesson is based on the sources below, and no official endorsement is claimed. Reference starting points: Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, Cambridge Primary and the IB Primary Years Programme. Where a standard code is named, it points to the official framework.

Official standards for this topic area. Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (official site): Grade 3 » Language. These pages list the standards that cover this topic area; read them alongside the lesson.

Research used to shape this lesson. Common Core L.3.1a and L.3.1g (form and use comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs); Cambridge Primary English Stage 3 (grammar). These sources informed the lesson.

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