Question 1

Why do linking verbs take adjectives instead of adverbs?

Accepted Answer

A linking verb connects the subject to a description of its state or quality. In "the music sounded strange", strange describes the music, not the action of sounding. That is why an adjective is needed. Common linking verbs include look, feel, sound, taste, smell, seem, appear, become, go, and get when they mean "be" or "become". If you can replace the verb with be and the sentence still makes sense, an adjective is often right: "the room went quiet" is like "the room became quiet".

Question 2

Why are fast, hard, and early not changed to fastly, hardly, and earlily?

Accepted Answer

Some English adverbs have the same form as the adjective. Fast can be an adjective in "a fast train" and an adverb in "she runs fast". Hard can describe effort in "they worked hard". Early can describe time in "he arrived early". Forms such as fastly and earlily are not standard. Hardly exists, but it has a different meaning: almost not. This exercise includes these forms because learners often add -ly automatically, even when English uses a flat adverb instead.

Question 3

How do I choose between good and well in this exercise?

Accepted Answer

Use good as an adjective when it describes a noun or a subject: "a good swimmer", "your English is good", or "the weather looks good". Use well as an adverb when it describes performance or manner: "she speaks well" and "he did well in the interview". The exception is health, where well can be an adjective: "I do not feel well" means I am not healthy. In this intermediate route, decide whether the sentence talks about quality, performance, or health before choosing.

Adjective or Adverb? - Intermediate

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Adjective or Adverb? - Easy

Adjective or Adverb? - Advanced

Linking Verbs + Adjectives

-ed vs -ing Adjectives

Conditionals

Present Perfect