# Absence of Adverbs **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 16, 2005, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absence-of-adverbs/321914 "2005-09-16T03:09:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absence-of-adverbs/321914/1 "2005-09-16T03:09:38Z")
OK. As a Canadian, I get real upset when I see Americans foregoing adverbs, first in speech, and now in writing. Is this a usual accepted occurrence? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absence-of-adverbs/321914/2 "2005-09-16T03:15:21Z")
What are you talking about? ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absence-of-adverbs/321914/3 "2005-09-16T03:18:46Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > What are you talking about? Exact ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absence-of-adverbs/321914/4 "2005-09-16T03:22:42Z")
OK, then. Whatly are you talkingly aboutly? ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absence-of-adverbs/321914/5 "2005-09-16T03:31:30Z")
Well, in real big games, players come up real big. And now the absence of the adverb is spreading to other verbs. And it’s annoying: honest. ---
**Author:** ![PBear42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PBear42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PBear42)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absence-of-adverbs/321914/6 "2005-09-16T03:48:00Z")
Is this a question? Or an IMHO? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absence-of-adverbs/321914/7 "2005-09-16T03:50:55Z")
> [@PBear42](#): > > Is this a question? Or an IMHO? It’s a violent rant that was meant to be in the Pit. Remember, he’s Canadian. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absence-of-adverbs/321914/8 "2005-09-16T03:58:47Z")
No, I’m not intending this to be a pit topic. I’ve been lurking for a while and have been a guest for almost a month. But seriously, we NEVER say “real good” (etc.) in Canada, and I’m sure my other brethren English-speaking countries can corroborate. I’m interested in the why, what, where, of this peculiar change in dropping the adverb. Honest(ly) ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absence-of-adverbs/321914/9 "2005-09-16T04:04:37Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > No, I’m not intending this to be a pit topic. I’ve been lurking for a while and have been a guest for almost a month. But seriously, we NEVER say “real good” (etc.) in Canada, and I’m sure my other brethren English-speaking countries can corroborate. Bullshit. Lots of Canadians say “real good,” as well as “Come up real big” and other such adverb-avoiding terms. I hear such things all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absence-of-adverbs/321914/10 "2005-09-16T04:07:49Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Bullshit. Lots of Canadians say “real good,” as well as “Come up real big” and other such adverb-avoiding terms. I hear such things all the time. Jeesh Rick. Not here. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absence-of-adverbs/321914/11 "2005-09-16T04:13:13Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Jeesh Rick. Not here. What part of Canada, then? ---
**Author:** ![Joools](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6de8d8/32.png) [@Joools](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joools)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absence-of-adverbs/321914/12 "2005-09-16T04:14:39Z")
If it’s any consolation, the “real” in “real good” is technically still an adverb. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absence-of-adverbs/321914/13 "2005-09-16T04:15:20Z")
“Real” _is_ being used as an adverb when used in the manner described. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absence-of-adverbs/321914/14 "2005-09-16T04:22:14Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > “Real” _is_ being used as an adverb when used in the manner described. Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong. It should most definitely be “really.” You can not say that something is “real” big, or “real” small. Similarily you can’t say something is “extreme” big or “extreme” small. I’m not flaming, pitting, or whatever… I’m just stating that adverbs must follow certain rules… ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absence-of-adverbs/321914/15 "2005-09-16T04:25:35Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong. Sorry, but it is you who are wrong. Look up the definiton of [“adverb”](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=adverb). In the case of “real good”, the word “real” is being used to modify the adjective “good”. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absence-of-adverbs/321914/16 "2005-09-16T04:28:17Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > Sorry, but it is you who are wrong. Look up the definiton of [“adverb”](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=adverb). In the case of “real good”, the word “real” is being used to modify the adjective “good”. Ahh, I don’t see that in the definition supplied? What am I missing? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absence-of-adverbs/321914/17 "2005-09-16T04:33:17Z")
> [@](#): > > The part of speech that modifies a verb, adjective, or other adverb. Why is this not clear to you? ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absence-of-adverbs/321914/18 "2005-09-16T04:37:06Z")
You also know little about grammar. If a word is used in the role in a sentence where you expect adverbs to be, then it is an adverb. For instance, consider this sentence which is possible in certain dialects around Boston: “That was a wicked good party.” In this sentence, “wicked” is used in the position where you expect an adverb, so it is an adverb. The fact that you or I or anybody else doesn’t like it being used as an adverb is irrelevant. The same thing is true of the sentence: “That was a real good party.” The fact that you don’t like this use of “real” is irrelevant to what part of speech “real” is in this sentence. In both cases I have given, these words are being used are synonyms for “very,” which is always an adverb. There might be a case for saying that it’s not acceptable to use “real” as an adverb in formal written English, but that’s an entirely different statement. To say what part of speech a word is in a particular sentence in a particular dialect, you look at how the word is used there, not how it is used in other sentences in other dialects. I think you need to learn some elementary linguistic facts. You might start by reading the book _Language Myths_ edited by Laurie Bauer and Peter Trudgill. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absence-of-adverbs/321914/19 "2005-09-16T04:39:12Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > I’m not flaming, pitting, or whatever… I’m just stating that adverbs must follow certain rules… What you seem to be complaining about is using of “real” instead of “really.” But Merriam-Webster considers “real” to be an adverb, albeit one mainly suited for informal use: > [@](#): > > Main Entry: 3real > Function: adverb > : VERY \ > usage Most handbooks consider the adverb real to be informal and more suitable to speech than writing. Our evidence shows these observations to be true in the main, but real is becoming more common in writing of an informal, conversational style. It is used as an intensifier only and is not interchangeable with really except in that use. Do you have some other actual examples besides “real” instead of “really?” ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absence-of-adverbs/321914/20 "2005-09-16T04:46:05Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > What you seem to be complaining about is using of “real” instead of “really.” But Merriam-Webster considers “real” to be an adverb, albeit one mainly suited for informal use: > > Do you have some other actual examples besides “real” instead of “really?” From Merriam-Webster: Function: adverb : VERY \ usage Most handbooks consider the adverb real to be informal and more suitable to speech than writing. Our evidence shows these observations to be true in the main, but real is becoming more common in writing of an informal, conversational style. It is used as an intensifier only and is not interchangeable with really except in that use. Sighhhh… OK, it seems to be accepted informally now. (It’s still freakin’ wrong though !) OK - I admit defeat. And I really will do some homework before posing questions in the future. Apologies. I real mean it. (pfff) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absence-of-adverbs/321914.md?page=2)