The Use of English Adjectives and Adverbs by Libyan Secondary School Students

Abstract

This study investigates the use of adjectives and adverbs in English and how they are taught.The subjects of the study were forty secondary school students in Zawia (Libya) and it also included thirty teachers who teach the secondary stage in this town.The tools which were used in this study were a written test for students and a questionnaire to teachers.The main results of the study showed that the students omit verb "Be" because there are not auxiliaries equivalent in their native language. They also confused adjectives with adverbs because some adjectives end in (ly) such as silly and weekly, and the adjectives and adverbs which have the same form such as fast and hard. The key recommendations were that the teachers have to grasp English parts of speech in general and especially adjectives and adverbs and it is also recommended that the authority of education should give attention to the importance of in-service training which makes teachers more qualified.