Question

Identify whether the underlined word is an adverb or an adjective.
Darren is a very fast runner.
A. Adverb
B. Adjective
C. Adverb and adjective
D. None of the above

Answer 1

Hint: An adverb is a word used to describe the nature of an action(verb).
An adjective is a word used to describe the nature of a person, place, thing or an animal (nouns).

Complete step by step answer:
Option A – The underlined word describes that Darren is a fast runner. It is describing his running quality. The word ‘runner’ in this context is a noun and not a verb. Hence this is not the right answer.
Option B - The underlined word describes that Darren is a fast runner. It is describing his running quality. The word ‘runner’ in this context is a noun and this makes ‘fast’ an adjective. Hence this is the right answer.
Option C – Some words take the roles of adverbs, while other times they take the role of an adjective based on what they are describing. The same word in a sentence cannot be both adverb and adjective at the same time; hence this is not the right answer.
Option D – As we have already concluded that option B is the right answer, this is not a valid option.

Thus, the correct option is (B)

Note:
While trying to look for the right answer, be mindful of gerunds which may make an adverb into an adjective. Being able to judge if the word is a gerund or a noun is important.