We can recognize most adjectives by their endings. Not all adjectives however have any kind of special endings.

 

al	accidental, central, musical, national, personal
-ous	cautious, dangerous, famous, mountainous, poisonous
-y	brainy, guilty, skinny, stormy, wavy
-ry	angry, hungry, watery, weary, wintry
-ful	forgetful,  harmful, hopeful, joyful, lawful
-ish	boyish, childish, girlish, selfish, yellowish
-sy	choosy, lousy, messy, noisy, posy, nosy,
-ar	circular, monocular, jugular, polar, vulgar,
-ive	active, addictive, radioactive, successive, talkative
-able	acceptable, accountable, agreeable, comfortable, lovable
-ly	cowardly, fatherly, manly, sickly, smoothly,
-ant	distant, intolerant, observant, pleasant, vigilant,
-en	golden, modern, molten, wooden, woolen,
-ic	academic, horrific, optimistic, organic, realistic,
-ent	consistent, non-existent, potent, silent, violent,
-some	handsome, loathsome, lonesome, meddlesome, quarrelsome
-ible	accessible, discernible, responsible, reversible, sensible
-ky	lucky, risky, silky, smoky, tricky
-less	endless,  meaningless, powerless, shameless, toothless,
-ing	alarming, amazing, outstanding, satisfying, worrying
-ed	amused, annoyed, old-fashioned, one-sided, shattered
-hy	fishy, patchy, pushy, wealthy, worthy
-ory	compulsory, laudatory, dilatory, mandatory, statutory,
-ary	imaginary, necessary, ordinary, reactionary, voluntary,

 

  

 

 

 

It is commonly known that most words ending in –ly are adverbs. Not all words ending in –ly are adverbs. A significant number of them are adjectives, which are often mistaken for adverbs. Following is a list of adjectives ending in -ly that, with a few exceptions, cannot be used as adverbs. 

 

 

authorly	ghastly	monthly*	southerly
beastly	ghostly	motherly	sparkly
bodily	giggly	neighborly	spindly
bristly	godly	nightly	sprightly
bubbly	goodly	northeasterly	squiggly
burly	gravelly	northerly	steely
brotherly	grisly	northwesterly	stately
chilly	heavenly	oily	surly
comely	hilly	only	timely
costly	holy	orderly	treacly
courtly	homely	otherworldly	ugly
cowardly	hourly	painterly	unearthly
crinkly	housekeeperly	pearly	unfriendly
crumbly	husbandly	pebbly	ungainly
crumply	jolly	pimply	unlikely
cuddly	kindly	poorly	unruly
curly	kingly	priestly	unseemly
daily*	leisurely	princely	unsightly
dastardly	likely	quarterly	untimely
deadly	lively	queenly	unworldly
deathly	lonely	rumply	weekly*
disorderly	lovely	saintly	westerly
early	lowly	scaly	wifely
earthly	maidenly	scholarly	wily
easterly	manly	shapely	wobbly
elderly	mannerly	sickly	womanly
fatherly	masterly	silly	woolly
fortnightly*	matronly	sisterly	worldly
friendly	mealy	slatternly	wriggly
frilly	measly	slovenly	wrinkly
frizzly	melancholy	sly	yearly*
gentlemanly	miserly	smelly	------

 *Can also be used as an adverb.