Said vs nicely.

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hi, help me here:

  1. He said it nicely. (I see that nicely is modifying said am I correct?).

  2. It was said nicely. (Is nicely modifying said?

  3. I wrote it but she kept it out of eyes short(Does this mean, she saw it but made a pretention not to have seen it?).

2
  1. Yes.
  2. Yes.
  3. “kept it out of eyes short” does not make sense.
3

Hi, Dozy thanks,
Here comes my question:
I only know that adverbs modify only adjectives and other adverbs but not VERBS as SAID above please explain why.
With the #2 I preconceived that the adverb NICELY, modifies both ‘was and said’ . Please tell as to why NICELY modifies only SAID and not WAS inclusive, if only adverbs could modify VERBS.

Thanks.

SON EBENEZER.

4

Did you mean to say that? Adverbs do modify verbs (as well as adjectives and other adverbs).

In that sentence, “was said” is a passive verb form, consisting of auxiliary “was” and main verb “said”. It is usual to think of “nicely” as modifying “said” because that is the main verb. I suppose it is not wrong to say that “nicely” modifies “was said”, but I don’t think it would normally be put that way.

5

By the way, I realised later that your “out of eyes short” may have been a mistake for “out of eyeshot” (meaning “out of view”, “in a place where it cannot be seen”).

6

I had meant, does ADVERBS modify VERBS? at all. In fact I am astonished.

Thanks Dozy.

7

You know that adverbs modify verbs. In the earlier thread at english-test.net/forum/ftopi … lify_verbs you ask a question about which verbs various adverbs are modifying.