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Difficulty: MediumAdjective and Adverb Usage

Complete the passage with the correct forms of the modifiers 'cautious' and 'smooth' to ensure grammatically correct adjective and adverb usage.

Answer:The captain steered the vessel 【cautiously】 through the narrow channel, ensuring a 【smoother】 journey than the passengers had anticipated.

Answer

The first blank requires the adverb 'cautiously' to modify the verb 'steered', and the second blank requires the comparative adjective 'smoother' to modify the noun 'journey' in a comparison of two things.
The adverb 'cautiously' correctly modifies the verb 'steered' to describe how the action was performed. The comparative adjective 'smoother' correctly modifies the noun 'journey' to compare two distinct situations: the actual trip and the expected trip.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the part of speech needed for the first blank.
An adverb is needed to modify the action verb 'steered'.
Adverbs modify verbs, whereas adjectives modify nouns.
2
Form the adverb from the base word 'cautious'.
'cautiously'
Adding the suffix '-ly' to the adjective 'cautious' creates the adverb form.
3
Identify the part of speech and comparison level needed for the second blank.
A comparative adjective is needed to modify the noun 'journey'.
The sentence compares two scenarios (the actual journey versus what was anticipated), which requires the comparative form.
4
Form the comparative adjective from 'smooth'.
'smoother'
The suffix '-er' is added to single-syllable adjectives to show comparison between two things.

Key Concept

Distinguishing between adjective and adverb usage, and selecting the correct comparative form when comparing two entities.
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Topics

Adjective and Adverb Usage

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