Some nouns can take one ending to become an adjective or another ending to become an adverb. Not all nouns can form an adverb and an adjective. Some form neither of the two. The rules aren’t precise here.
Like in English, adjectives precede the nouns which they describe, regardless of what place in the [sentence word order] the word falls.
Adjectives formed from a noun usually end in -ஆன.
Adverbs formed from a noun usually end in -ஆக.
| Adjective | Adverb | Noun | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| அழகான | beautiful | அழகாக | beautifully | அழகு | beauty |
| மெலிதான | soft | மெலிதாக | softly | மெலிது | softness |
| நீலமான | blue | நீலமாக | blue-ly | நீலம் | blueness |
| பச்சையான | green | பச்சையாக | green-ly | பச்சை | green-ness |
| உப்பான | salty | உப்பாக | saltily | உப்பு | salt, saltiness |
Why would there be a need to make words like “green-ly” and “blueness”? Well, to start with, நீலம் is the word for blue. In Thamil, colors are nouns, not adjectives.
In simple sentences in which something is being described by an adjective, adverbs are used instead of the adjectives. To make these sentences:
That’s it! (Phew!)
Turn the noun into an adjective or adverb, based on the context.
Ex: நாக்கு ____ (சிவப்பு) இருக்கிறது.