AEE 2450: Grammar That Breaks the Rules Part 2: Noun Nonsense

Summary

All Ears English Podcast: AEE 2450 – Grammar That Breaks the Rules Part 2: Noun Nonsense

Release Date: July 28, 2025

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Introduction

In Episode 2450 of the All Ears English Podcast, hosts Lindsay McMahon and Michelle Kaplan delve into the intriguing nuances of English grammar, specifically focusing on nouns that defy standard grammatical rules. Titled "Grammar That Breaks the Rules Part 2: Noun Nonsense," this episode continues the exploration from its predecessor, aiming to enhance listeners' understanding of English nuances beyond conventional rules.

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Overview of the Episode

The primary focus of this episode is to challenge the common assumption that words ending in -ly are strictly adverbs. Lindsay and Michelle provide four compelling examples where -ly-ending words function as adjectives rather than adverbs, thereby breaking traditional grammatical expectations. This nuanced understanding is crucial for intermediate to advanced English learners striving for fluency and confidence in their language use.

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Key Topics and Discussions

1. Adjectives Ending in -ly

Lindsay introduces the central theme by questioning the assumption that all -ly words are adverbs:

"Do you always assume that if a word ends in ly it's an adverb and should be used in that way? You today get four examples of adjectives that end in ly and how to use them in English." [00:10]

Aubrey Carter further elaborates on this by presenting the first example:

• Friendly

  • Usage as an Adjective: Describes the nature of a noun rather than modifying a verb.

  "Our new neighbors are very friendly and brought us cookies." [04:30]

  Aubrey shares a personal anecdote about her neighbors:

  "Last week was my birthday, and I have two neighbor friends who both brought super nice gifts. They're very friendly. I need to be more cognizant about getting them a gift on their birthday because it is so meaningful." [04:41]

2. Understanding "Coward" and "Cowardly"

The hosts transition to the second example:

• Cowardly

  • Usage as an Adjective: Describes a noun, indicating a lack of bravery.

  "It was a cowardly act to run away and leave his friends behind." [07:12]

  Lindsay reflects on societal perceptions:

  "It's really frustrating when you see this from the outside. If you maybe are the kind of person who would take action... you're not cowardly." [07:59]

  Aubrey adds depth by discussing the broader implications, including references to governance and famous literary characters like the Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz.

3. "Cost" and "Costly"

The third example focuses on costly, derived from the noun cost:

• Costly

  • Usage as an Adjective: Describes the extent of loss or damage.

  "Their mistakes proved costly in the final minutes of the game." [08:32]

  Aubrey emphasizes its application to larger contexts:

  "If we talk about famine, war, things like this, we would say it's costly if it's causing loss of life." [08:47]

4. "Order" and "Orderly"

The final example explores orderly, stemming from the noun order:

• Orderly

  • Usage as an Adjective: Describes the state of being neat and well-organized.

  "The files were arranged in an orderly manner on the shelf." [09:09]

  Lindsay shares her personal preference for order to maintain focus:

  "I do feel like I need a bit of that Zen in my head to be able to work and focus. Things need to be somewhat in order." [09:20]

  In contrast, Aubrey discusses her tolerance for clutter:

  "I thrive in clutter... As a mom of four children, there's always toys and clothes everywhere." [10:01]

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Insights and Reflections

Throughout the episode, Lindsay and Aubrey emphasize the importance of understanding these exceptions to enhance fluency and reduce grammatical stress. They highlight that even native speakers occasionally make these mistakes, underscoring the complexity and subtlety of the English language.

Aubrey encapsulates the essence of the episode by stating:

"The big main mistake we want to help you avoid here is using all of these words that end in ly to describe verbs, because you're assuming they're an adverb." [17:01]

Lindsay reinforces the podcast’s core philosophy:

"The more we know, the more we can use that freedom of mind to focus on something ultimately more important, which is the connection." [18:18]

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Conclusion and Takeaways

In wrapping up the episode, the hosts reiterate that mastering these grammatical nuances not only enhances language proficiency but also alleviates the anxiety associated with English learning. By shifting the focus from perfection to meaningful communication, they encourage learners to prioritize connection over correctness.

Key Takeaways:

1. Not All -ly Words Are Adverbs: Recognize that some -ly-ending words function as adjectives, describing nouns rather than modifying verbs.
2. Contextual Understanding: Grasping the appropriate usage of these adjectives can prevent common grammatical errors.
3. Connection Over Perfection: Emphasizing meaningful communication fosters confidence and reduces language learning stress.

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Further Listening

For those who missed the first part of this series, Lindsay directs listeners to:

"Scroll up to episode 2444 on All Ears English: Grammar That Breaks the Rules, part one, Adjectives that end in ly." [17:34]

This foundational episode explores similar themes, providing a comprehensive understanding of -ly adjectives and their applications.

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Final Thoughts

Episode 2450 of the All Ears English Podcast serves as an invaluable resource for English learners aiming to refine their grammatical skills. By dissecting the exceptions to standard rules, Lindsay and Aubrey empower listeners to navigate the complexities of English with greater ease and confidence.

Join the community and embrace the journey to speaking American English like a native—focusing on connection, not perfection.

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Thank you for reading this summary. For more insights and episodes, visit All Ears English.

Transcript

[Aubrey Carter]

This is an Allers English podcast. Episode 2450, grammar that breaks the rules, part two, noun nonsense.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Welcome to the All Ears English podcast, downloaded more than 200 million times. Are you feeling stuck with your English? We'll show you how to become fearless and fluent by focusing on connection, not perfection, with your American host, Aubrey Carter, the IELTS whiz, and Lindsey McMahon, the English adventurer, coming to you from Arizona and Colorado, usa. And to get your transcripts delivered by email every week, go to allearsenglish.com subscribe do you always assume that if a word ends in ly it's an adverb and should be used in that way? You today get four examples of adjectives that end in ly and how to use them in English.

[Aubrey Carter]

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[Lindsey McMahon]

Hey there, Aubrey. How are you today? How's it going?

[Aubrey Carter]

I'm great, Lindsay. How are you?

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yes, Aubrey. Oh, my gosh. Here's a question. Can you think of a time in your life when you were cowardly? That is a very strong word.

[Aubrey Carter]

That is a strong word. I think the best example is at haunted houses. I get really scared at a haunted house. I don't want people jumping out at me. So there are times where we, like, go to enter and I'm like, just kidding. I'll be out here. You guys go ahead. Right. You don't like it? Really cowardly?

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. We used to, like, run during Halloween. We used to run past this guy's house because there was a guy on our road that our parents told us he was a hermit. I don't know if he was a hermit or not. You know, it was the 90s, it was the 80s, and we would just spit, sprint past his house because we were so afraid of him.

[Aubrey Carter]

It just means they like to stay inside. Right. But you had some kind of idea that this meant, like, scary scary.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Exactly, exactly.

[Aubrey Carter]

So Radley. It was like a Boo Radley situation, Right? That kind of situation.

[Lindsey McMahon]

So this is an episode which is a part two of a series. Aubry, tell us about that.

[Aubrey Carter]

Exactly. Michelle and I recorded part one of this series Adjectives that you expect to be an adverb. You're adding ly, so stay till the end. We'll share the number because you can definitely listen to these. Out of order today is part two nouns that you would expect to add ly and it would become an adverb, but it's still an adjective. Very tricky.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah, very tricky. So English doesn't always follow the formula that we're looking for, and we need to have the flexible mind to be ready for that, right?

[Aubrey Carter]

Exactly. If you learn this rule or guideline that words that end in ly are adverbs, you could really be thrown off because that's just not always the case. Right.

[Lindsey McMahon]

I love that. Interesting. Guys, before we get deeper into this today, this high level English, go ahead and hit the follow button. Aubry, what do we stand for here at Dollars English? How are we different from every other podcast?

[Aubrey Carter]

Right. We believe in connection, not perfection. So we want you to be able to connect in English. We're always teaching, you know, grammar, vocabulary. Interesting thing, culture, cultural insights, but with the goal of connecting in English, of being ready for those in person conversations.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah, exactly. We believe there's something more important than being perfect or being correct, and it is connecting, because that's what leads to a happier life. So we're essentially here to make sure we live happier lives through English, through communication, guys. So hit the follow button. Or if you're on YouTube, hit Subscribe.

[Aubrey Carter]

All right, good.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Aubry, let's get into the first example here.

[Aubrey Carter]

All right. Our first one is friend and friendly. So we have the noun friend, which is, of course a person you know well. And like you might say, she has been my best friend since kindergarten. But then when you add ly, this is not an adverb. We do not use this to describe actions or verbs. It is an adjective.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah. So for example, our new neighbors are very friendly and brought us cookies. Yeah. That's just literally describing their nature, how they are. Are your neighbors friendly, Aubrey?

[Aubrey Carter]

I do have extremely friendly neighbors. In fact, last week was my birthday, and I have two neighbor friends who both brought super nice gifts. They're very. They're, I think, their love language. Both of these amazing ladies is giving gifts.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yes.

[Aubrey Carter]

And I made a note. I'm like, I need to do better at remembering their birthdays and taking them a gift because that's not usually my love language. But I think that's also how they receive love. So I need to be more cognizant about getting them a gift on their birthday because it is so meaningful. I was very touched. It was so kind.

[Lindsey McMahon]

That's really kind. Happy belated birthday, by the way, Aubrey. Yeah. I hope you had a great day. It's true love languages are tricky because people do usually show love in their language, but if it's not your language, you may not think to reciprocate in that same way.

[Aubrey Carter]

Right, exactly. Especially gift giving, I think, is the trickiest one, because if that isn't your love language, you don't think to do it for others who might really feel loved if you do. So I need to, like, step out of my comfort zone maybe, and. And find a gift for. For friends, for sure.

[Lindsey McMahon]

All right, good stuff. Well, the next one is coward and cowardly.

[Aubrey Carter]

So.

[Lindsey McMahon]

So this is interesting. So this is what you asked me at the top of the show. I asked you at the top of the show. Right. What is a coward as a noun?

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah. So this is a person who is not brave, is afraid often even to do what is right or expected. This is the difference between just being scared and not brave. Often a coward will collocate with if someone really should be standing up for injustice, someone is being treated badly, and you still don't dare to step in and do the right thing. That is when we would potentially call someone a coward or call ourselves a coward. If we do that.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah, we can see a lot of examples of this right now in. In government. I won't go into it, but that's another story for another day and always.

[Aubrey Carter]

That's a really good point, though, that often we don't really talk about individuals as cowards, but we will use this in a bigger way to talk about countries, governments, that if one person or group feels like they should step in, they have a duty to step in, and they don't, then we might refer to them as a coward.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Absolutely. It also makes me think of the Cowardly lion on the wizard of Oz. Right. A famous character, right? Yeah.

[Aubrey Carter]

I just saw the preview for Wicked 2. Oh, geez. I loved part one and I'm very excited for the, you know, the last installment, Part two. It looks like they've done a fantastic job with it. It's going to be so good.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Oh, I'm sure it's going to be really good. And here's an example. So when we use the word cowardly as it. It's not an. An adverb. Right. It's still an adjective describing that person. It was a cowardly act to run away and leave his friends behind, or describing the act, the thing he did right Exactly.

[Aubrey Carter]

So we either, you know, it's always going to describe a noun because it's an adjective. Either a cowardly person, a cowardly act, a cowardly government, a cowardly country. Absolutely right. We can describe any. Often for bigger things like this as well. We would say the act is cowardly.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yes. And it can be so confusing sometimes when you see this, you know, from the outside. I'm sure there's more nuance on the inside, but it can be very frustrating when you see this from the outside. Right.

[Aubrey Carter]

If you maybe are the kind of person who would take action.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Right.

[Aubrey Carter]

This is not in your nature. You're not cowardly. So then if you see someone else doing it. Yeah, I can see potentially a lot of frustration. You just want to jump in and do it for them.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Right, Exactly. All right, what's number three? Aubry.

[Aubrey Carter]

Okay, the next one is cost. So, of course, we have the noun, you know, the amount of money required to buy or do something. Or we also use it to talk about, like, the loss or sacrifice involved in an action. The cost of something. For example, cost of living in that city is very high.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yes. And when it comes to costly, again, still an adjective. Something that, again, like you said, Aubrey, causes loss or damage. Their mistakes proved costly in the final minutes of the game. So here we're talking about their mistakes. Cost them the game.

[Aubrey Carter]

Okay. Yes, exactly. And we will use this word bigger as well. If we talk about famine, war, things like this, we would say it's costly if it's causing loss of life. Right. We'll use this for bigger things as well as well.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Absolutely. And now, order and orderly. So what about this one?

[Aubrey Carter]

So order, of course, is a noun that means a state of organization or tidiness. So you might say she likes for things to be in order. I feel like this is true about you, Lindsay. Right. You like for things to be in.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Order when possible, for the most part. Sometimes, you know, on. At the end of the week, things get a little messy. But, yeah, I do feel like I need a bit of that Zen in my head to be able to work and focus. Things need to be somewhat in order. I can't have chaos in here.

[Aubrey Carter]

Right. Understandable. I think a lot of people are in that same boat for sure. But interestingly, if you add ly, this does not become an adverb. Right. It stays an adjective. Orderly meaning neat and well organized. You like for your desk to be orderly so you can focus.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yep. The files were arranged in an orderly manner on the shelf. What about you, Aubrey? Are you someone that can't work or focus if there's a lot of mess in your space, or do you. Are you okay?

[Aubrey Carter]

I thrive in clutter. I feel like I. It's interesting because my partner is like that. Everything must be orderly and neat. So I really try to keep things orderly, but clutter doesn't bother me at all. I like for things to be clean. Okay. So I'll like clean. But when there's. I don't know. I think as a mom of four children, like, there are always toys and clothes and things everywhere. So if I couldn't handle a little clutter, I would have gone cruel crazy long ago.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah. Do you think that you've grown more tolerance with clutter over the years, having kids?

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah, I think I always was very tolerant of clutter. I remember my room being such a mess. My mom called me a clutter bug because I just. There were clothes and books and everything everywhere, not, like, dirty. I wouldn't have, like, food in my room.

[Lindsey McMahon]

It's just.

[Aubrey Carter]

Just like, books. Stacks of books. Right from the library, I remember. And it would drive my mom crazy. She just couldn't go in my room. She's like, it was such a mess.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah. Yeah. That we're all so different in that sense. Right. But as long as you know what you can handle and what you need, then that's the key, I think.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah. Exactly.

[Lindsey McMahon]

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[Aubrey Carter]

All right. So perfect. You And I are classmates in this role play. We have been assigned to work together on a school project.

[Lindsey McMahon]

All right, here we go. Let's divide up the work. I made a checklist to keep things orderly.

[Aubrey Carter]

Oh, thank you. I can't afford to get a bad grade on this. My GPA is almost high enough for a scholarship I'm trying for. And the cost of failing this class would be painful.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Only one of us needs to present. Would you be up for that? I'm a bit cowardly when it comes to public speaking.

[Aubrey Carter]

You could totally do it. The class is such a friendly group. Nobody's going to judge you. I can definitely do it, though, if you want. I'm a good friend like that.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Ah, thanks. We can create the slides together, and then I'll proofread them and make sure everything is in the right order.

[Aubrey Carter]

Okay. Remember, it needs to be at least five minutes. The pro. The professor said if it's under that it'll be really costly for the final grade. Oh, you can tell I'm really stressed about my grade. I need this scholarship.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah, you need the scholarship. Yeah. I remember in school when teachers would kind of hint at what really mattered in your grade or in the syllabi. You get your syllabus in college and it would show how you're graded. Right. What is costly in terms of mistakes? If you don't turn something in or if you're late or.

[Aubrey Carter]

Right. Which exams were going to be cumulative and which were weighted more for your grade. Yeah, we always paid attention to that. What do I really need to study for?

[Lindsey McMahon]

Oh, my gosh. I'm so glad that college is done.

[Aubrey Carter]

It was really nerve wracking. It was stressful. Stressful for sure.

[Lindsey McMahon]

All right, let's go through this. So here I said I made a checklist to keep things orderly. And we might also say, keep things, I don't know, clear.

[Aubrey Carter]

Organized.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Organized. Yeah.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah. Absolutely right. Any of those would work. And then I was saying how important the grade is to me. The cost of failing this class would be painful. So another word of saying the result of failing this class.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Exactly. And then I asked you to speak to do the actual speech. I said, would you be up for that? I'm a bit cowardly when it comes to public speaking. I think this is an interesting use of. You know, I could have said I'm not very brave or I'm nervous. I get nervous. But cowardly is unique and different. Might be good for aisles, too. Right, Aubry?

[Aubrey Carter]

Yes. Right. It would be more impressive for ielts because students don't use it nearly as often.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah.

[Aubrey Carter]

It's interesting to point out here, too. I think this is much more common that you'll hear someone refer to themselves as a coward or cowardly rather than calling someone else this, because it is very harsh to call someone else a coward or cowardly.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah, that's a really good point. I'm glad you said that. You'd have to be in a real altercation with them and you'd have to know them well, and it would be a big thing to drop and to say, you know, you're a cowardly person. That's a real strong thing to say someone, right? Yeah.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yes. It would have to be something very extreme that really merits something that heavy. Right. Or maybe sometimes when you're in altercations, fights, you want to use heavy language because you want to really get their attention, you want to upset them. Sometimes you find yourself doing that. Right. You'll make it bigger in order to have the effect of your words be stronger. Right? For sure.

[Lindsey McMahon]

All right, great. So let's see then you said, aubrey, the class is such a friendly group, and I know our listeners know that word for friendly, but it is interesting to think that this is an adjective. Right. It's not an adverb.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah, it's interesting just to point this out, right. If you've always thought, okay, every word that ends in loi is an adverb. It's interesting to take a step back, be like, actually, quite often they're adjectives.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah, that is really interesting. What's the next one? Aubrey?

[Aubrey Carter]

And then friend. Of course I'm a good friend. This is something I say sometimes, right. If someone thanks me for something, I will usually kind of make, like, a funny comment to, like, maybe remove awkwardness or to. I'm not very good at taking compliments. Okay, I'll make a joke. I'm a good friend. Like that. I would say this.

[Lindsey McMahon]

It is funny how when we feel a little awkward, we. We say something. We, you know, we kind of lighten things a bit and. And respond in some way or other.

[Aubrey Carter]

And this chunk we use a lot. And you could add anything there. You could say, I know, I'm amazing like that.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Right.

[Aubrey Carter]

I'm a good friend like that. Yeah.

[Lindsey McMahon]

You're being a little physician, a little.

[Aubrey Carter]

Sarcastic, having fun, doubling down on. Right? Aren't I am.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Exactly. And that. And that kind of, like, makes it less awkward, which is really interesting. So.

[Aubrey Carter]

Exactly. And then you said making sure everything is in the right order. And here you're talking about the order of slides that one comes after another in the correct order.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Exactly. And then finally you said, the professor said if it's under that it'll be really costly for the final grade, meaning it will cost you a big chunk of your grade. Okay.

[Aubrey Carter]

Exactly. Right. And again, an adjective. So the big main mistake we want to help you avoid here is using all of these words that end in ly to describe verbs, actions, because you're assuming they're an adverb. Right. I know this happens. So very excited for you guys to just have this tidbit. Right. Even native speakers will make that mistake sometimes. Because we are taught. Right. Adverbs end in ly.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Oh, interesting. And what was the first part of this series, Aubrey? Where can we go if we missed the first episode? What episode should we go to?

[Aubrey Carter]

Scroll up to episode 2444 right here on Allers. English Grammar that Breaks the Rules, part one, Adjectives that end in ly. So these were interestingly adjectives. And then you add ly to it and it becomes another adjective but with a different meaning. So don't miss that one.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Love it. And what's our takeaway today? Where should we leave our listeners in terms of connection?

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah, it's interesting how something like this can actually help you avoid letting grammar stress you out.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah.

[Aubrey Carter]

Because the more you know, right. The more you know, the more you feel confident that you're not making minor errors. And also just that there aren't all these things that you're just not aware of. This is something that until today probably just kind of weren't aware that this is a possibility. Adjectives also end in ly.

[Lindsey McMahon]

I love it. The more we know, the more we can use that freedom of mind to focus on something ultimately more important, which is the connection.

[Aubrey Carter]

Right, Aubry? Absolutely.

[Lindsey McMahon]

So that's why we do recommend studying grammar so that you can move on to what really matters. And I think our listeners get that. They understand understand that on a deep level. Good stuff.

[Aubrey Carter]

Absolutely. So fun. Glad we were able to chat with about this, Lindsay. Thank you for joining me. Great.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Aubry, we'll see you next time. Have a good day.

[Aubrey Carter]

Awesome. See you next time. Bye bye.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Thanks for listening. To all ears. English. Would you like to know your English level? Take our two minute quiz, go to allearsenglish.com forward/fluencyscore. And if you believe in connection, not perfection, then hit subscribe now to make sure you don't miss anything. See you next time. Support for this podcast and the following message comes from America's Navy. The Navy offers new graduates hands on training and experience in careers like computer science, aviation and medicine, plus education. And sign on bonuses. Parents help your grads start their career.

[Aubrey Carter]

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