The word “selfish’’ in English grammar refers to people who think of themselves highly. Let us discuss how it can act as an adjective and adverb.
The term “selfish’’ can certainly be applied as an adjective giving us the meanings of egoistic, self-centered, self-interested, self-loving, and so on. It is also used as an adverb in the frame “selfishly’’ to modify the other parts of speech such as an adjective, verb, and another adverb.
Now we will get to know some important facts about the topic with the help of suitable examples.
When is “selfish” an adjective?
An adjective is a describing word that shows a description of nouns or pronouns having to get placement before or after them. Here we will explain when “selfish’’ is an adjective.
The word “selfish’’ is definitely considered as an adjective when it is used to describe a naming word or its reference to present its quality of devoting to or caring only for oneself. It basically acts as an adjective to indicate someone whose nature is nothing but the fulfillment of his own purpose.
Let us see the aspects or situations in the tabular format below to learn when “selfish’’ is used as an adjective.
| Aspects of “selfish’’ being an adjective | Example | Explanation |
| 1. To someone thinking about himself and not caring about other people | The girl does not show her exercise book to anyone which shows she is very selfish. | Here the term “selfish’’ is used as an adjective that shows the girl’s self-centered action toward others. |
| 2. To show concern chiefly or excessively with oneself, and having little regard for others. | A selfish child never shares his toys with others. | The term “selfish’’ in this sentence is used as an adjective that describes the quality of the naming word “child’’. It expresses the self-love attitude of the child. |
| 3. To show regard for own advantage and welfare. | Hash who is very selfish does not give food to those who fit of hunger. | In this cited example, the term “selfish’’ is used as an adjective that describes the naming word “Hasshey’’. It shows that Hashhey thinks only of himself and his own advantage not of others who are also hungry like him. |
Is “selfish” a descriptive adjective?
Adjectives are describing words that are classified into eight categories based on their function. Let us find out if the word “selfish’’ is a descriptive adjective.
We can undoubtedly consider the term “selfish’’ as a descriptive adjective as it can act as a description of the naming words and their equivalents to emphasize them in a certain manner.
When is “selfish’’ a descriptive adjective?
The adjective “selfish’’ definitely belongs to the type of descriptive adjective when it is used to frame a phrase or a sentence it can describe the other parts of speech like nouns or pronouns giving us their quality.
Let us see the tabular format below to go through the examples and explanations on the usage of “selfish’’ as a descriptive adjective.
| Example | Explanation |
| 1. Sayon was present in the meeting whose selfish behavior completely spoiled the evening. | The adjective “selfish’’ is used as a descriptive adjective that describes the noun “behavior’’ by describing or expressing its quality. It shows the nature of the naming word “Sayon’’. |
| 2. One who is selfish considers only himself, not others. | In the cited example, the adjective “selfish’’ acts as a descriptive adjective that has the function of describing the pronoun “you’’ and gives us the nature of someone. |
| 3. It seems to me that my friend Subhajit is a little selfish. | Here the adjective “selfish’’ has been used as a descriptive adjective that describes the naming word “Subhajit’’. It expresses his nature to his friends. |
| 4. I do not think Tapas is so selfish. | In this given example, it is seen that the adjective “selfish’’ is used as a descriptive adjective that describes the naming word “Tapas’’ who does not seem to be self-centered to me. |
| 5. Uttam made friends with a selfish man. | The adjective “selfish’’ in this sentence is used as a descriptive adjective that does the function of describing the naming word “man’’. It gives us the notion that Uttam made a friend who thinks of himself, not of others around him. |
| 6. We do not like a friend who is very selfish and self-centered. | The adjective “selfish’’ is used as a descriptive adjective to describe the concrete noun “friend’’. The predicative adjective shows our friend’s self-love attitude. |
| 7. My parents advised me not to be selfish but to be helpful to others. | Here the predicative adjective “selfish’’ has been used as a descriptive adjective that describes my mentality towards my associates. The usage of the adjective gives us the idea of not having a self-centered attitude. |
Is “selfish” an adverb?
An adverb modifies verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. It typically expresses manner, place, time, frequency, degree, level of certainty, etc. Let us check if the word “selfish’’ is an adverb.
The term “selfish’’ is not an adverb as it cannot fulfill the features of an adverb. We can use it as an adverb in the frame “selfishly’’ which is made by adding the suffix “ly’’ with the base adjective form. It then can function as an adverb of manner.
When is “selfish’’ an adverb?
We can certainly use the term “selfishly’’ as an adverb when it expresses its function as a modification of the describing word, action word, or other adverbs. It is inserted into a sentence as an adverb in the situations that follow.
- The term “selfishly’’ acts as an adverb when we indicate modification with regard to private interest only or chiefly.
- The term “selfishly” acts as an adverb when we refer to it in a way that shows we care only about ourselves rather than about other people.
The examples and explanations in the table below on the usage of “selfishly’’ as an adverb will help us to learn the topic very well.
| Example | Explanation |
| 1. Rahamat behaved selfishly towards his friends and relatives. | The adverb “selfishly’’ is used to modify the action word “behaved’’. It shows that Rahamat’s behavior towards his friends and relatives is very selfish. |
| 2. They have acted selfishly and with a narrow-minded perspective. | The adverb “selfishly’’ in the cited example has been used to modify the action word “acted’’. It is used to give us the impression that their action is very self-centered. |
| 3. When troubles come my friends do not act selfishly but rather stand by others. | In this present sentence, the adverb “selfishly’’ is used to act as a modification of the verb “act’’ which shows my friend stands by others in trouble. |
| 4. The boss of the office was never seen selfishly behaving with the staff. | The present sentence contains the adverb “selfishly’’ which is used to modify the verb form “behaving’’ which gives us the boss’s kind attention toward the staff. |
| 5. Ramen earns money selfishly and deprives his brother. | Here the adverb “selfishly’’ acts as a modification of the verb “earns’’ that presents Ramen’s manner of earning and depriving his brother. |
Conclusion
This article gives us a clear description of the usage of “selfish’’ as an adjective and an adverb with sufficient examples and explanations. If we study it very carefully and minutely, we will be very helpful while constructing any sentence. Apart from this, we can certainly use this term as a noun in the form of “selfishness’’.
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Hi…. I am Goutam Datta. I have completed a double M. A. in English and B. Ed. I am a creative writer. Currently, I am a part of the LambdaGeeks.