Smooth or Smoothly? Difference Explained (With Examples)

We can use adjectives to modify nouns and adverbs to modify verbs. That’s the most basic way to put it, yet it can still be confusing (even for native speakers). Don’t worry; this article will help you understand how “smooth” and “smoothly” differ.

What Is The Difference Between “Smooth” and “Smoothly”?

“Smooth” is an adjective. Adjectives are used to modify nouns, so you might see something like “he is so smooth” used, where “he” is the modified noun. “Smoothly” is an adverb that works to modify verbs only. A phrase like “that is going smoothly” works well to show this.

“Smooth” is one of the more common adjectives that can be used interchangeably with its adverbial form. Unfortunately, this is a common trend that a lot of native speakers fall victim to.

It is not grammatically correct to use “smooth” in place of “smoothly.” You should avoid doing so yourself, even in spoken English, where the formal rules are dropped in favor of simplicity.

You might see the following phrases used in spoken English:

• You did that so smoothly.
• You did that so smooth.

“Smooth” is not correct here, but it is a common slang form. “Did” is a verb, so only “smoothly” works to modify it.

How to Use “Smooth” In A Sentence

1. I like how smooth you can be when you’re talking in that way. I wish I had your skills with words.
2. I think this is a really smooth fabric, and I’d be happy to sit on a sofa that’s made out of it.
3. Oh, yeah, real smooth moves, dude. Thanks so much for sharing that with us. I’m glad you could.
4. That wasn’t smooth at all! Why did you think you could get away with something like that without us realizing it?
5. I want the smooth one! Can you give that one to me so that the others can get the rougher ones?

“Smooth” should only work when it is modifying a noun or pronoun. It is an adjective form, so it is only correct when used in this manner.

How to Use “Smoothly” In A Sentence

1. He danced smoothly, which is part of the reason I was so interested in going up to him.
2. I need this to go smoothly. If it doesn’t, I’m worried that things will backfire quite nastily for me.
3. Is it going as smoothly as you wanted it to? I hope we’ve done everything we can to help you out.
4. It’s not been happening smoothly, but we’re getting through it! Hopefully, it won’t be much longer before we’re done.
5. I need this to be done smoothly. If you can’t get it right, then I’m afraid I’ll have to find someone else to help.

“Smoothly” is an adverb form, and it works whenever we are modifying a verb. This is standard practice in English, and it’s best to remember the “-ly” suffix whenever you are modifying a verb.

Is It “Go Smooth” or “Go Smoothly”?

“Go smoothly” is the only correct form because “smoothly” is an adverb, and “go” is a verb. “Go” is modified by “smoothly” to show how an action was carried out. “Go smooth” is incorrect, but you will find it used informally in spoken English, where the rules are ignored.

• Correct: I hope you can get it to go smoothly.
• Incorrect: I need this to go smooth. Otherwise, I’m in trouble.

Is It “More Smooth” or “More Smoothly”?

“More smooth” is correct when you modify a noun or pronoun form. It is a comparative adjective, showing that something is “more smooth” than it might have been before. “More smoothly” is correct as a comparative adverb form and only works when modifying a verb.

• You are more smooth than I remember. (Noun = “you”)
• We need this to go more smoothly need time. (Verb = “go”)

What Word Type is “Smoothly”?

You can use “smoothly” as an adverb because of the “-ly” suffix. It is an adverb form that works to modify other verbs in a sentence. There is only ever one adverb to modify one verb, and we use it to show how an action is carried out in a more specific manner.

Is It Right To Say “Smoothly”?

“Smoothly” is not right to say if it’s the only word you include as part of a sentence. Some adverbs are able to be used as one-word sentence responses to something someone might say. “Smoothly” isn’t one of these words, as there’s no appropriate response to use.

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