Having trouble deciding between adverb or adjective for the word "nearby" in this sentence: An artist had set up an easel nearby. At first I was thinking adjective like which easel ...the one nearby. But then I thought maybe adverb for the question where ...like set the easel up where..nearby. Thanks.
Nearby is an adverb. It modifies "set up" and tells where.
When determining whether "nearby" should be used as an adverb or an adjective in the sentence, it's important to consider its role in the sentence and its relationship to the verb "set up."
In the sentence "An artist had set up an easel nearby," "nearby" is describing the location of where the artist set up the easel. It is providing more information about the verb "set up" and answering the question "Where did the artist set up the easel?" Therefore, in this context, "nearby" functions as an adverb.
To confirm this, we can try to modify the sentence using an adjective instead:
"An artist had set up a nearby easel."
In this modified sentence, the adjective "nearby" is directly modifying the noun "easel" instead of the verb. This sentence suggests that the easel itself is "nearby," rather than describing where the artist set it up. Since the original sentence intended to describe the location of the easel, using an adverb is more appropriate.
In conclusion, "nearby" should be used as an adverb in the sentence "An artist had set up an easel nearby," because it is describing the location of the action being performed.