The only bad thing is that she smells bad.

Question

In the above sentence, I think bad is an adverb because it describes the linking verb, smells. The dictionary lists bad as a verb. Is it an adverb or verb and why?

Thanks.

Answer 1

"Bad" in both places is an adjective.

In the second usage, it's a predicate adjective because "smells" is serving as a linking verb.

If you don't understand this (and it isn't easy!), let us know.

Answer 2

After verbs of "sense" : looks, smells, sounds, feels, tastes, the following descriptive word is an adjective. The reason is that it is describing the subject... Look at the below.

The rose looks beautiful.
The rose is beautiful.

Rose <- beautiful.

Lemon tastes sour.
Lemon is sour.

Lemon <- sour.

Adverbs tell when, where, how usually.