The dresses are all wonderful, but their colours have subtle differences between them. My mother’s warning glance was a subtle hint that I should change the topic. The painting looks drab at first, but there is a subtle beauty in the pattern of brushstrokes. Memory aid:Remember that “subtle” is the adjective by recalling that “subtle” and “adjective” both end in e.

I began clearing dishes off the table, subtly informing my guests that it was time to leave. We were just going out to buy groceries, but the clear sky and bright stars made the walk subtly romantic. Memory aid:"-ly" is a common way to turn an adjective into an adverb. It’s also common to drop the final “e” from adjectives that end in -ble: think of “invisibly” or “fashionably”. [3] X Research source

My loud, energetic English teacher is not exactly known for her subtlety. We had to write with great subtlety to get past the censors, hiding our true meaning inside references and wordplay. Memory aid:"-ty" is a suffix that turns some adjectives into nouns. [5] X Research source Think of “agility” or “safety”.

Does the word describe a noun in the sentence? Then use the adjective, subtle. Does the word modify an adjective or verb? Then use the adverb, subtly. Is it impossible to remove the word without getting an incomplete sentence? Then use the noun, subtlety. To improve your English read daily.

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