I can't think of multiple single-word elements that are unambiguously scaled (is "sluggish" faster or slower than "plodding"?) but there are certainly phrases that can be used...
normal -> a bit slow -> slow -> slow as molasses -> slower than molasses in January
(I'd be inclined personally to say that "sluggish" is a good substitute for "a bit slow"--it's slower than normal, but not as slow as just plain "slow"--but I'm not at all sure that it would be widely agreed upon.)
Going in the other direction, you could have:
normal -> brisk -> fast -> faster than a speeding bullet -> at the speed of light
Your (1) and (2) would function the same most of the time. But if I try, I think I can imagine a context where they would mean slightly different things.
(1) I'm telling someone an anecdote, about something that happened to me. I'm far from home when I tell this story. Let's say the story starts out in a town not far from my own -- let's call it Jackson. At a certain point in my story, the listener needs to know that the town where I live isn't far from Jackson. Maybe there's going to be a dramatic car ride to go pick up some item that is urgently needed in time for a concert that's going to start shortly. Let's say the item was in a suitcase that the airlines have misplaced. To explain that my town isn't far from Jackson, I say, "I live in a nearby town. So I jumped in my car and drove home as fast as I could. I grabbed my copy of the score of Beethoven's Fifth and raced back to the concert hall in Jackson, arriving just as the orchestra was tuning."
(2) Note that this sentence wouldn't work in the story about the dramatic car ride.
Moving on. In (A), "nearby" is describing "restaurant;" since "restaurant" is a noun, "nearby" functions as an adjective in this sentence. In (B), "nearby" tells us where you live. Therefore it functions as an adverb in this sentence.
(C): adverb; (D): adjective; same analysis as for (A) and (B).
To get better at distinguishing between adjectives and adverbs, I recommend that you start by practicing with simple sentences. Use a different symbol to indicate each one -- for example, circle the adjectives, and underline the adverbs. You could even use different colors. BUT before you do that, you should get completely solid on identifying NOUNS and VERBS. When you can do that comfortably and easily, the adjectives and adverbs will jump off the page at you, for the most part.
Do you have a teacher who can check your exercises?
Best Answer
They are both correct and mean almost the same thing, but with a very slight difference.
By using the compound adjective "slow-moving," you are implying that moving slowly is an intrinsic property of the vehicle. It's moving slowly right now because it is the type of vehicle that usually moves slowly (e.g., a garbage truck).
By using the adverb "slowly," you are really only describing the movement right now and nothing about its habitual behavior. Maybe it's an ordinary car that just happens to be moving slowly at the moment because the driver is texting on his phone or something.
Which one is correct will depend on the situation and the type of vehicle you are talking about.