Adverbs
In this lesson we will learn adverbs. So, what is an adverb?
Adverb Meaning | Definition
An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, an adjective or another adverb.
Examples
- The nightingale sang (verb) sweetly (adverb).
- The solider marched (verb) smartly (adverb).
- He owns very (adverb) expensive (adjective) car.
- The traffic moved quite (adverb) slowly (adverb) down the road.
Types of Adverbs
There are seven main kinds of adverbs, their list as follows:
- Adverbs of Degree
- Adverbs of Time
- Adverbs of Place
- Adverbs of Manner
- Adverbs of Frequency
- Interrogative Adverbs
- Relative Adverbs
Use of Adverbs
Adverbs make sentences more informative. They are used for following purposes.
To say “how” for example:
- The dog barked loudly.
To say “when” for example:
- Nina’s grandfather arrived yesterday.
To say “where” for example:
- The children are playing outside.
To say “how often” for example:
- Marina attends school regularly.
To make the meaning of an adjective, an adverb or a verb stronger or weaker for example:
- The day was extremely cold.
- Her teacher scolded him mildly.
Adverbs which modify verbs
Many adverbs end with the suffix – “ly“. Most of these are created by adding “ly” at the end of an adjective, like;
Adjective Adverb
slow slowly
beautiful beautifully
careless carelessly
However, this is NOT a reliable way to find out whether a word is an adverb or not, for reasons: Many adverbs do NOT end in “ly” – (some are the same as their adjective forms), and many words which are NOT adverb Do end in “ly” (such as kindly, friendly, elderly and lonely, which are pure adjectives).
Here are some examples of adverbs which are the same as adjectives:
Adjective Adverb
fast fast
late late
early early
Understanding Adverbs
The best way to tell if a word is an adverb is to try framing a question, for which the answer is the word. If the question uses how, where or when – then the word is probably an adverb.
Let’s Practice
Example #1
Word in context:
Sania plays tennis swiftly.
Question:
How does Sania play tennis?
Adverb or not:
Yes, uses “how”.
Example #2
Word in context:
They have a small car.
Question:
What kind of car do they have?
Adverb or not:
No, uses “What Kind of“, so this is an adjective Not adverb.
Example #3
Word in context:
The manager called the police immediately.
Question:
When did the manager call the police?
Adverb or not:
Yes, uses “When”.
The most frequently used adverbs are too, so, really and very. In fact, these words are often overworked. To make your English speaking and writing more interesting, replace these general adverbs with more specific ones, such as completely, especially, pretty and quite.
Adverbs of Time
Definition
An adverb of time tells us the time when an action took place. To identify it we can ask a question starting with “when”.
For Example:
- Eat your lunch now.
- I have never worked before.
- I will go the the library tomorrow.
In the above examples the following words are “adverbs of time”: now, before and tomorrow.
Adverb of Time Word List
- late
- just
- next
- soon
- now
- still
- later
- today
- nights
- tonight
- finally
- mornings
- evenings
- already
- recently
- tomorrow
- afternoons
- currently
- yesterday
- eventually
- afterwards
Adverb of Time – Examples
- She came yesterday.
- The cargo finally arrived.
- Rosy represented her team then.
- Afterwards he was sorry for what he had done.
- He is planning to visit us tomorrow.
- She will be playing the match today.
- Peter eventually learnt to solve the sums.
- I will be going to the mountains soon.
- Steve has already been to the show.
- Doctor Marina is still in the operation theater.
Adverbs of Place
Definition
An adverb of place tells us where the action was carried out. To identify it we can ask a question starting with “where”.
For Example:
- There was snow everywhere.
- Shiny did not want to go there.
In the above examples the following words are “adverbs of place”: everywhere, and there.
Adverb of Place Word List
- here
- there
- home
- abroad
- outside
- nowhere
- anywhere
- aside
- elsewhere
- upstairs
- somewhere
- underground
- northwards
- westwards
- eastwards
- southwards
- upwards
Many adverbs of place also function as prepositions:
- up
- by
- off
- in
- next
- over
- besides
- across
- under
- behind
- around
Grammar Fact
Adverbs of place are usually placed after the main verb or after the object.
Examples – after the main verb
- The cat looked away/up/down/around.
- I’m going home/out/back.
Examples – after the object
- They built a hut nearby.
- He took the child outside.
Examples – Adverb of Place
- Noddy stayed here for a week.
- We could not find John anywhere.
- Miss James has just gone out.
- The painter painted the picture there.
- We are going abroad next month.
- Mary stays upstairs.
Adverbs of Manner
Definition
Most adverbs of manner are closely related to the corresponding adjectives. Although some words can be used as either adjectives or adverbs, in most cases, adverbs of manner are formed by adding “ly” to the corresponding adjectives. To identify them we can ask a question starting with “how” or “in what manner“.
Spelling Rules for adding “ly”
In most cases, ‘ly‘ is simply added to the positive form of the adjective.
Examples
Adjective Adverb of Manner
bad badly
complete completely
normal normally
surprising surprisingly
Adjectives ending in ‘ic’
When the adjective ends in “ic“, the syllable ‘al’ is usually added before the “ly” ending.
Examples
Adjective Adverb of Manner
dramatic dramatically
scientific scientifically
specific specifically
Adjectives ending in ‘le’
When the adjective ends in “le” preceded by a consonant, the final “e” is usually changed to “y“, to form the “ly” ending.
Examples
Adjective Adverb of Manner
favorable favorably
humble humbly
simple simply
When the adjective ends in “le” or “de” preceded by a vowel, in most cases, “ly” is simply added to the positive form of the adjective.
Examples
Adjective Adverb of Manner
agile agilely
sole solely
wide widely
Exception!
In the case of the adjective whole, the final “e” is removed before the suffix “ly” is added.
Adjective Adverb of Manner
whole wholly
Adjectives ending in “ll”
When the adjective ends in “ll“, only “y” is added.
Examples
Adjective Adverb of Manner
dull dully
full fully
Shrill shrilly
Adjectives ending in “ue”
When the adjective ends in “ue“, the final “e” is usually omitted before the suffix “ly” is added.
Examples
Adjective Adverb of Manner
due duly
true truly
Adjectives ending in “y”
When the adjective ends in “y” preceded by a consonant, the “y” is usually changed to “i” before the suffix “ly” is added.
Examples
Adjective Adverb of Manner
busy busily
easy easily
happy happily
Exception!
In the case of the adjectives shy and sly, the suffix “ly” is simply added to the positive form of the adjective.
Adjective Adverb of Manner
shy shyly
sly slyly
When the adjective ends in “y” preceded by a vowel, in most cases, the suffix “y” is simply added to the positive form of the adjective.
Examples
Adjective Adverb of Manner
coy coyly
grey greyly
Examples – Adverb of Manner
- Mandy sings sweetly.
- The little boy behaved naughtily.
- Mr. John can quickly solve crossword puzzles.
- The dark horse ran swiftly.
- The boy played the guitar loudly.
Adverbs of Degree
Definition
An adverb of degree tells us to what degree, extent or intensity something happens. To identify it we can ask a question starting with “how much”.
Examples
- The poor man was terribly hungry.
- A cheetah runs extremely fast.
In the above examples the following words are “adverbs of degree”: terribly and extremely.
Adverb of Degree Word List
- too
- very
- so
- quite
- almost
- really
- greatly
- highly
- totally
- hugely
- enough
- extremely
- perfectly
- gratefully
- partially
- immensely
- adequately
Examples – Adverb of Degree
- The dinner was absolutely delicious.
- Mark knows me quite well.
- The lamp was too hot to touch.
- She hardly goes to religious places.
- Cheryl is highly skilled operator.
Adverbs of Frequency
Definition
An adverb of frequency tells us how often an action is carried out. To identify it we can ask a question starting with “how often”.
Remember:
These adverbs are usually placed after or before the simple tenses.
Adverb of Frequency Word List
- daily
- often
- rarely
- weekly
- monthly
- annually
- always
- seldom
- normally
- regularly
- generally
- frequently
- sometimes
- occasionally
- periodically
- hardly
- ever
- almost
- never
Examples – Adverb of Frequency
- We sometimes meet them.
- He is always present.
- I am generally at home in the mornings.
- They should often visit them.
- I exercise regularly.
- The flight is seldom late.
- I usually like to have porridge for breakfast.
- Peter could never win a prize.
- Cyrus appears on the channel frequently.
- The train is normally on time.
In the above examples the following words are “adverbs of frequency”: sometimes, always, generally, often, and regularly, seldom, usually, never, frequently and normally.
Relative Adverbs
A relative adverb modifies a noun or a whole sentence. “When”, “where”, “why” and “how” are relative adverbs.
Practice with Examples
- I remember the day when we first met.
- Tell me why you looking so scared.
- The street where I live is congested.
- I don’t know how they arrived.
- I know the date when my great grandfather was born.
- That is the ground where the cricket match is going to be held.
- The reason why he left the school is not known.
- I shall tell you about the shop where you will find a lot of books.
In the above examples the following words are ” relative adverbs”: when, why, where, how, when, where, why and where.
Interrogative Adverbs
An interrogative adverb is simply used to ask questions.
Examples
- When is the school reopening?
- Why don’t we go for a walk?
- Where have you been?
- How can I help you?
- How much does the bag weigh?
- How many pencils do you have?
In the above examples the highlighted words with purple colour are “interrogative adverbs”.
More About Adverbs
Adverbs which modify adjectives or other adverbs usually come just before the words they modify.
For Example
- The tower is extremely tall.
extremely: Adverb
tall: Adjective - The Robinsons’ had a badly damaged house after the storm.
badly: Adverb
damaged: Adjective - Chelsa proudly displayed her carefully embroidered sheet.
carefully: Adverb
embroidered: Adjective - The furniture that they sell is fairly sturdy.
fairly: Adverb
sturdy: Adjective
Exceptions!
Some adverbs of manner, place, time and frequency have the same forms as the corresponding adjectives.
Examples
Adjective Adverbs of Manner
fast fast
hard hard
little little
far far
low low
near near
early early
long long
daily daily
weekly weekly
yearly yearly
Adverb-Degree of Comparison
Adverbs are often used to make the meaning of a verb or another adverb stronger or weaker. This is known as ‘degrees of comparison’.
What are they?
The positive degree is the simple form of the adverb: slowly, early.
For example: The old man walked slowly.
The comparative degree is used to compare two actions: slower, more slowly, and earlier.
For example: The tortoise walked slower than the hare.
The superlative degree is used to compare three or more actions: slowest, earliest.
For example: They all take their time, but Robert works the slowest of all.
In general, comparative and superlative forms of adverbs are the same as for adjectives:
Add -er or -est to adverbs:
| Adverb | Comparative | Superlative |
| hard | harder | the hardest |
| cheap | cheaper | the cheapest |
| fast | faster | the fastest |
Examples
- Simi works harder than her brother.
- Everyone in the race ran fast, but Catherine ran the fastest of all.
For adverbs ending in –ly, we use more for the comparative and most for the superlative degree:
| Adverb | Comparative | Superlative |
| quietly | more quietly | most quietly |
| carefully | more carefully | most carefully |
| seriously | more seriously | most seriously |
Examples
- The guide spoke more clearly to help us understand.
- Could you sit more quietly please?
Some adverbs have irregular comparative forms:
| Adverb | Comparative | Superlative |
| badly | worse | worst |
| far | farther/further | farthest/furthest |
| little | less | least |
| well/good | better | best |
Examples
- The naughty sheep ran further than its flock.
- Today you are reciting worse than last week!
Exceptions!
Sometimes ‘most‘ can mean ‘very‘:
- We were most grateful for your help.
- I am most impressed with this application.
Adverbs may function as intensifiers, conveying a greater or lesser emphasis to something. Intensifiers have three different functions. They can emphasize, amplify or tone down.
Examples
- I really don’t believe you.
- He literally wasted his father’s money.
- She simply hates non vegetarian food.
- They’re surely going to be on time.
- He spoke quite firmly to him.
- They almost forgot about the function.
- The judge completely rejected her appeal.
- I absolutely refuse to attend any more late night parties.
- They heartily endorsed the new line of clothes.
- I somewhat like this idea.
- The ship was literally ruined by the storm.
Adverbs and Adjectives
Adverbs and adjectives have some common characteristics. However, an important difference between the two is that adverbs do NOT modify nouns.
For Example:
- Adjective
Maggie is a happy child. (✓)
Maggie is happy. (✓) - Adverb
Maggie is happily child. (X)
Maggie is happily. (X)
The following words (with their comparative and superlative forms) can be both adverbs and adjectives: early, fast, hard, late.
Let us use ‘early‘ both as an adjective and adverb:
- Adjective
I’ll catch the early bus. - Adverb
I woke up early this morning to catch the bus.
The comparative ‘better’ and the superlative ‘best’ as well as some words denoting time intervals (daily, weekly, monthly), can also be adverbs or adjectives.
Flat Adverbs
Adjective that do not change form (or add -ly) to become adverbs are called flat adverbs.
Examples
- early
- late
- hard
- fast
- long
- high
- low
- deep
- near
To decide whether these words are functioning as adjectives or adverbs, we must find out:
- What the word is describing (noun or verb).
- What question the word is answering.
Examples
‘Early’ as an adjective:
- Hercule Potter caught an early train to his hometown.
‘Early’ describes the noun ‘train’ and answers the question “which?”
‘Early’ as an adverb:
- Sam arrived early the next day.
‘Early’ describes the verb ‘arrived’ and answers the question “when?”
‘Hard’ as and adjective:
- He is a very hard taskmaster.
‘Hard’ describes the noun ‘taskmaster’ and answers the question “what kind?”
‘Hard’ as an adverb:
- The master made the slave work hard.
‘Hard’ describes the verb ‘work’ and answering the question “how?”
