Adverbs - Compiled by Shaharuddin Othman

Introduction
There are many types of adverbs and adverb phrases. This page will introduce
some of the basic types of adverbs and their functions.

What is an adverb?
Basically, most adverbs tell you how, where, or when something is done. In other
words, they describe the manner, place, or time of an action. Here are some
examples:

Type

Adverb

Example

Manner

slowly

Jane drives slowly.

Place

here

The party is going to take place

here.

Time

yesterday

I called him yesterday.

How to recognize an adverb

Many adverbs end with the suffix -LY. Most of these are created by adding -LY
to the end of an adjective, like this:

Adjective

Adverb

slow

slowly

delightful

delightfully

hopeless

hopelessly

aggressive

aggressively

However, this is NOT a reliable way to find out whether a word is an adverb or
not, for two reasons: many adverbs do NOT end in -LY (some are the same as the
adjective form), and many words which are NOT adverbs DO end in -LY (such
as kindly, friendly, elderly and lonely, which are adjectives). Here are some
examples of adverbs which are the same as adjectives:

Adjective Adverb
fast

fast

late

late

early

early

The best way to tell if a word is an adverb is to try making a question, for which
the answer is the word. If the question uses how, where or when, then the word is
probably an adverb. Here is an example:

Word in
context

Question

Adverb?

Junko plays tennis

aggressively.

How does Junko

play tennis?

Yes -- uses HOW.

They have a small

house.

What kind of
house do they
have?

No -- uses WHAT
KIND OF, so this is an
adjective.

Matthew called the

police immediately.

When did
Matthew call the
police?

Yes -- uses WHEN.

ADVERBS
Definition
Adverbs are words that modify

averb(Hedroveslowly.Howdidhedrive?)
anadjective(Hedroveaveryfastcar.Howfastwashiscar?)
anotheradverb(Shemovedquiteslowlydowntheaisle.Howslowly
didshemove?)

As we will see, adverbs often tell when, where, why, or under what conditions something
happens or happened. Adverbs frequently end in -ly; however, many words and phrases
not ending in -ly serve an adverbial function and an -ly ending is not a guarantee that a
word is an adverb. The words lovely, lonely, motherly, friendly, neighborly, for instance,
are adjectives:

Thatlovelywomanlivesinafriendlyneighborhood.

If a group of words containing a subject and verb acts as an adverb (modifying the verb
of a sentence), it is called an Adverb Clause:
Whenthisclassisover,we'regoingtothemovies.
When a group of words not containing a subject and verb acts as an adverb, it is called an
adverbial phrase. Prepositional phrases frequently have adverbial functions (telling
place and time, modifying the verb):

Hewenttothemovies.
Sheworksonholidays.
TheylivedinCanadaduringthewar.

AndInfinitivephrasescanactasadverbs(usuallytellingwhy):

Shehurriedtothemainlandtoseeherbrother.
Thesenatorrantocatchthebus.

Butthereareotherkindsofadverbialphrases:

Hecallshismotherasoftenaspossible.

Adverbs can modify adjectives, but an adjective cannot modify an adverb. Thus we
would say that "the students showed a really wonderful attitude" and
that "the students showed a wonderfully casual attitude" and that "my
professor is really tall, but not "He ran real fast."
Like adjectives, adverbs can have comparative and superlative forms to show degree.

Walkfasterifyouwanttokeepupwithme.
Thestudentwhoreadsfastestwillfinishfirst.

Weoftenusemoreandmost,lessandleasttoshowdegreewithadverbs:

Withsneakerson,shecouldmovemorequicklyamongthepatients.
TheflowerswerethemostbeautifullyarrangedcreationsI'veeverseen.
Sheworkedlessconfidentlyafterheraccident.
ThatwastheleastskillfullydoneperformanceI'veseeninyears.

The as as construction can be used to create adverbs that express sameness or equality:
"He can't run as fast as his sister."
A handful of adverbs have two forms, one that ends in -ly and one that doesn't. In certain
cases, the two forms have different meanings:

Hearrivedlate.
Lately,hecouldn'tseemtobeontimeforanything.

Inmostcases,however,theformwithoutthelyendingshouldbereservedforcasual
situations:

ShecertainlydrivesslowinthatoldBuickofhers.
Hedidwrongbyher.
Hespokesharp,quick,andtothepoint.

Adverbs often function as intensifiers, conveying a greater or lesser emphasis to

something. Intensifiers are said to have three different functions: they can emphasize,
amplify, or downtone. Here are some examples:

Emphasizers:

o
o
o
o

Amplifiers:
o
o
o
o
o

Ireallydon'tbelievehim.
Heliterallywreckedhismother'scar.
Shesimplyignoredme.
They'regoingtobelate,forsure.
Theteachercompletelyrejectedherproposal.
Iabsolutelyrefusetoattendanymorefacultymeetings.
Theyheartilyendorsedthenewrestaurant.
Isowantedtogowiththem.
Weknowthiscitywell.

Downtoners:
o
o
o
o
o
o

Ikindoflikethiscollege.
Joesortoffeltbetrayedbyhissister.
Hismothermildlydisapprovedhisactions.
Wecanimproveonthistosomeextent.
Thebossalmostquitafterthat.
Theschoolwasallbutruinedbythestorm.

Adverbs (as well as adjectives) in their various degrees can be accompanied by

premodifiers:

Sherunsveryfast.
We'regoingtorunoutofmaterialallthefaster

Thisissueisaddressedinthesectionondegreesinadjectives.

Using Adverbs in a Numbered List

Within the normal flow of text, it's nearly always a bad idea to number items beyond
three or four, at the most. Anything beyond that, you're better off with a vertical list that
uses numbers (1, 2, 3, etc.). Also, in such a list, don't use adverbs (with an -ly ending);
use instead the uninflected ordinal number (first, second, third, fourth, fifth, etc.). First
(not firstly), it's unclear what the adverb is modifying. Second (not secondly), it's
unnecessary. Third (not thirdly), after you get beyond "secondly," it starts to sound silly.
Adverbs that number in this manner are treated as disjuncts (see below.)

Adverbs We Can Do Without

Review the section on Being Concise for some advice on adverbs that we can eliminate
to the benefit of our prose: intensifiers such as very, extremely, and really that don't

intensify anything and expletive constructions ("There are several books that address
this issue.")

Kinds of Adverbs
Adverbs of Manner
She moved slowly and spoke quietly.
Adverbs of Place
She has lived on the island all her life.
She still lives there now.
Adverbs of Frequency
She takes the boat to the mainland every day.
She often goes by herself.
Adverbs of Time
She tries to get back before dark.
It's starting to get dark now.
She finished her tea first.
She left early.
Adverbs of Purpose
She drives her boat slowly to avoid hitting the rocks.
She shops in several stores to get the best buys.

Positions of Adverbs
One of the hallmarks of adverbs is their ability to move around in a sentence. Adverbs of
manner are particularly flexible in this regard.

Solemnlytheministeraddressedhercongregation.
Theministersolemnlyaddressedhercongregation.
Theministeraddressedhercongregationsolemnly.

The following adverbs of frequency appear in various points in these sentences:

Beforethemainverb:Inevergetupbeforenineo'clock.
Betweentheauxiliaryverbandthemainverb:Ihaverarelywrittentomy
brotherwithoutagoodreason.
Beforetheverbusedto:Ialwaysusedtoseehimathissummerhome.

Indefinite adverbs of time can appear either before the verb or between the auxiliary and
the main verb:

Hefinallyshowedupforbattingpractice.
Shehasrecentlyretired.

Order of Adverbs
There is a basic order in which adverbs will appear when there is more than one. It is
similar to The Royal Order of Adjectives, but it is even more flexible.

THE ROYAL ORDER OF ADVERBS

Verb
Beth
swims

Manner
enthusiastically

Place
in the
pool

Frequency
every morning

Time
before
dawn

to keep in shape.
to get a
newspaper.

Dad walks impatiently

into town every afternoon

before
supper

Tashonda
naps

in her
room

before
lunch.

every morning

Purpose

In actual practice, of course, it would be highly unusual to have a string of adverbial

modifiers beyond two or three (at the most). Because the placement of adverbs is so
flexible, one or two of the modifiers would probably move to the beginning of the sentence:
"Every afternoon before supper, Dad impatiently walks into town to get a newspaper."
When that happens, the introductory adverbial modifiers are usually set off with a comma.

More Notes on Adverb Order

As a general principle, shorter adverbial phrases precede longer adverbial phrases,
regardless of content. In the following sentence, an adverb of time precedes an adverb of
frequency because it is shorter (and simpler):

Dadtakesabriskwalkbeforebreakfasteverydayofhislife.

Asecondprinciple:amongsimilaradverbialphrasesofkind(manner,place,frequency,
etc.),themorespecificadverbialphrasecomesfirst:

Mygrandmotherwasborninasodhouseontheplainsofnorthern
Nebraska.
ShepromisedtomeethimforlunchnextTuesday.

Bringinganadverbialmodifiertothebeginningofthesentencecanplacespecial
emphasisonthatmodifier.Thisisparticularlyusefulwithadverbsofmanner:

Slowly,eversocarefully,Jessefilledthecoffeecupuptothebrim,even
abovethebrim.
Occasionally,butonlyoccasionally,oneoftheselemonswillgetbythe
inspectors.

Inappropriate Adverb Order

Review the section on Misplaced Modifiers for some additional ideas on placement.
Modifiers can sometimes attach themselves to and thus modify words that they ought not
to modify.

TheyreportedthatGiuseppeBalle,aEuropeanrockstar,haddiedonthe
sixo'clocknews.

Clearly,itwouldbebettertomovetheunderlinedmodifiertoapositionimmediately
after"theyreported"oreventothebeginningofthesentencesothepoormandoesn't
dieontelevision.
Misplacement can also occur with very simple modifiers, such as only and barely:

Sheonlygrewtobefourfeettall.

Itwouldbebetterif"Shegrewtobeonlyfourfeettall."

Adjuncts, Disjuncts, and Conjuncts

Regardless of its position, an adverb is often neatly integrated into the flow of a sentence.
When this is true, as it almost always is, the adverb is called an adjunct. (Notice the

underlined adjuncts or adjunctive adverbs in the first two sentences of this paragraph.)
When the adverb does not fit into the flow of the clause, it is called a disjunct or a
conjunct and is often set off by a comma or set of commas. A disjunct frequently acts as a
kind of evaluation of the rest of the sentence. Although it usually modifies the verb, we
could say that it modifies the entire clause, too. Notice how "too" is a disjunct in the
sentence immediately before this one; that same word can also serve as an adjunct
adverbial modifier: It's too hot to play outside. Here are two more disjunctive adverbs:

Frankly,Martha,Idon'tgiveahoot.
Fortunately,noonewashurt.

Conjuncts,ontheotherhand,serveaconnectorfunctionwithintheflowofthetext,
signalingatransitionbetweenideas.

Iftheystartsmokingthoseawfulcigars,thenI'mnotstaying.
We'vetoldthelandlordaboutthisceilingagainandagain,andyethe's
donenothingtofixit.

Attheextremeedgeofthiscategory,wehavethepurelyconjunctivedeviceknownasthe
conjunctiveadverb(oftencalledtheadverbialconjunction):

Josehasspentyearspreparingforthisevent;nevertheless,he'sthemost
nervouspersonhere.
Ilovethisschool;however,Idon'tthinkIcanaffordthetuition.

Some Special Cases

The adverbs enough and not enough usually take a postmodifier position:

Isthatmusicloudenough?
Theseshoesarenotbigenough.
Inaroomfulofelderlypeople,youmustremembertospeakloudly
enough.

(Notice,though,thatwhenenoughfunctionsasanadjective,itcancomebeforethenoun:

Didshegiveusenoughtime?

Theadverbenoughisoftenfollowedbyaninfinitive:

Shedidn'trunfastenoughtowin.

Theadverbtoocomesbeforeadjectivesandotheradverbs:

Sherantoofast.
Sheworkstooquickly.

Iftoocomesaftertheadverbitisprobablyadisjunct(meaningalso)andisusuallysetoff
withacomma:

Yasminworkshard.Sheworksquickly,too.

Theadverbtooisoftenfollowedbyaninfinitive:

Sherunstoo
slowly

toenterthisrace.

Anothercommonconstructionwiththeadverbtooistoofollowedbyaprepositional
phrasefor+theobjectoftheprepositionfollowedbyaninfinitive:

Thismilkistoo
hotforababytodrink.

Relative Adverbs
Adjectival clauses are sometimes introduced by what are called the relative adverbs:
where, when, and why. Although the entire clause is adjectival and will modify a noun,
the relative word itself fulfills an adverbial function (modifying a verb within its own
clause).
The relative adverb where will begin a clause that modifies a noun of place:
My entire family now worships in the church where my great grandfather used to be
minister.

Therelativepronoun"where"modifiestheverb"usedtobe"(whichmakesitadverbial),
buttheentireclause("wheremygreatgrandfatherusedtobeminister")modifiesthe
word"church."
A when clause will modify nouns of time:
My favorite month is always February, when we celebrate Valentine's Day and
Presidents' Day.

And a why clause will modify the noun reason:

Do you know the reason why Isabel isn't in class today?

We sometimes leave out the relative adverb in such clauses, and many writers prefer
"that" to "why" in a clause referring to "reason":

DoyouknowthereasonwhyIsabelisn'tinclasstoday?
Ialwayslookforwardtothedaywhenwebeginoursummervacation.
Iknowthereasonthatmenlikemotorcycles.

Authority for this section: Understanding English Grammar by Martha Kolln. 4rth Edition. MacMillan
Publishing Company: New York. 1994.

Viewpoint, Focus, and Negative Adverbs

A viewpoint adverb generally comes after a noun and is related to an adjective that
precedes that noun:

Asuccessfulathleticteamisoftenagoodteamscholastically.
Investingallourmoneyinsnowmobileswasprobablynotasoundidea
financially.

Youwillsometimeshearaphraselike"scholasticallyspeaking"or"financiallyspeaking"
inthesecircumstances,buttheword"speaking"isseldomnecessary.
A focus adverb indicates that what is being communicated is limited to the part that is
focused; a focus adverb will tend either to limit the sense of the sentence ("He got an A
just for attending the class.") or to act as an additive ("He got an A in addition to being
published."
Although negative constructions like the words "not" and "never" are usually found
embedded within a verb string "He has never been much help to his mother." they
are technically not part of the verb; they are, indeed, adverbs. However, a so-called
negative adverb creates a negative meaning in a sentence without the use of the usual
no/not/neither/nor/never constructions:

Heseldomvisits.
Shehardlyeatsanythingsincetheaccident.
Afterherlongandtediouslectures,rarelywasanyoneawake.

What are adverbs?

Adverbs are words that tell us more about verbs....they add information to the
verb.
(A verb is a 'doing' word or a 'being' word, e.g. 'walk', 'feel')
Using adverbs makes your sentences more interesting.
Any verb you use can have an adverb added.
The girl smiled nervously.
The boy grinned sheepishly.
The light shone feebly.
We use adverbs:

to say how something happens

'The family walk (how?) quickly.'
to say where or when something happens
'I met him (when?) yesterday.'
to say how often something happens
'She gets the bus (how often?) daily.'
to make the meaning of an adjective, adverb or verb stronger or weaker
'Dave eats (degree?) more slowly than his wife.'

Adverbs are often created from adjectives (describing words that tell you more
about nouns) by adding 'ly' to the end of the adjective.
e.g. slow becomes slowly
'Joe is a slow person. He walks slowly.'
Certain words change when they become adverbs. If an adjective ends in a 'y'
you need to change the 'y' to an 'i' before adding 'ly'.
Happy becomes happily
Heavy becomes heavily

Position of adverbs
There are three places in the sentence where adverbs can come.
At the beginning of a sentence:
'Suddenly I had earache.'
'Recently I had earache.'

In the middle of a sentence:

'I suddenly had earache.'
'I recently had earache.'
At the end of a sentence:
'I had earache suddenly.'
'I had earache recently.'
How do you know where the adverb goes?
Most kinds of adverbs can go in 'mid-position' (before the verb) in a sentence:
'I'm usually working at weekends.'
'I never said I liked you.'
Other adverbs may fit more comfortably at the beginning or end of a sentence:
'Yesterday I went to the skate park.'
'I went to the skate park yesterday.'
The best way to know if the order is right is to say the sentence to yourself. Does
it sound right?
'She often is late.'
'She is often late.' This sounds better.

Spotting adverbs
Adverbs are quite complicated. You cannot tell by the look of a word that it is an
adverb. You can recognise it as an adverb only by the work it does in a
sentence.
A word may be an adverb in one sentence and a different part of speech in
another sentence.

The job went well. Here well describes the verb 'went', so it is an adverb.
The well was drained by morning. Here well names something, so it is a
noun.
The well water tasted disgusting. Here well is being used to name a type
of 'water', so it is not describing a verb. It is not an adverb here.

'-ly' on the end of a word is a good clue that it's an adverb. Many adverbs are
made by adding '-ly' to the end of adjectives
E.g. 'careful' (adjective) becomes 'carefully' (adverb)
Sunita is very careful with her money. She spends her money carefully.
However, lots of other adverbs are irregular
BEWARE! Some words ending in '-ly' are never used as adverbs
E.g. 'friendly', 'lovely', 'lonely'

Also, look out for adverbs that have the same form as adjectives.
'Hard' and 'early' are both adjectives (used to describe people, places and things)
AND adverbs (used to tell us more about the verb):

It's still early. (adjective)

We arrived early. (adverb)
He works very hard. (adverb)
He's a hard man to know. (adjective)

Other adverbs with the same form as adjectives are fast, high, low, late and
long.

More about spotting adverbs

Adverbial phrases
Adverbial phrases are small strings of words that do the same job as single-word
adverbs:
'I'll see him on Saturday.'
'She's in the kitchen.'
''The thief ran down the road.'
'The mobile phones rang all at once.'

Other places to find adverbs...

An adverb may also be used to describe another adverb or an adjective.
'The weekend passed very quickly.'

quickly describes the verb passed: quickly is an adverb.

very describes the adverb quickly: very is also an adverb.

'That seemed an extremely interesting plan.'

interesting describes the noun plan: interesting is an adjective.

extremely describes the adjective interesting: extremely is an adverb.

Adverbs can also qualify (describe) whole sentences:

'Hopefully the shoes will fit.'
'The dress, unfortunately, was ruined.'

Adverbs - degrees of comparison

Adverbs are often used to make the meaning of a verb or other 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.
e.g. 'He walked slowly.'
The comparative degree is used to compare two actions : slower, more slowly,
earlier.
e.g. 'Sarah walked more slowly than Ben.'
The superlative comparison is used to compare three or more : slowest, earliest.
e.g. 'We all take our time, but I walk the slowest of all.'

How do you make them?

Adverbs of one syllable usually form the comparative by adding - er and form the
superlative by adding - est
'hard' (positive) - 'harder' (comparative) - 'hardest' (superlative)
Adverbs of two syllables or more generally form the comparative by adding more
and the superlative by adding most.
'quickly' (positive) - 'more quickly' (comparative) - 'most quickly' (superlative)

Watch out! Examples of exceptions

badly: worse (comparative) - worst (superlative).
well: better (comparative) - best (superlative).
far: farther (comparative) - farthest (superlative).