Adverbs of Manner

1. What are Adverbs of Manner?

Adverbs of manner tell us how something happens. Here are some examples of adverbs of manner:

angrily
badly
carefully
deliberately
eagerly
fast
greedily
happily
loudly
mildly
nervously
quickly
rudely
suddenly
thoughtfully
unexpectedly

2. Where do Adverbs of Manner go?

2.1 Adverbs of manner are usually placed either after the main verb or after the object.

subject	verb	adverb
She	spoke	quickly
He	listened	carefully

subject	verb	object	adverb
He	ate	the cake	greedily
She	spoke	to him	angrily

2.2 An adverb of manner cannot be put between a verb and its direct object. The adverb must be placed either before the verb or at the end of the clause.

Example		Meaning
He ate greedily the cake.		[incorrect]
He ate the cake greedily.		[correct]
He greedily ate the cake.		[correct]

2.3 The position of the adverb is important when there is more than one verb in a sentence. If the adverb is placed before or after the main verb, it modifies only that verb. If the adverb is placed after a clause, then it modifies the whole action described by the clause. See how the meaning changes in the following sentences.

Example		Meaning
She quickly agreed to marry me		the agreement is quick
She agreed quickly to marry me		the agreement is quick
She agreed to marry me quickly		the marriage is quick

Exercises