Adverbs

1. What is an Adverb?

An adverb is a word that changes the meaning of an adjective, a verb, an other adverb, or any other type of word or phrase. It tells us more about the way, place, time or degree (e.g. gently, here, now, very ) something is or happens.

2. Use of Adverbs

To modify verbs

  • The man walked slowly.

To modify adjectives

  • She looks absolutely fantastic!

To modify adverbs

  • She played the piano extremely well.

To modify quantities

  • That is quite a lot of money.

To modify sentences

Unfortunately, the train has been cancelled.

3. Forming Adverbs

We normally form an adverb by adding -ly to the end of an adjective.

adjectiveadverb
latelately
carefulcarefully
rightrightly

Irregular forms:

adjectiveadverb
goodwell
fastfast
hardhard

3.1 Spelling Rules

If the adjective ends in -y, change -y to -i. Then add -ly:

adjectiveadverb
easyeasily
happyhappily

but:

  • shy – shyly

If the adjective ends in -le, the adverb ends in -ly:

adjectiveadverb
horriblehorribly
terrible terribly


If the adjective ends in -e, then add -ly:

adjectiveadverb
safesafely
rude rudely

but:

adjectiveadverb
truetruly
dueduly
wholewholly

If the adjective ends in -ic, then add -ally

adjectiveadverb
tragictragically
basicbasically
enthusiasticenthusiastically


► Some adjectives end in -ly :

  • friendly, lonely, lovely, silly, ugly

There is no adverb for an adjective ending in -ly. ( friendlily etc.,)

4. Types of adverbs

4.1. Adverbs of degree

  • very
  • rather

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4.2. Adverbs of frequency

  • often
  • sometimes

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4.3. Adverbs of manner

  • quickly
  • kindly

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4.4 Adverbs of place

  • here
  • nowhere

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4.5. Adverbs of time

  • now
  • today

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Explanations

Exercises