Adverbs

Adverbs are words that are used in sentences to describe or change the meaning of a Verb or Adjective or even another Adverb. They add description to the sentence to make it more detailed and interesting. For example:

He walked slowly across the square.

Here, one can see that the Adverb ‘slowly’ is describing the Verb ‘walk’ by telling that the person was walking slowly.

Types of Adverbs

Adverbs are used in sentences to answer many questions about the Verbs/Adjectives/Adverbs themselves. The different types of Adverbs are as following:

Adverb of Time

E.g.: The results were announced yesterday.

Here the Adverb is yesterday which is answering the question: When were the results announced? ‘Announced’ is the verb in this sentence.

She will visit the hospital tomorrow.

Here the Verb is ‘visit’ and the Adverb is tomorrow as the question being asked is: Whenwill she visit the hospital?

Other examples of Adverbs of Time are – Once, Never, Tomorrow, Daily etc.

Adverb of Place

E.g.: They will meet you there.

The Adverb here is there that is specifying a place for the Verb meet and the question being answered is: Where will they meet you?

In spring, flowers bloom everywhere.

Here the Verb is bloom and the Adverb is everywhere, answering the question: Where do the flowers bloom in spring?

Other examples of Adverbs of Place are - Anywhere, Somewhere, Near, Far etc.

Adverb of Manner

E.g.: He quietly slipped away.

The Adverb here is quietly which is telling the way or manner in which the action was carried out and the Verb is slipped which is telling: How did he slip away.

She works fast.

The Verb here is work and the Adverb is fast and the question being asked is: How does she work?

These Adverbs tell about the manner of the action being done, whether it is done happily or haltingly etc. Other examples of Adverbs of Manner are - Honestly, Joyfully, Cunningly etc.

Adverb of Frequency

He likes to watch TV every day.

Here, the Adverb is every day and it is telling about the amount of time spent in doing the Verb, which is watch. The question in this sentence is: How often does he watch TV?

They meet every week.

The Adverb here is every week and it is telling the frequency and the Verb is meet. The sentence is telling us: How often do they meet?

These Adverbs are used to show the duration or timing of the action that is happening/had happened/will happen. They also tell us how often and how long these actions would be. Other examples of Adverbs of Frequency are - Frequently, Often, Yearly, Briefly etc.

Adverbs of Degree

She almost finished the work.

The Verb here is finished and the Adverb is almost which is telling us about the amount of the work finished. The question being asked is: How much of the work did she finish?

They were completely surprised by the windfall.

The adverb here is completely which is showing the degree to which ‘they’ were surprised which is the Verb. The question being asked here is: How much were they surprised?

The Adverbs of Degree are used to show to what extent or how much has an action been done or will be done. Other examples of these Adverbs are - Fully, Partially, Altogether etc.

Adverbs of Confirmation and Negation

They will certainly like this vase.

The Adverb here is certainly which is reinforcing the Verb like in answer to the question: Will they like this vase?

He never leaves his house.

The Adverb never is negating the Verb leave. It is answering the question in denial: Doeshe ever leave his house?

These Adverbs either confirm or deny the action of the Verb. They are also used to reinforce the action that is described by the Verb. Other examples of Adverbs of Confirmation are - Definitely, Absolutely, Surely etc. Examples for Adverbs of Denial or Negation are - No, Don’t, Can’t etc.

Adverbs of Comment

These Adverbs are used to make a comment on the entire sentence. They give a look at the speaker’s viewpoint or opinion about the sentence. These Adverbs don’t just change or describe the Verb; they influence the whole sentence.

They found his secret easily.

+

Unfortunately

Unfortunately, they found his secret easily.

Here, we see that adding the Adverb unfortunately has changed the entire tone of the sentence. Earlier, it was a passive tone, now it has a negative or disappointed tone.

Other examples of Adverbs of Comment are -

• Luckily, the dog did not bite the children.
• Happily, the power returned before the big match.
• Did he honestly expect me to lie for him? (Adverb adds comment on the anger of the speaker.)
• And they would win the world cup, obviously. (Can be said in a sarcastic as well as positive manner)

Adverbs of Conjunction

These Adverbs are used to connect ideas or clauses, they are used to show consequence or effect or the relation between the two clauses. To use these Adverbs to conjugate two clauses you need to use a semicolon (;) to connect them.

Clause 1: He was going for an important interview.

Clause 2: He made sure he reached on time.

He was going for an important interview; accordingly, he made sure he reached on time.

Here, we see how the Adverb ‘accordingly’ is joining the two clauses and showing the relation between them with the use of a semicolon (;). Accordingly means- therefore or that is why.

A few other Adverbs of Conjunction are -

• However - Yet, on the other hand, in spite of
• Consequently - As a result, resulting in
• Moreover - Beside, in addition
• Conversely - Opposite of, contrary to

• List of Adverbs, Adverb Examples

  Accidentally	Eventually	Jealously	Poorly	Suddenly
  Always	Exactly	Joyfully	Positively	Surprisingly
  Angrily	Excitedly	Kindly	Properly	Sweetly
  Arrogantly	Extremely	Lazily	Quickly	Terribly
  Badly	Fairly	Less	Quietly	Thankfully
  Beautifully	Faithfully	Loudly	Rarely	Thoughtfully
  Bitterly	Fast	Lovingly	Really	Tomorrow
  Blindly	Foolishly	Loyally	Regularly	Unexpectedly
  Boldly	Fortunately	Madly	Reluctantly	Unfortunately
  Bravely	Frankly	More	Repeatedly	Urgently
  Briefly	Generally	Mysteriously	Rudely	Usually
  Busily	Generously	Naturally	Sadly	Valiantly
  Carefully	Gently	Nearly	Safely	Very
  Certainly	Gracefully	Nervously	Seldom	Violently
  Clearly	Happily	Never	Selfishly	Well
  Courageously	Highly	Obediently	Seriously	Wisely
  Cruelly	Honestly	Officially	Silently	Yearly
  Curiously	Hopelessly	Often	Slowly	Yesterday
  Daily	Immediately	Openly	Softly
  Delightfully	Innocently	Painfully	Sometimes
  Easily	Instantly	Patiently	Soon
  Enthusiastically	Interestingly	Politely	Strictly

  Placement of Adverbs

  Adverbs can be used in diverse ways, which means that they are very flexible in sentences; they can be moved around quite a bit without causing any grammatical irregularities.
  Take a look at the following sentence: The speaker grimly faced the audience. The adverb in this sentence is ‘grimly’; moving it around a little, we get The speaker faced the audience grimly. There is nothing wrong with either of the two sentences. What this goes to show is that an adverb can be positioned at multiple points in a sentence, and the guide below will help you decide where your chosen adverb should go:
  Adverbs used to begin sentences/clauses
  Connecting adverbs
  To place an adverb at the beginning of a sentence or clause is also known as ‘initial position adverb placement’, and the adverbs that are commonly used in these positions are known as ‘connecting adverbs’, such as:
  Consequently
  However
  Next
  Still
  Then
  These adverbs are known as connecting adverbs, quite simply, because they are used at the beginnings of phrases and sentences to connect them to what has been said before. For example:
  I did not care for her tone. However, I let it go.
  I began to dislike my course within months having signed up for it. Consequently, I never did well.
  That was the Medieval section of the museum; next, we have the Industrial Revolution.
  
  
  
  Adverbs of time
  Time adverbs, like ‘tomorrow’, ‘yesterday’ and ‘sometimes’, are among the most flexible of all adverbs, and can often take initial position. For example:
  Yesterday I was very busy, which is why I was unable to meet you.
  Tomorrow I am leaving for Calcutta.
  Sometimes we feel as if we do not belong in this group.
  Adverbs in the middle
  Focusing adverbs
  ‘Focusing adverbs’ are those adverbs that emphasise a part of the clause or sentence to which they belong, and are generally used mid-sentence. Focusing adverbs include adverbs of frequency (often, rarely, never, always, etc), adverbs of certainty (perhaps, probably, certainly, maybe, etc) and adverbs of comment (adverbs that are used to express opinion, such as smartly, responsibly, intelligently, etc). For example:
  You are always late.
  I will probably be absent at the party.
  He acted responsibly by informing the authorities about the wallet he had found.
  Note: Adverbs of frequency are used before the main verb, not the auxiliary verb.
  Adverbs to end sentences
  This is the most common position for adverbs in sentences.
  Adverbs of manner
  Adverbs of manner are used to describe how something is done, and are generally placed at the ends of sentences or clauses. For example:
  He wrote the answers correctly.
  His stammer caused him to speak haltingly.
  Adverbs of place
  Adverbs of place are used to describe the place where an event occurs, and are also positioned at the ends of sentences or clauses. For example:
  Father is sleeping upstairs.
  In a couple of days I will be travelling north.
  Adverbs of time
  Adverbs of time, as discussed earlier, can also find their ways to the ends of sentences or clauses. For example:
  I leave tomorrow afternoon.
  Forming Adverbs from Adjectives
  Here are some guidelines on forming adverbs from adjectives:
  1. In a large number of the cases, the adverb can be formed by simply adding ‘-ly’ to the adjective.

  ADJECTIVE	ADVERB
  Cheap	Cheaply
  Quick	Quickly
  Strong	Strong

  2. If the adjective ends in with ‘y’, replace the ‘y’ with an ‘i’ and add ‘-ly’.

  ADJECTIVE	ADVERB
  Ready	Readily
  Merry	Merrily
  Easy	Easily

  3. If the adjective ends with ‘-le’, replace the ‘e’ at the end with ‘y’.

  ADJECTIVE	ADVERB
  Understandable	Understandably
  Forcible	Forcibly
  Possible	Possibly

  4. If the adjective ends with ‘-ic’, add ‘-ally’.

  ADJECTIVE	ADVERB
  Idiotic	Idiotically
  Tragic	Tragically
  Basic	Basically

  An exception to this rule is ‘public’, whose adverbial form is ‘publicly’.
  5. Some adjectives do not change form at all.

  ADJECTIVE	ADVERB
  Fast	Fast
  Straight	Straight
  Hard	Hard