What is an adverb?
Adverbs modify, or tell us more about other words, usually verbs:
Examples
- The bus moved slowly.
- The bears ate greedily.
Sometimes they tell us more about adjectives:
Examples
- You look absolutely fabulous!
They can also modify other adverbs:
Examples
- She played the violin extremely well.
- You’re speaking too quietly.
More sections on adverbs...
- List of common adverbs of degree
- Adverbs
- What is an adverb?
- How to form adverbs
- Comparative and superlative of adverbs
- Adverbs of manner
- Adverbs of place
- Adverbs of degree
- Adverbs of certainty
- Viewpoint and commenting adverbs
- Interrogative adverbs
- Relative adverbs
- Adverbs of time
How to form adverbs
Rules
1. In most cases, an adverb is formed by adding ‘-ly’ to an adjective:
| Adjective | Adverb |
cheap | cheaply |
Examples:
- Time goes quickly.
- He walked slowly to the door.
- She certainly had an interesting life.
- He carefully picked up the sleeping child.
Rules
If the adjective ends in ‘-y’, replace the ‘y’ with ‘i’ and add ‘-ly’:
| Adjective | Adverb |
easy | easily |
If the adjective ends in –‘able’, ‘-ible’, or ‘-le’, replace the ‘-e’ with ‘-y’:
| Adjective | Adverb |
probable | probably |
If the adjective ends in ‘-ic’, add ‘-ally’:
| Adjective | Adverb |
basic | basically |
Note: Exception: public – publicly
2. Some adverbs have the same form as the adjective:
| Adjective and Adverb examples with the same form | |
early | late |
Compare:
- It is a fast car.
- He drives very fast.
- This is a hard exercise.
- He works hard.
- We saw many high buildings.
- The bird flew high in the sky.
3. ‘Well‘ and ‘good‘
‘Well’ is the adverb that corresponds to the adjective ‘good’.
Examples:
- He is a good student.
- He studies well.
- She is a good pianist.
- She plays the piano well.
- They are good swimmers.
- They swim well
Comparative and superlative of adverbs
Rule
In general, comparative and superlative forms of adverbs are the same as for adjectives:
- add -er or -est to short adverbs:
| Adverb | Comparative | Superlative |
hard | harder | the hardest |
Example:
- Jim works harder than his brother.
- Everyone in the race ran fast, but John ran the fastest of all.
Rule
With adverbs ending in -ly, use more for the comparative and most for the superlative:
| Adverb | Comparative | Superlative |
quietly | more quietly | most quietly |
Example:
- The teacher spoke more slowly to help us to understand.
- Could you sing more quietly please?
Rule
Some adverbs have irregular comparative forms:
| Adverb | Comparative | Superlative |
| badly far little well | worse farther/further less better | worst farthest/furthest least best |
Example:
- The little boy ran further than his friends.
- You’re driving worse today than yesterday !
BE CAREFUL! Sometimes ‘most‘ can mean ‘very’:
- We were most grateful for your help
- I am most impressed by this application
ADVERBS OF MANNER
Rule
Adverbs of manner tell us how something happens. They are usually placed after the main verb or after the object.
Examples:
- He swims well, (after the main verb)
- He ran… rapidly, slowly, quickly..
- She spoke… softly, loudly, aggressively..
- James coughed loudly to attract her attention.
- He plays the flute beautifully. (after the object)
- He ate the chocolate cake greedily.
BE CAREFUL!
The adverb should not be put between the verb and the object:
Examples
- He ate greedily the chocolate cake [incorrect]
- He ate the chocolate cake greedily [correct]
Rule
If there is a preposition before the object, e.g. at, towards, we can place the adverb either before the preposition or after the object.
Examples
- The child ran happily towards his mother.
- The child ran towards his mother happily.
Rule
Sometimes an adverb of manner is placed before a verb + object to add emphasis:
Examples
- He gently woke the sleeping woman.
Some writers put an adverb of manner at the beginning of the sentence to catch our attention and make us curious:
Examples
- Slowly she picked up the knife.
Rule
(We want to know what happened slowly, who did it slowly, why they did it slowly)
However, adverbs should always come AFTER intransitive verbs (=verbs which have no object).
Examples
- The town grew quickly
- He waited patiently
Also, these common adverbs are almost always placed AFTER the verb:
- well
- badly
- hard
- fast
Rule
The position of the adverb is important when there is more than one verb in a sentence. If the adverb is placed after a clause, then it modifies the whole action described by the clause.
Notice the difference in meaning between the following pairs of sentences:
- She quickly agreed to re-type the letter (= her agreement was quick)
- She agreed to re-type the letter quickly (= the re-typing was quick)
- He quietly asked me to leave the house (= his request was quiet)
- He asked me to leave the house quietly (= the leaving was quiet)
ADVERBS OF PLACE
Rule
Adverbs of place tell us where something happens.
They are usually placed after the main verb or after the object:
Examples:
after the main verb:
- I looked everywhere
- John looked away, up, down, around…
- I’m going home, out, back
- Come in
after the object:
- They built a house nearby
- She took the child outside
Common Adverbs of Place
‘Here’ and ‘there’
With verbs of movement, here means towards or with the speaker:
- Come here (= towards me)
- It’s in here (= come with me to see it)
There means away from, or not with the speaker:
- Put it there (= away from me)
- It’s in there (= go by yourself to see it)
Here and there are combined with prepositions to make many common adverbial phrases:
down here, down there;
over here, over there;
under here, under there;
up here, up there
Here and there are placed at the beginning of the sentence in exclamations or when emphasis is needed.
They are followed by the verb if the subject is a noun:
- Here comes the bus. (followed by the verb)
Or by a pronoun if this is the subject (it, she, he etc.):
- Here it is! (followed by the pronoun)
- There she goes! (followed by the pronoun)
NOTE: most common adverbs of place also function as prepositions.
Examples:
about, across, along, around, behind, by, down, in, off, on, over, round, through, under, up.
Go to Prepositions or Phrasal Verbs
Other adverbs of place: ending in ‘–wards’, expressing movement in a particular direction:
| backwards forwards downwards upwards inwards outwards | northwards southwards eastwards westwards homewards onwards |
Examples:
- Cats don’t usually walk backwards.
- The ship sailed westwards.
BE CAREFUL! ‘Towards’ is a preposition, not an adverb, so it is always followed by a noun or a pronoun:
- He walked towards the car.
- She ran towards me.
expressing both movement and location:
ahead, abroad, overseas, uphill, downhill, sideways, indoors, outdoors
Examples:
- The child went indoors.
- He lived and worked abroad.
ADVERBS OF DEGREE
Usage
Adverbs of degree tell us about the intensity or degree of an action, an adjective or another adverb.Try the adverbs of degree quiz
When you have read through this section, try the short quiz on adverbs of degree.
Common adverbs of degree:
Almost, nearly, quite, just, too, enough, hardly, scarcely, completely, very, extremely.
Adverbs of degree are usually placed:
- before the adjective or adverb they are modifying:
e.g. The water was extremely cold. - before the main verb:
e.g. He was just leaving. She has almost finished.
Examples
- She doesn’t quite know what she’ll do after university.
- They are completely exhausted from the trip.
- I am too tired to go out tonight.
- He hardly noticed what she was saying.
Enough, very, too
Enough as an adverb meaning ‘to the necessary degree’ goes after adjectives and adverbs.
Examples
- Is your coffee hot enough? (adjective)
- He didn’t work hard enough. (adverb)
It also goes before nouns, and means ‘as much as is necessary’. In this case it is not an adverb, but a ‘determiner’.
Examples
- We have enough bread.
- They don’t have enough food.
Too as an adverb meaning ‘more than is necessary or useful’ goes before adjectives and adverbs, e.g.
- This coffee is too hot. (adjective)
- He works too hard. (adverb)
Enough and too with adjectives can be followed by ‘for someone/something’.
Examples
- The dress was big enough for me.
- She’s not experienced enough for this job.
- The coffee was too hot for me.
- The dress was too small for her.
We can also use ‘to + infinitive’ after enough and too with adjectives/adverb.
Examples
- The coffee was too hot to drink.
- He didn’t work hard enough to pass the exam.
- She’s not old enough to get married.
- You’re too young to have grandchildren!
Very goes before an adverb or adjective to make it stronger.
Examples
- The painting was very beautiful. (adjective)
- He worked very quickly. (adverb)
If we want to make a negative form of an adjective or adverb, we can use a word of opposite meaning, or not very.
Examples
- The house was ugly OR The house was not very beautiful
- He worked slowly OR He didn’t work very quickly.
BE CAREFUL! There is a big difference between too and very.
- Very expresses a fact:
He speaks very quickly. - Too suggests there is a problem:
He speaks too quickly (for me to understand).
Other adverbs like very
These common adverbs are used like very and not very, and are listed in order of strength, from positive to negative:
extremely, especially, particularly, pretty, rather, quite, fairly, rather, not especially, not particularly.
Note: rather can be positive or negative, depending on the adjective or adverb that follows:
Positive: The teacher was rather nice.
Negative: The film was rather disappointing.
Note on inversion with negative adverbs
Normally the subject goes before the verb:
| SUBJECT | VERB |
| I | left |
| She | goes |
However, some negative adverbs can cause an inversion – the order is reversed and the verb goes before the subject:
Examples
- I have never seen such courage.
Never have I seen such courage. - She rarely left the house.
Rarely did she leave the house.
Negative inversion is used in writing, not in speaking.
Other adverbs and adverbial expressions that can be used like this:
seldom, scarcely, hardly, not only …..
but also, no sooner …..
than, not until, under no circumstances.
List of adverbs of degree
This list has some of the most common adverbs of degree used in English. Take a look at the other sections on Adverbs of Degree to get a full understanding of what they are and how to use them.
See also:
- English4Today Grammar sections:
- Quick Tip Video
List of adverbs of degree
almost
absolutely
awfully
badly
barely
completely
decidedly
deeply
enough
enormously
entirely
extremely
fairly
far
fully
greatly
hardly
highly
how
incredibly
indeed
intensely
just
least
less
little
lots
most
much
nearly
perfectly
positively
practically
pretty
purely
quite
rather
really
scarcely
simply
so
somewhat
strongly
terribly
thoroughly
too
totally
utterly
very
virtually
well
Adverbs of Certainty
Usage
Common adverbs of certainty:
- certainly
- definitely
- probably
- undoubtedly
- surely
1. Adverbs of certainty go before the main verb but after the verb ‘to be’:
- He definitely left the house this morning.
- He is probably in the park.
2. With other auxiliary verb, these adverbs go between the auxiliary and the main verb:
- He has certainly forgotten the meeting.
- He will probably remember tomorrow.
3. Sometimes these adverbs can be placed at the beginning of the sentence:
- Undoubtedly, Winston Churchill was a great politician.
BE CAREFUL! with surely. When it is placed at the beginning of the sentence, it means the speaker thinks something is true, but is looking for confirmation:
- Surely you’ve got a bicycle?
See also ADVERBS OF ATTITUDE
VIEWPOINT AND COMMENTING ADVERBS
There are some adverbs and adverbial expressions which tell us about the speaker’s viewpoint or opinion about an action, or make some comment on the action.
Viewpoint
Frankly, I think he is a liar. (= this is my frank, honest opinion)
Theoretically, you should pay a fine. (= from a theoretical point of view but there may be another way of looking at the situation)
These adverbs are placed at the beginning of the sentence and are separated from the rest of the sentence by a comma.
Some common Viewpoint adverbs:
honestly, seriously, confidentially, personally, surprisingly, ideally, economically, officially, obviously, clearly, surely, undoubtedly.
Examples
- Personally, I’d rather go by train.
- Surprisingly, this car is cheaper than the smaller model.
- Geographically, Britain is rather cut off from the rest of Europe.
Commenting
These are very similar to viewpoint adverbs, and often the same words, but they go in a different position – after the verb to be and before the main verb.
Examples
- She is certainly the best person for the job.
- You obviously enjoyed your meal.
Some common Commenting adverbs:
definitely, certainly, obviously, simply.
INTERROGATIVE ADVERBS
The interrogative adverbs are:
why, where, how, when
They are usually placed at the beginning of a question.
Examples
- Why are you so late?
- Where is my passport?
- How are you?
- How much is that coat?
- When does the train arrive?
Using ‘how’ as an interrogative adverb
Notice that how can be used in four different ways:
1. meaning ‘in what way?’:
- How did you make this sauce?
- How do you start the car?
2. with adjectives:
- How tall are you?
- How old is your house?
3. with much and many:
- How much are these tomatoes?
- How many people are coming to the party?
4. with other adverbs:
- How quickly can you read this?
- How often do you go to London?’how
RELATIVE ADVERBS
Rule
The following adverbs can be used to join sentences or clauses. They replace the more formal structure of preposition + which in a relative clause:
where, when, why
Examples:
- That’s the restaurant where we met for the first time.
(where = at/in which) - I remember the day when we first met.
(when = on which) - There was a very hot summer the year when he was born.
(when = in which) - Tell me (the reason) why you were late home.
(why = for which, but could replace the whole phrase ‘the reason for which’)
ADVERBS OF TIME
Adverbs of Time
Adverbs of time tell us when an action happened, but also for how long, and how often.
Examples
- When: today, yesterday, later, now, last year
- For how long: all day, not long, for a while, since last year
- How often: sometimes, frequently, never, often, yearly
“When” adverbs are usually placed at the end of the sentence:
Examples
- Goldilocks went to the Bears’ house yesterday.
- I’m going to tidy my room tomorrow.
This is a “neutral” position, but some “when” adverbs can be put in other positions to give a different emphasis
Compare:
- Later Goldilocks ate some porridge. (the time is more important)
- Goldilocks later ate some porridge. (this is more formal, like a policeman’s report)
- Goldilocks ate some porridge later. (this is neutral, no particular emphasis)
“For how long” adverbs are usually placed at the end of the sentence:
Examples
- She stayed in the Bears’ house all day.
- My mother lived in France for a year.
Notice: ‘for’ is always followed by an expression of duration:
Examples
- for three days,
- for a week,
- for several years,
- for two centuries.
‘since’ is always followed by an expression of a point in time:
Examples
- since Monday,
- since 1997,
- since the last war.
“How often” adverbs expressing the frequency of an action are usually placed before the main verb but after auxiliary verbs (such as be, have, may, must):
Examples
- I often eat vegetarian food. (before the main verb)
- He never drinks milk. (before the main verb)
- You must always fasten your seat belt. (after the auxiliary must)
- She is never sea-sick.(after the auxiliary is)
- I have never forgotten my first kiss. (after the auxiliary have and before the main verb forgotten)
Some other “how often” adverbs express the exact number of times an action happens and are usually placed at the end of the sentence:
Examples
- This magazine is published monthly.
- He visits his mother once a week.
When a frequency adverb is placed at the end of a sentence it is much stronger.
Compare:
- She regularly visits France.
- She visits France regularly.
Adverbs that can be used in these two positions:
- frequently,
- generally,
- normally,
- occasionally,
- often,
- regularly,
- sometimes,
- usually
‘Yet’ and ‘still’
Yet is used in questions and in negative sentences, and is placed at the end of the sentenceor after not.
Examples
- Have you finished your work yet? (= a simple request for information) No, not yet. (= simple negative answer)
- They haven’t met him yet. (= simple negative statement)
- Haven’t you finished yet? (= expressing slight surprise)
Still expresses continuity; it is used in positive sentences and questions, and is placed before the main verb and after auxiliary verbs (such as be, have, might, will)
Examples
- I am still hungry.
- She is still waiting for you
- Are you still here?
- Do you still work for the BBC?
ORDER OF ADVERBS OF TIME
If you need to use more than one adverb of time at the end of a sentence, use them in this order:
1: ‘how long’
2: ‘how often’
3: ‘when’ (think of ‘low‘)
Example:
- 1 + 2 : I work (1) for five hours (2) every day
- 2 + 3 : The magazine was published (2) weekly (3) last year.
- 1 + 3 : I was abroad (1) for two months (3) last year.
- 1 + 2 + 3 : She worked in a hospital (1) for two days (2) every week (3) last year.
Fronted Adverbials: Introduction
A fronted adverbial is an adverbial phrase or word that is placed at the start of the sentence and before the verb.
Usually, they are separated from the rest of a sentence with a comma (as in this sentence!).
Fronted adverbials are used a lot in descriptive writing. They can describe how an action happened, where it happened and when it happened.
They can be used to show:
Click on the link to take you to the grammar section that explains the adverb type if you are not sure.
Structure
Adverbial phrase or adverb, followed by a comma, followed by the main clause.
| FRONTED ADVERBIAL | COMMA | MAIN CLAUSE |
|---|---|---|
| After the rain stopped | , | Marcus went for a walk. |
| Sometimes | , | I play soccer with my friends |
TIP!
If you are not sure about what an adverb is or how they work, take a look at the grammar section on 'Adverbs' first.
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