ADVERBS

ADVERBS
Adverbs are a very broad collection of words that may describe how,
where, or when an action took place. They may also express the
viewpoint of the speaker about the action, the intensity of an adjective
or another adverb, or several other functions. Use these pages about the
grammar of adverbs in English to become more precise and more
descriptive in your speaking and writing.
ADVERBS IN ENGLISH
• What adverbs are and what they are for
• Forming adverbs from adjectives
• Forming the comparative and the superlative of adverbs
• Adverbs of place
• Adverbs of time
• Adverbs of manner
• Adverbs of degree
• Adverbs of certainty
• Interrogative adverbs
 USING ADVERBS IN ENGLISH
Adverbs modify, or tell us more about, other words. Usually adverbs modify verbs,
telling us how, how often, when, or where something was done. The adverb is placed
after the verb it modifies.
EXAMPLES :
• The bus moved slowly.
• The bears ate greedily.
• The car drove fast.
• Sometimes adverbs modify adjectives, making them stronger or weaker.

EXAMPLES:
• You look absolutely fabulous!
• He is slightly overweight.
• You are very persistent.
• Some types of adverbs can modify other adverbs, changing their degree or
precision.

EXAMPLES :
• She played the violin extremely well.
• You're speaking too quietly.
 FORMING ADVERBS FROM ADJECTIVES

In most cases, an adverb is formed by adding -ly to an adjective

Adjective Adverb

cheap cheaply

quick quickly

slow slowly

If the adjective ends in -y, replace the y with i and add -ly
Adjective Adverb
easy easily
angry angrily
happy happily
lucky luckily
If the adjective ends in -able, -ible, or -le, replace the -e with -y.
Adjective Adverb

probable probably

terrible terribly

gentle gently

If the adjective ends in -ic, add -ally. Exception: public -> publicly
Adjective Adverb

basic basically

tragic tragically

economic economically
Some adverbs have the same form as the adjective: early, fast, hard, high, late,
near, straight, & wrong
EXAMPLES :
• 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.

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 ADVERBS

With adverbs ending in -ly, you must use more to form the comparative,
and most to form the superlative

EXAMPLES :
• The teacher spoke more slowly to help us to understand.
• Could you sing more quietly please?
With short adverbs that do not end in -ly comparative and superlative forms are
identical to adjectives: add -er to form the comparative and -est to form the
superlative. If the adverb ends in e, remove it before adding the ending.

EXAMPLES :
• Jim works harder than his brother.
• Everyone in the race ran fast, but John ran the fastest of all.
Some adverbs have irregular comparative and superlative forms.

EXAMPLES :
• The little boy ran farther than his friends.
• You're driving worse today than yesterday !
• He played the best of any player.
 ADVERBS OF PLACE

Adverbs of place tell us where something happens. They are usually placed
after the main verb or after the clause that they modify. Adverbs of place do
not modify adjectives or other adverbs.
EXAMPLES :
• John looked around but he couldn't see the monkey.
• I searched everywhere I could think of.
• I'm going back to school.
• Come in!
• They built a house nearby.
• She took the child outside.
HERE AND THERE
Here and there are common adverbs of place. They give a location relative to the
speaker. With verbs of movement, here means "towards or with the speaker"
and there means "away from, or not with the speaker".

Here and there are combined with prepositions to make many common adverbial
phrases.
EXAMPLES :
• What are you doing up there?
• Come over here and look at what I found!
• The baby is hiding down there under the table.
• I wonder how my driver's license got stuck under here.
ADVERBS OF PLACE THAT ARE ALSO PREPOSITIONS
Many adverbs of place can also be used as prepositions. When used as
prepositions, they must be followed by a noun.
Word Used as an adverb of Used as a preposition
place, modifying a verb
around The marble rolled I am wearing a
around in my hand. necklace around my
neck.
behind Hurry! You are getting Let's hide behind the
behind. shed.
down Mary fell down. John made his way
carefully down the cliff.
in We decided to drop I dropped the letter in
in on Jake. the mailbox.
off Let's get off at the next The wind blew the
stop. flowers off the tree.
on We rode on for several Please put the books on
more hours. the table.
over He turned over and went I think I will hang the
back to sleep. picture over my bed.
ADVERBS OF PLACE ENDING IN -WHERE
Adverbs of place that end in -where express the idea of location without specifying
a specific location or direction.
EXAMPLES :
• I would like to go somewhere warm for my vacation.
• Is there anywhere I can find a perfect plate of spaghetti around here?
• I have nowhere to go.
• I keep running in to Sally everywhere!

ADVERBS OF PLACE ENDING IN -WARDS

Adverbs of place that end in -wards express movement in a particular direction.
EXAMPLES :
• Cats don't usually walk backwards.
• The ship sailed westwards.
• The balloon drifted upwards.
• We will keep walking homewards until we arrive.
• Be careful: Towards is a preposition, not an adverb, so it is always followed by
a noun or a pronoun.
EXAMPLES :
• He walked towards the car.
• She ran towards me.
ADVERBS OF PLACE EXPRESSING BOTH MOVEMENT &
LOCATION
Some adverbs of place express both movement & location at the same time.
EXAMPLES :
• The child went indoors.
• He lived and worked abroad.
• Water always flows downhill.
 ADVERBS OF TIME

Adverbs of time tell us when an action happened, but also for how long, and
how often. Adverbs that tell us when 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.
• I saw Sally today.
• I will call you later.
• I have to leave now.
• I saw that movie last year.
ADVERBS THAT TELL US FOR HOW LONG
Adverbs that tell us for how long are also 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.
• I have been going to this school since 1996.

In these adverbial phrases that tell us for how long, for is always followed by
an expression of duration, while since is always followed by an expression of a
point in time.
EXAMPLES :
• I stayed in Switzerland for three days.
• I am going on vacation for a week.
• I have been riding horses for several years.
• The French monarchy lasted for several centuries.
• I have not seen you since Monday.
• Jim has been working here since 1997.
• There has not been a more exciting discovery since last century
ADVERBS THAT TELL US HOW OFTEN
Adverbs that tell us how often express the frequency of an action. They
are usually placed before the main verb but after auxiliary verbs (such
as be, have, may, & must). The only exception is when the main verb is
"to be", in which case the adverb goes after the main verb.
EXAMPLES :
• I often eat vegetarian food.
• He never drinks milk.
• You must always fasten your seat belt.
• I am seldom late.
• He rarely lies.
Many adverbs that express frequency can also be placed at either the
beginning or the end of the sentence, although some cannot be. When they
are placed in these alternate positions, the meaning of the adverb is much
stronger.
Adverb that can be used Stronger position Weaker position
in two positions
frequently I visit France frequently. I frequently visit France.
generally Generally, I don't like I generally don't like
spicy foods. spicy foods.
normally I listen to classical I normally listen to
music normally. classical music.
occasionally I go to the I occasionally go to the
opera occasionally. opera.
often Often, I jog in the I often jog in the
morning. morning.
regularly I come to this I regularly come to this
museum regularly. museum.
sometimes I get up very I sometimes get up very
early sometimes. early.
usually I enjoy being with I usually enjoy being
children usually. with children.
 ADVERBS OF MANNER

Adverbs of manner tell us how something happens. They are usually placed
either after the main verb or after the object.
EXAMPLES :
• He swims well.
• He ran quickly.
• She spoke softly.
• James coughed loudly to attract her attention.
• He plays the flute beautifully. (after the direct object)
• He ate the chocolate cake greedily. (after the direct object)
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.
EXAMPLES :
• He ate greedily the chocolate cake. [incorrect]
• He ate the chocolate cake greedily. [correct]
• He greedily ate the chocolate cake. [correct]
• He gave us generously the money. [incorrect]
• He gave us the money generously. [correct]
• He generously gave us the money. [correct]
 ADVERBS OF DEGREE

Adverbs of degree tell us about the intensity or degree of an action, an

adjective or another adverb. Adverbs of degree are usually placed before the
adjective, adverb, or verb they are modifying, although there are some
exceptions discussed below.
Adverb of degree Modifying Example
extremely adjective The water was extremely
cold.
quite adjective The movie is quite
interesting.
just verb He was just leaving.
almost verb She has almost finished.
very adverb She is running very fast.
too adverb You are walking too
slowly.
enough adverb You are running fast
enough.
 ADVERBS OF CERTAINTY

Adverbs of certainty express how certain we feel about an action or event.

Adverbs of certainty go before the main verb unless the main verb is 'to be', in
which case the adverb of certainty goes after. certainly, definitely, probably,
undoubtedly, surely
EXAMPLES :
• He definitely left the house this morning.
• He surely won't forget.
• He is probably in the park.
• He is certainly a smart man.
 INTERROGATIVE ADVERBS

The interrogative adverbs why, where, how, & when are placed at the
beginning of a question. These questions can be answered with a sentence or a
prepositional phrase. After an interrogative adverb in a question, you must
invert the subject and verb so that the verb comes first.
EXAMPLES :
• Why are you so late? There was a lot of traffic.
• Where is my passport? In the drawer.
• How are you? I'm fine.
• When does the train arrive? At 11:15.