Adverb
a word or phrase that modifies the meaning of an adjective, verb, or other adverb, expressing manner, place, time, or degree (e.g. gently, here, now, very ). Some adverbs, for example sentence adverbs, can also be used to modify whole sentences.
Traditionally considered to be a single part of speech, adverbs perform a wide variety of functions, which makes it difficult to treat them as a single, unified category. Adverbs normally carry out these functions by answering questions such as:
When? She always arrives early.
How? He drives carefully.
Where? They go everywhere together.
In what way? She eats slowly.
To what extent? It is terribly hot.
This is called adverbial function and may be accomplished by adverbial clauses and adverbial phrases as well as by adverbs that stand alone.
There are many rules for using adverbs, and these rules often depend upon which type of adverb you are using. Remember these basics, and using adverbs to make sentences more meaningful will be easier for you.
Adverbs can always be used to modify verbs. Notice that the second of these two sentences is much more interesting simply because it contains an adverb:
The dog ran. (You can picture a dog running, but you don’t really know much more about the scene.)
The dog ran excitedly. (You can picture a dog running, wagging its tail, panting happily, and looking glad to see its owner. You can paint a much more interesting picture in your head when you know how or why the dog is running.)
Adverbs are often formed by adding the letters “-ly” to adjectives. This makes is very easy to identify adverbs in sentences. There are many exceptions to this rule; everywhere, nowhere, and upstairs are a few examples.
An adverb can be used to modify an adjective and intensify the meaning it conveys. For example:
He plays tennis well. (He knows how to play tennis and sometimes he wins.)
He plays tennis extremely well. (He knows how to play tennis so well that he wins often.)
As you read the following adverb examples, you’ll notice how these useful words modify other words and phrases by providing information about the place, time, manner, certainty, frequency, or other circumstances of activity denoted by the verbs or verb phrases in the sentences.
Examples of Adverbs
As you read each of the following adverb examples, note that the adverbs have been italicized for easy identification. Consider how replacing the existing adverbs with different ones would change the meaning of each sentence.
She was walking rapidly.
The kids love playing together in the sandbox.
Please come inside now.
His jokes are always very funny.
You don’t really care, do you?
Adverbs Exercises
The following exercises will help you gain greater understanding about how adverbs work. Choose the best answer to complete each sentence.
The driver stopped the bus _______________.
Financially
Exactly
Abruptly
Now
Answer: C. The driver stopped the bus abruptly.
During autumn, colorful leaves can be seen falling ______________ from trees.
Everywhere
Very
Gently
Loudly
Answer: C. During autumn, colorful leaves can be seen falling gently from trees.
My grandmother always smiled _______________.
Cheerfully
Sadly
Never
Yesterday
Answer: A. My grandmother always smiled cheerfully.
After the party, confetti was strewn _________________.
Blandly
Everywhere
Later
Carefully
Answer: B. After the party, confetti was strewn everywhere.
It’s time to go ____________.
Before
Now
Yesterday
Lightly
Answer: B. It’s time to go now.
Adverbs List
There are many different words that function as adverbs. The following list is broken down into segments which list adverbs by function. After reading, you will be able to think of additional adverbs to add to your own list – after all, there are thousands.
Many adverbs end in “-ly”. This makes it very easy to spot the adverbs in most sentences.
Abruptly
Boldly
Carefully
Deliberately
Excitedly
Financially
Horribly
Mildly
Naughtily
Openly
Poorly
Quickly
Sadly
Terribly
Willingly
Yearly
Some adverbs tell us where the action happened. These are known as adverbs of place.
Everywhere
Here
Inside
There
Underground
Upstairs
Certain adverbs let us know when or how often the action happened. These are known as adverbs of time and adverbs of frequency.
After
Always
Before
Later
Now
Today
Yesterday
Many adverbs tell us the extent of the action.
Almost
Enough
So
Too
Quite
Rather
Very
Some adverbs are used as intensifiers.
Absolutely
Certain
Completely
Heartily
Really
Certain adverbs called adverbs of manner tell us about the way in which something was done.
Briskly
Cheerfully
Expectantly
Randomly
Willingly
Some groups of words serve the same functions as adverbs. These are known as adverb clauses. Be sure to read the adverb clause section to learn new ways to make your sentences even more interesting.
