Adverbs of opinion and observation in English

In this chapter the adverbs of opinion and observation will be explained. They give information about an opinion about an action or an observation of an action.

Lesson outline

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1.What are adverbs of opinions and observations?
1.1.Adverbs of opinion and observation examples:
2.Placement of adverbs of opinion and observation
3.An alphabetical list of adverbs of opinion and observation
4.Exercises
4.1.Exercise adverbs of opinion and observation in English
4.2.Practice the adverbs of opinion and observation in English

What are adverbs of opinions and observations?

Adverbs of opinion and observation inform us about an opinion about an action or an observation of an action.

The adverbs of observation are similar to the adverbs of manner, because they both give information about how something is carried out.

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Adverbs of opinion and observation examples:

Surely she broke the cup, but she doesn't want to tell her father.
Personally, we think you should quit your job.
Technically, I didn't do anything wrong.

Placement of adverbs of opinion and observation

1) Adverbs of opinion are usually placed at the beginning of the sentence, then they are separated from the rest of the sentence by a comma. Rarely they are placed at the end.

2) Adverbs of observation are usually placed before the main verb. If the main verb is 'to be' the adverbs of observation can be placed after the main verb.

An alphabetical list of adverbs of opinion and observation

The following table shows a list of common adverbs of opinion and observation.

Adverb	Example
Actually	Actually, I still wanted to use that piece of paper.
Basically	I have basically nothing to do all day.
Bravely	She bravely went up to the criminals.
Carelessly	This essay is very carelessly written.
Cleverly	They cleverly hid the present.
Clearly	Clearly he did not understand what I told him.
Effectively	Effectively, they did not do much at work today.
Foolishly	She foolishly believed him.
Fortunately	Fortunately I brought my sweater, because it is getting colder.
Generously	He generously offered his coat to her.
Kindly	She smiled kindly to the little children.
Logically	Logically we would meet again after tonight.
Luckily	Luckily Martina kept her wallet in a safe.
Naturally	Naturally I would say: 'go for it'.
Personally	Personally, I would not wear that for going out.
Pleasantly	She was pleasantly surprised by the flowers she found on her desk.
Practically	They are practically never home.
Presumably	Presumably, he speaks Chinese.
Rudely	You rudely interrupted the teacher yesterday.
Seriously	Seriously, is that all you can say?
Surely	Surely, we would understand.
Technically	Technically she was Dutch, but everyone assumed she was German because of her accent.
Theoretically	Theoretically I could stop working right now.

Test your knowledge of the adverbs of opinion and observation in English with the exercises below.