English adverbs
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Sign up for freeThis chapter discusses the different English adverbs. These different adverbs differ in their meaning and usage. The different adverbs are described in the subchapters.
Lesson outline
HideWhat are adverbs in the English language?
Adverbs are used to explain in what way someone does something. Adverbs add information about the word they are connected to. The adverbs are able to modify verbs, adjectives, clauses, sentences and other adverbs.
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Example:
- She drives carefully.
- He speaks slowly.
Adverbs are formed by: adjective + ly
Use of adverbs in English
Adverbs are used to give more information about other words, usually verbs. Giving us more information about how often, when, or where an action took place.
| Use | Example |
|---|---|
| Modify verbs |
|
| Modify adjectives |
|
| Modify other adverbs |
|
Forming adverbs from adjectives
The adjectives are turned into an adverb when adding '-ly'.
Rule: adjective + ly
Keep in mind:
- When the adjective ends in '-y', '-ily' will be added to the adjective.
- When the adjective ends in '-able', '-ible', '-le', the '-e' will be replaced by '-y'.
- When the adjective ends in '-ic', '-ally' will be added.
| Rule | Adjective | Adverb |
|---|---|---|
| Normal adjectives |
|
|
| Adjective ends in '-y' |
|
|
| Adjective ends in '-able', '-ible', '-le' |
|
|
| Adjective ends in '-ic' |
|
|
List of irregular adverbs
Most adverbs are formed by adding '-ly' to an adjective. However, there are some exceptions, which are shown in the table below.
| Adjective | Adverb |
|---|---|
| good | well |
| fast | fast |
| hard | hard |
| late | late |
| early | early |
| daily | daily |
| straight | straight |
| wrong | wrong, or wrongly |
Types of adverbs in English
The table below shows the different types of adverbs.
| Adverb | Position in the sentence | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Place | Placed at the end of the sentence. | The child played outside. |
| Manner | Placed after the verb. | He sings well. |
| Degree | Placed before the adjective or adverb. | The presentation was quite interesting. |
| Frequency | Placed before the verb, but after the verb 'to be'. | He is always on time. |
| Time | Placed at the end of the sentence and after place. | She was late today. |
| Certainty and probability | Placed depending on the sentence. | He will definitely come tonight. |
| Opinion and observation | Placed at the beginning of the sentence. | Obviously, she will come to the party tonight. |
| Quantity | Placed before the adjective or adverb. | There are many students absent today. |
Order of adverbs in English
When there are multiple adverbs in a sentence, there is an order for the adverbs:
The other adverbs will be placed depending on the nouns in the sentence or the type of sentence that is formulated.
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