1 Adverbs
An adverb is a word that describes an adjective, a verb, or
another adverb. Take a look at these examples:
Here’s an example: I entered the room quietly. Quietly is
describing how you entered (verb) the room.
Here’s another example: A cheetah is always faster
than a lion. Always is describing how frequently a cheetah
is faster (adjective) than a lion.
1.1.1
Types of Adverbs
1.1.1.1
Adverbs of Manner
An adverb of
manner will explain how an action is carried out. Very often
adverbs of manner are adjectives with -ly added to the end, but this is
certainly not always the case. In fact, some adverbs of manner will have the
same spelling as the adjective form.
Some examples of adverbs of manner include:
1. Slowly
2. Rapidly
3. Clumsily
4. Badly
5. Diligently
6. Sweetly
7. Warmly
8. Sadly
Adverb of manner examples
in the following sentences are in bold for easy identification.
- She passed the exam easily.
- They walk quickly to catch the train.
- The dinner party went badly.
- John answered the question correctly.
Notice how the
adverbs are formed by adding -ly to the adjectives bad,
correct and quick,
although there is a slight spelling change when forming an adverb with the
adjective easy.
As mentioned, some adverbs of manner take the same spelling as
the adjective and never add an -ly to the end:
- The boys had worked hard.
- The car drives
- Julia dances well.
1.1.1.2
Adverbs of place
An adverb of
place, sometimes called spatial adverbs, will help explain where an
action happens. Adverbs of place will be associated with the action of the verb
in a sentence, providing context for direction, distance and position:
southeast, everywhere, up, left, close by, back, inside, around. These terms
don’t usually end in -ly.
Adverbs of place examples in the following sentences are in bold
for easy identification.
Directions
- New York is located north of
Philadelphia.
- They traveled down the mountainside.
- First, I looked here, and then I
looked there,
but I can’t find them anywhere.
Notice that here and there are
often used at the beginning of a sentence to express emphasis or in
exclamation.
- Here comes the sun.
- There is love in the air.
- Here you are!
Many times, adverbs of place can be used as prepositions as
well. The difference is, when the phrase is used as an adverb, it is modifying
a verb; when it is used as a preposition, it is always followed by a noun.
- New York is located north of Philadelphia
-> New York is on the map.
- They travelled down river -> They
travelled in the first
compartment.
- That puppy was walking around by itself->
We put a collar around its neck.
Distance
- There was a deli
- Jane is moving far away.
- Carly is sitting close to me.
Position
- The treasure lies underneath the box.
- The cat is sleeping on the bed.
- Why are you standing in the middle of the
dancefloor?
In addition, some adverbs of position will refer to a direction
of movement. These often end in -ward or -wards.
- Oscar travelled onward to Los
Angeles.
- Hannah looked upwards to the heavens.
- Molly, move forward to the front of the queue,
please.
1.1.1.3
Adverbs of Frequency
Adverbs of frequency are
used to express time or how often something occurs. Adverbs of frequency can be
split two main groups. The first, adverbs of indefinite frequency, are terms
that have an unclear meaning as to how long are how often something
occurs: usually, always, normally. These adverbs
will usually be placed after the main verb or between the auxiliary verb and
infinitive.
Adverbs of frequency examples in the following sentences are in
bold for easy identification.
- The adverb is usually placed before the main verb.
- I can normally make
the shot.
- I will always love
Adverbs of definite frequency will usually be placed at the end
of the sentence.
- We get paid hourly.
- I come here
- The situation seems to change monthly.
- The newspaper is bought daily.
1.1.1.4
Adverbs of Time
Adverbs of time,
while seemingly similar to adverbs of frequency, tell us when something
happens. Adverbs of time are usually placed at the end of a sentence.
Adverbs of time examples in the following sentences are in bold
for easy identification.
- I will see you
- Harvey forgot his lunch yesterday and
again today.
- I have to go now.
- We first met Julie last year.
While it’s almost always correct to have the adverb of time at
the end of the sentence, you can place it at the start of the sentence to put a
different emphasis on the time if it is important to the context.
- Last year was the worst year of my life.
- Tomorrow our fate will be sealed.
- Yesterday my troubles seemed so far away.
1.1.1.5
Adverbs of Purpose
Adverbs of purpose,
sometimes called adverbs of reason, help to describe why something
happened. They can come in the form of individual words – so,
since, thus, because – but also clauses – so that,
in order to. Notice in the examples that the adverbs of purpose are used to
connect sentences that wouldn’t make sense if they were formed alone.
Adverbs of purpose examples in the following sentences are in
bold for easy identification.
- I was sick, thus didn’t go to work today.
- I started jogging so that I wouldn’t be late.
- Because I was late, I jogged a little faster.
- Since it’s your birthday, I will buy you a gift.
1.1.1.6
Positions of Adverbs
The positions
of adverbs are not a fixed or set thing. As you have
seen, adverbs can appear in different position in a sentence. However, there
are some rules that help us decide where an adverb should be positioned. The
rules will be different depending on whether the adverb is acting to modify an
adjective or another adverb, a verb or what type of adverb it is.
Positional adverb examples in the following sentences are in
bold for easy identification.
Adverb position with
adjectives and other adverbs
These adverbs will usually be placed before the adjective or
adverb being modified:
- We gave them a really tough match.
The adverb really modifies
the adjective tough.
- It was quite windy
that night. The adverb quite modifies
the adjective windy.
- We don’t go to the movies terribly often. The adverb terribly modifies the
adverb often.
Adverb position with verbs
This can be a bit trickier because, it will depend on the type
of adverb – place, position, time etc. – and there are many exceptions to the
rules. However, a basic set of guidelines is shown below:
Adverbs of manner or place are usually positioned at the end of
the sentence:
- She laughed timidly.
- I stroked the cat gently.
- Janine lived here.
- There is money everywhere.
As mentioned, if the adverb
is of definite time it will be placed at
the end of the sentence.
- I did it yesterday.
- We can discuss it tomorrow.
- Let’s go to Paris next week.
However, if it is an indefinite
period of time, it will go between the subject and main verb.
- We often go
to Paris in the springtime.
- Debbie regularly swims
here.
- Bobby and Audrey always loved fishing
by the lake.
1.1.1.7
Order of Adverbs
Adverb order is so important it has clear rules. It’s already
mentioned that some adverbs will act to modify another, but how do you decide
the structure of a sentence with several adverbs? Thankfully, there is a simple
set of rules to follow, called the order of adverbs. Handily, the order of
adverbs, sometimes also called the royal order of adverbs, can help us
determine sentence structure too. In short, the adverbs get preference (are
placed first) in the following order:
1. Adverbs
of manner.
2. Adverbs
of place.
3. Adverbs
of frequency.
4. Adverbs
of time.
5. Adverbs
of purpose.
Consider this sentence:
I run (verb) quickly (manner) down the
road (place) every morning (frequency) before
school (time) because (purpose)
I might miss the bus.
While it is good to remember the order of adverbs, there is
always flexibility with language, and we have already mentioned that adverbs of
time and frequency can be placed at the start of a sentence to change the
emphasis. So, bottom line: think of the order of adverbs as more of a guideline
than a rule that can’t be broken.