Adverbs of Manner For Intermediate learners
What are Adverbs of Manner?
Manner adverbs usually provide information about the manner or degree of something or how something has happened. For instance, in the sentence, "She works quickly.", "quickly" is the adverb of manner that tells us how the action "work" is being performed. You can usually find the adverb of manner by asking "how?".
Common Adverbs of Manner
Here is the list for some common adverbs of manner:
schnell | quickly |
|---|---|
langsam | slowly |
gut | well |
schlecht | badly |
laut | loudly |
leise | quietly |
vorsichtig | carefully |
einfach | simply |
gemeinsam | together |
sorgfältig | thoroughly |
Der Bote lief schnell zur Tür.
The messenger ran quickly to the door.
Er kann gut Gitarre spielen.
He can play the guitar well.
Die Kinder lachen laut.
The children are laughing loudly.
Forming Adverbs of Manner
You can simply use the base form of the adjective as the adverb.
Der Mann arbeitet sorgfältig.
The man works carefully.
Das Kind singt laut.
The child sings loudly.
Sie spricht deutlich.
She speaks clearly.
Position of the Adverb
You can put the adverb of manner in different positions in a sentence.
After the Verb and Object
Before the Object
At the Beginning
After the Verb and Object
This is the standard position of an adverb of manner.
Sie liest das Buch schnell.
She reads the book quickly.
Er öffnete die Tür vorsichtig.
He opened the door carefully.
Before the Object
It is also common to put the adverb of manner before the object.
Sie liest schnell das Buch.
She reads quickly the book.
At the Beginning
It is possible to put the adverb of manner at the very beginning of the sentence. In this case, more emphasis will be on the adverb.
Langsam verstehe ich die Grammatik.
Slowly, I am understanding the grammar.
Vorsichtig näherte er sich dem Tier.
Carefully, he approached the animal.
Order of Multiple Adverbs of Manner
If you have more than one adverb of manner in a sentence, you should order them from general to specific. There are also some other rules to make it easier to position the adverbs correctly:
[Verb] + [Method/Means] + [Instrument] + [Specific Manner]
Sie hat den Brief sorgfältig mit der Hand geschrieben.
She wrote the letter carefully by hand.
Er antwortete höflich mit einem Lächeln.
He answered politely with a smile.
Comparison
If the adverb of manner is gradable and exists in a degree, then it can have a comparative and superlative form.
Comparative
Since adverbs are identical to the base form of adjectives, they follow the same rules for forming the comparative.
adverb + -er
To make the comparative form of an adverb, you should add -er to the end of it.
schnell (quickly) → schneller (more quickly)
Sie arbeitet schneller.
She works more quickly.
laut (loudly) → lauter (more loudly)
Kannst du bitte lauter sprechen?
Can you please speak louder?
There are some few adverbs that are considered irregular and have a slightly different pattern.
gut (well) → besser (better)
viel (much) → mehr (more)
Sie singt besser.
She sings better.
Superlative
Here is the formula for the superlative form of an adverb:
[am + Adverb + -sten]
If the adverb ends in -t or -d, an -e- will be added before -sten.
schnell → am schnellsten → (the fastest)
laut → am lautesten → (the most loudly)
deutlich → am deutlichsten → (the most clearly)
Er läuft am schnellsten.
He runs the fastest.
Sie spricht am deutlichsten.
She speaks the most clearly.
gut → am besten → (the best)
viel → am meisten → (the most)
Ich kann das am besten.
I can do that the best.
Er arbeitet am meisten.
He works the most.
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