LoginAdverbs of Manner
Discover the rules for using adverbs of manner, like 'gracefully', 'efficiently', and 'clearly'. Detailed explanations and a quiz to test your knowledge.
Adverbs of Manner: Structure
Most adverbs of manner are formed by adding the suffix '-ly' to adjectives. For example:
quick + -ly → quickly
careful + -ly → carefully
quiet + -ly → quietly
When forming adverbs, there can be some changes in spelling. For example, when an adjective ends in '-y' we have to change the -y to '-i' and then add '-ly':
easy + -ly → easily
happy + -ly → happily
angry + -ly → angrily
If the adjective itself ends in '-ly', we use the phrase 'in a(n) [adjective] way/manner' to form an adverbial of manner. For example:
brotherly → in a brotherly manner
He treats his relatives in a brotherly manner.
silly → in a silly way
She behaved in a silly way last night.
deadly → in a deadly way
He stared at his opponent in a deadly way.
Some adverbs of manner have the same form as their corresponding adjectives. These adverbs are called flat adverbs, bare adverbs, or simple adverbs.
hard
She worked hard on that project.
fast
Our son is growing up fast.
high
He kicked the ball high.
Warning
Some flat adverbs express a different meaning when the '-ly' suffix is added to them. For example:
hardly ≠ hard
highly ≠ high
I was so shocked I could hardly speak.
'Hardly' means barely or only just which is different from the sense of adverbial 'hard' which means with a lot of effort.
He's a highly successful athlete.
'Highly' means very or to a great extent which is different from the sense of 'high' as an adverb (at a great height).
Adverbs of Manner: Placement
Adverbs of manner are usually placed:
at the beginning of the sentence (initial position, mostly in literary texts or for emphasis)
between the subject and main verb or between the auxiliary and the main verb (middle position)
after the main verb or its direct object (end position)
Cautiously, they stepped into the abandoned house.
initial position, this usage is less common and mostly appears in literary usage
He was calmly opening the safe.
between the auxiliary and main verb
She carefully opened the safe.
between the subject and main verb
Cheetahs run fast.
after the main verb
She plays the piano beautifully.
after the direct object
Warning
Adverbs cannot be placed between a verb and its direct object. Instead, they should be placed either before the verb or after the object.
She ate hungrily a slice of bread.
She ate a slice of bread hungrily. Or She hungrily ate a slice of bread.
He walked slowly towards his house.
Here, "toward his house" is not the direct object; rather, it's an adjunct. So the adverb can separate it from the verb.
Why Does Placement Matter?
As you might have noticed in the last section, adverbs of manner are very flexible with regards to placement and can appear in different positions within the sentence, so why should we consider their placement at all? The position of an adverb of manner becomes important when there is more than one verb in the sentence. In this case, the position of the adverb determines the verb that is modified. Compare the examples:
Mary secretly told Alan to leave her house.
Here, 'secretly' modifies the verb 'tell'
Mary told Alan secretly to leave her house.
Here too, 'secretly' modifies the verb 'tell' because it comes after the direct object of 'tell.'
Mary asked Alan to leave her house secretly.
Here, 'secretly' modifies the verb 'leave' because it comes after its direct object.
Warning
We cannot use adverbs of manner after linking verbs. We use adjectives instead:
The girl seemed happy. (Not The girl seemed happily.)
The flowers smelled pleasant. (Not The flowers smelled pleasantly.)
Review
Adverbs of manner modify verbs. Most of them are formed by adding '-ly' to an adjective and can appear in different positions within the sentence:
Suddenly, she turned back.
initial position
I intentionally told him the secret.
middle position
We rode our bicycles carefully.
end position
Quiz:
Which sentence uses the correct adverb of manner for the adjective "crazy"?
He was crazyly jumping up and down.
He was crazy jumping up and down.
He was crazily jumping up and down.
He was in a crazy way jumping up and down.
Sort the words to form a correct sentence.
Complete each sentence using the correct adverb form of the adjectives in parentheses.
She opened the gift
and smiled. (careful)
My brother works very
to achieve his goals. (hard)
You should speak more
in a job interview. (polite)
He's a
respected leader in the community. (high)
The children ran
through the field. (happy)
Which sentence places the adverb of manner correctly?
The librarian organized quietly the new books.
The librarian quietly organized the new books.
The librarian organized the new books quietly.
B and C
Match each incomplete sentence with the correct ending.
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