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Adverbs are words that can modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. So if you are not familiar with the concept of adverbs yet, read this.
What Are Adverbs?
'Adverbs' are words that are used to modify 'adjectives,' 'verbs,' other 'adverbs, 'determiners, clauses, prepositions, or sentences. They provide more information about the manner, place, time, degree, frequency, or reason of an action, state, or quality by answering questions like when?, where?, why?, how?, how much?, how long?, how often? in what way? and to what extent?
Types of Adverbs
The following are the main types of adverbs in English:
- Adverbs of place
- Adverbs of time
- Adverbs of manner
- Adverbs of frequency
- Adverbs of degree
- Adverbs of probability
- Adverbs of movement and direction
- Demonstrative adverbs
- Relative adverbs
- Interrogative adverbs
- Conjunctive adverbs
- Viewpoint and commenting adverbs
- Intensifiers and mitigators
- Adverbial nouns
Adverbs: Functions
As mentioned earlier, adverbs can modify 'adjectives,' 'verbs,' other 'adverbs, 'determiners, clauses, prepositions, or sentences.
Modifying Verbs
The main function of adverbs is to modify verbs or verb phrases. Adverbs are used to give us more information about the manner, place, time, frequency, certainty, etc.
Take a look at some examples:
She danced
Here, 'beautifully' modifies the verb 'danced,' indicating the manner of dancing.
I left my wallet there.
'There' modifies the verb phrase 'left my wallet,' indicating place.
My uncle is going to London
Here, 'tomorrow' modifies the verb phrase 'is going to,' indicating time.
She
'Often' modifies the verb 'works,' indicating frequency.
She has
'Probably' modifies the verb phrase 'has gone,' indicating probability.
Modifying Adjectives and Adverbs
We can also use adverbs to modify adjectives and other adverbs, often to indicate degree. For examples:
The turtle moves
The adverb 'very' modifies another adverb 'slowly.'
This cake is
The adverb 'absolutely' modifies the adjective 'delicious.'
Modifying Determiners and Prepositional Phrases
Adverbs can also be used to modify determiners and prepositional phrases. Take a look at the following examples:
I've watched
'Practically' modifies the determiner 'all' in the noun phrase, 'all of his movies'.
He's
'Almost' modifies the prepositional phrase 'as old as.'
Modifying Sentences
We can also use adverbs to modify whole clauses or sentences. For example:
'Undoubtedly' modifies the sentence as a whole.
'Unfortunately' modifies the sentence as a whole.
Adverbs as Subject Complements
Adverbs can sometimes be used as predicative subject complements. Mostly adverbs of place can be used in this way. For example:
Our seat is
In this sentence, 'where the trouble starts' is the subject and 'here' is the predicate. The sentence has a subject-verb inversion.
Adverbs: Structures
In English (as in many other languages), adverbs are formed in various ways. For example, adverbs of manner are formed by adding the suffix '-ly' to adjectives. For example:
quick → quick
slow → slow
Some words can be used as both adjectives and adverbs. These words are called flat adverbs (also called bare adverbs or simple adverbs). For example:
- fast
- hard
- straight
using an adverb of manner in a sentence
Adverbs: Position in Sentence
Adverbs of manner are generally placed after the verb and its objects. However, other positions are possible too. Pay attention to the examples:
He drove
He
Many adverbs of frequency, degree, certainty, etc. tend to be placed before the verb. However, if there is an auxiliary, these adverbs are normally placed after it.
I
I can
Adverbs that show a connection with the previous sentences, and those that provide the context for a sentence, are normally placed at the beginning of the sentence.
If the verb has an object, the adverb comes after the object. For example:
I read the book
Adverbs: Order
If you want to use more than one 'adverb' in a sentence, it is important to place them in the correct order. There is a set of rules to follow, called the order of adverbs. The adverbs are placed in the following order:
- Adverbs of manner
- Adverbs of place
- Adverbs of frequency
- Adverbs of time
Pay attention to the following examples:
I run
I study
Comparative and Superlative Adverbs
Like adjectives, adverbs can show degrees of comparison. But it’s less common to use them in comparison.
- To make the comparative form of adverbs with two or more syllables, add 'more' before the adverb.
- To make the superlative form of adverbs with two or more syllables, add 'most' before the adverb.
She walked
She walked the
When an adverb has the same form as its corresponding adjective, the comparative and superlative forms of the adverb are identical to those of the adjective. Pay attention to the examples:
She speaks
Here, fast is an adverb which has the same form as the adjective 'fast'.
Maria works
Tip!
Certain linking verbs tend to be followed by adjectives rather than adverbs, including 'smell', 'feel', 'appear', etc.
The food smells
Adverbial Phrases
'Adverbial phrases' are groups of words that act as adverbs. An adverb phrase may have an adverb as its head, along with any accompanying modifiers and complements. For example:
Handle the fragile vase
As a former athlete, I know
Another common type of adverb phrase is the prepositional phrase, which consists of a preposition and its object. Pay attention to the examples:
I will talk to my father
His car is parked
Adverbial Clauses
Clauses must contain at least one subject and one verb to be considered grammatically complete. Consequently, adverbial clauses are composed of a subject and verb and function as adverbs, modifying the verb in the main clause.. Look at the examples.
The bosses signed the contracts
He left
As you can see, 'before the conversation ended' acts as an adverb and modifies the verb 'left'.
Review
Adverbs are used to modify adjectives, verbs, or other adverbs. There are different types of adverbs in English. Check out the list.
- adverbs of manner
- adverbs of place
- adverbs of time
- adverbs of frequency
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Adverb Placement and Order
We can put adverbs at the front, in the middle, or at the end of a clause. Each can have its own function. We'll also learn about the orders of adverbs.
Comparative and Superlative Adverbs
Adverbs are used to modify adjectives adverbs and verbs, but what if we want to make a comparison between things by using these adverbs? Read more.
Types of Adverbs
Adverbs give us a description of a verb in a sentence. There are five basic types of adverbs in the English language.
Adverbs of Place
Adverbs of place help us express where the verb is taking place. Using them will help us be more accurate about locations.
