Adverbs

Adverb is a word that modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb. A good

way to understand adverbs is to think about them as the words that provide context.
Specifically, adverbs provide a description of how, where, when, in what
manner and to what extent something is done or happens. Normally, we can spot
an adverb by the fact that it often ends in –ly, but there are lots of adverbs that
don’t end in this way. Moreover, adverbs can be used in many combinations with
each other.
Adverbs normally help paint a fuller picture by describing how something
happens, such as
 When? She always arrives early.
 How? He drives carefully.
 Where? They go everywhere together.
 In what way? She eats slowly.
 To what extent? It is terribly hot.

This function of providing more information about how something is done is called
the adverbial function, and it may be accomplished by using adverbial clauses and
adverbial phrases as well as by adverbs that stand alone.
There are many rules for using adverbs, and these rules often depend upon
which type of adverb you are using. Remember these basics and using adverbs to
make sentences more meaningful will be easier for you.
 Adverbs can always be used to modify verbs. Notice that the second of these
two sentences is much more interesting simply because it contains an adverb:
 The dog ran. (You can picture a dog running, but you don’t really know
much more about the scene.)
 The dog ran excitedly. (You can picture a dog running, wagging its tail,
panting happily, and looking glad to see its owner. You can paint a
much more interesting picture in your head when you know how or
why the dog is running.)
  Adverbs are often formed by adding the letters “-ly” to adjectives. This makes
it very easy to identify adverbs in sentences. There are many exceptions to
this rule; everywhere, nowhere, and upstairs are a few examples.
 An adverb can be used to modify an adjective and intensify the meaning it
conveys. For example:
 He plays tennis well. (He knows how to play tennis and sometimes
he wins.)
 He plays tennis extremely well. (He knows how to play tennis so
well that he wins often.)
As you read the following adverb examples, you’ll notice how these useful words
modify other words and phrases by providing information about the place, time,
manner, certainty, frequency, or other circumstances of activity denoted by the
verbs or verb phrases in the sentences.

Types of Adverbs
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:
Slowly She passed the exam easily.
Correctly John answered the question correctly.
Badly The dinner party went badly.
Quickly They walk quickly to catch the train.

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.

Julia dances well.

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
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.

Adverbs of Frequency
Adverbs of frequency are used to express time or how often something
occurs. Adverbs of frequency can be split into 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.
The situation seems to change monthly.
The newspaper is bought daily.
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.
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.

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.

Order of Adverbs
Adverb order is so important that 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: (see table)

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.