What’s an ADVERB?

a word that modifies a verb, an

adjective or another adverb
expressing manner, place, time
or degree

John speaks loudly.

He is really handsome.
He drives extremely fast.
ADVERB’s Form
We make many adverbs by adding -ly to an
adjective, for example:
 quick (adjective) > quickly (adverb)
 careful (adjective) > carefully (adverb)
 beautiful (adjective) > beautifully (adverb)

Study these sentences:

 Clara is beautiful.
 Clara dance beautifully.
ADVERB’s Form
There are some basic rules about spelling for -ly
adverbs. See the table below:
ADJECTIVE
ENDING DO THIS ADJECTIVE ADVERB
most add -ly quick quickly
adjectives nice nicely
sole solely
careful carefully

-able or change -e regrettable regrettably

-ible to –y horrible horribly

-y change -y happy happily

to -ily

-ic change -ic economic economically

to -ically
Not all words ending in -ly are adverbs:
• adjectives, ending in -ly: friendly, silly, lonely, ugly
• nouns, ending in -ly: ally, rally, Italy
• verbs, ending in -ly: apply, rely, supply
There is no adverb for an adjective ending in -ly.

ADVERB’s Form
Kinds of ADVERB
1. ADVERBS OF MANNER
Adverbs of Manner tell us the manner or way in
which something happens.
They answer the question "how?".
Adverbs of Manner mainly modify verbs.

• He speaks slowly. (How does he speak?)

• They helped us cheerfully. (How did they help us?)
• Paul Walker drove his car fast. (How?)
 2. ADVERBS OF PLACE
Adverbs of Place tell us the place where
something happens.
They answer the question "where?".
Adverbs of Place mainly modify verbs.

• Please sit here. (Where should I sit?)

• They looked everywhere. (Where did they look?)
• Two cars were parked outside. (Where?)
 3. ADVERBS OF TIME
Adverbs of Time tell us something about the time that
omething happens.
Adverbs of Time mainly modify verbs.
They can answer the question "when?":
• He came yesterday. (When did he come?)
• I want it now. (When do I want it?)
Or they can answer the question "how often?":
• They deliver the newspaper daily. (How often do they
deliver the newspaper?)
• We sometimes watch a movie. (How often do we watch
a movie?)
 - ADVERBS OF FREQUENCY -
Adverbs of Frequency are Adverbs of Time that
answer "How frequently?" or "How often?".
They tell us how often something happens.
a) daily, weekly, yearly
b) often, sometimes, rarely

You probably see a difference between a) and b).

With words like daily we know exactly how often.
The words in a) describe definite frequency.
On the other hand, words like often give us an idea
about frequency but they don't tell us exactly.
The words in b) describe indefinite frequency.
 - ADVERBS OF DEFINITE FREQUENCY -
Examples:
• hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, yearly
• every second, once a minute, twice a year
• once, twice, once or twice, three times

Adverbs of definite frequency, like all adverbs

of definite time, typically go in END position.
Look at these examples:
• Most companies pay taxes yearly.
• The manager checks the toilets every hour.
• The directors meet weekly to review progress.
 - ADVERBS OF DEFINITE FREQUENCY -
Sometimes, usually for reasons of emphasis or
style, some adverbs of definite frequency may
go at the FRONT, for example:
• Every day, more than five thousand people die on
our roads.
- ADVERBS OF INDEFINITE FREQUENCY -
Look at these examples of adverbs of indefinite
frequency:
100% always, constantly
usually, normally
frequently, regularly
often
50% sometimes
occasionally
rarely, infrequently
seldom
hardly ever
0% never
- ADVERBS OF INDEFINITE FREQUENCY -

Adverbs of indefinite frequency mainly go in MID

position in the sentence. They go before the main verb
(except the main verb "to be"):
• We usually go shopping on Saturday.
• I have often done that.
• She is always late.

Occasionally, sometimes, often, frequently and usually

can also go at the beginning or end of a sentence:
• Sometimes they come and stay with us.
• I play tennis occasionally.
 - ADVERBS OF INDEFINITE FREQUENCY -
Rarely and seldom can also go at the end of a
sentence (often with "very"):
• We see them rarely.
• John eats meat very seldom.
4. ADVERBS OF DEGREE
Adverbs of Degree tell us the degree or extent to which
something happens.
They answer "how much?" or "to what degree?".
Adverbs of Degree can modify verbs, adjectives and
other adverbs.

• She entirely agrees with him.

(How much does she agree with him?)
• Mary is very beautiful.
(To what degree is Mary beautiful? How beautiful is Mary?)
• He drove quite dangerously.
(To what degree did he drive dangerously?
How dangerously did he drive?)
Position of ADVERB
When an adverb modifies a verb, there
are usually 3 possible positions within the
sentence or clause:
1. FRONT - Now I will read a book.
before subject
2. MID - between I often read books.
subject + verb
3. END - after I read books carefully.
verb/object
Position of ADVERB
When an adverb modifies an adjective or
another adverb, it usually goes in front of
the word that it modifies, for example:

ADVERB ADJECTIVE
She gave him a really dirty look.

ADVERB ADVERB
We quite often study English.