We might have come across the word adverb a few times in the past but never really considered much about what it could mean or how we would come by using it in a sentence. It’s important to know what adverbs are used for and how they will change the meaning of a sentence so we’re going to help you today and talk you through it by explaining what we know about the adverb.
They’re not nearly as confusing as they might first seem, even though their explanation can sound a little up in the air!
Table of Contents
Overview of Adverbs
What Is an Adverb?
An adverb is a name given to any word that is used to modify a verb, adjective, adverb, or a whole sentence. It can be an odd concept that an adverb is capable of modifying itself, but once we get on to a few examples we’ll hopefully be able to clear it up a little bit better for you.
Functions of Adverbs
In our exploration of language, we’ve found that adverbs play a crucial role in enriching our sentences. They provide additional detail and can modify not just actions, but also other descriptors and even complete thoughts.
Modifying Verbs
When we use adverbs to modify verbs, we’re essentially giving more context to the action. For example:
- He walked quickly.
- She sings beautifully.
The adverbs quickly and beautifully tell us the manner in which the verbs walked and sings are performed, respectively.
Modifying Adjectives
Adverbs can also serve to modify adjectives, usually intensifying or downplaying the quality described by the adjective. Consider the following:
- The movie was surprisingly interesting.
- That was a very tall building.
In these cases, surprisingly and very are adverbs that alter the intensity of the adjectives interesting and tall.
Modifying Other Adverbs
Sometimes, we find ourselves needing to modify the modifiers — that’s where adverbs modifying other adverbs come in. Look at these examples:
- She moved quite slowly.
- He responded almost instantly.
The adverbs quite and almost modify the adverbs slowly and instantly to adjust the degree of the action.
Modifying Entire Sentences
Lastly, adverbs have the power to modify entire sentences, adding a comment or perspective on the overall statement. For instance:
- Fortunately, our team won the match.
- Honestly, we couldn’t have succeeded without your help.
Positions of Adverbs
In English sentences, adverbs can occupy three core positions: front, mid, or end. The position affects the meaning and emphasis of the adverb.
Front Position
Adverbs in the front position are typically placed at the very beginning of a sentence. We use this position to connect thoughts or provide a transition from one idea to another. For instance:
- Yesterday, we arrived in Paris.
- Fortunately, we had a map.
Mid Position
Mid position adverbs usually appear either before the main verb or between the auxiliary verb and the main verb. We place adverbs of frequency, manner, degree, and others in the mid position to modify the verb:
- We often go jogging in the mornings.
- We have carefully considered your proposal.
End Position
Adverbs in the end position are placed at the end of a sentence and are often used to offer details about the manner, place, or time of the action. It’s a common position for many manner adverbs:
- We walked home quietly.
- We’ll meet you there later.
Types of Adverbs & Examples
Adverbs of Manner
These adverbs describe how an action is performed. They often end in -ly and situate themselves close to the verb they modify. For instance:
- We danced gracefully.
- The teacher explained the concept clearly.
Here are some examples:
Adverb of Manner | Example Sentence |
---|---|
Carefully | She carefully painted the delicate details on the canvas. |
Quickly | He quickly ran to catch the departing bus. |
Quietly | The students quietly entered the library to study. |
Loudly | The crowd cheered loudly when the team scored a goal. |
Joyfully | They joyfully celebrated their anniversary. |
Slowly | The sun slowly sank below the horizon. |
Eagerly | The puppy eagerly awaited its owner’s return. |
Sadly | She sadly waved goodbye as her friend departed. |
Smoothly | The presentation went smoothly, without any issues. |
Briskly | He walked briskly to stay warm in the chilly weather. |
Clearly | She explained the instructions clearly to the group. |
Gently | The nurse gently bandaged the child’s scraped knee. |
Angrily | He angrily slammed the door after the argument. |
Gracefully | The ballerina danced gracefully across the stage. |
Patiently | The teacher patiently answered all the students’ questions. |
Honestly | He honestly shared his thoughts during the meeting. |
Accidentally | She accidentally spilled coffee on her paperwork. |
Nervously | He nervously awaited the results of the test. |
Deliberately | She deliberately chose the words for her speech. |
Enthusiastically | The fans enthusiastically supported their favorite team. |
Adverbs of Place
These adverbs illustrate where an action occurs. Common adverbs of place include here, there, and everywhere.
- “Our friends live nearby“
- “It’s a beautiful day; let’s eat outside.”
The word nearby is the adverb telling us the location of our friends’ residence
Here are some examples:
Adverb of Place | Example Sentence |
---|---|
Here | “Please place the files here on my desk.” |
There | “You will find the coffee machine there in the corner.” |
Everywhere | “They searched everywhere for the missing earring.” |
Anywhere | “You can sit anywhere you like in the cafeteria.” |
Somewhere | “Let’s meet somewhere quiet for lunch.” |
Nowhere | “The lost puppy was found nowhere near its home.” |
Upstairs | “The guest room is upstairs on the left.” |
Downstairs | “Breakfast is served downstairs in the dining area.” |
Outside | “The children are playing outside in the garden.” |
Inside | “It’s cold, so please wait inside the house.” |
Near | “She lives near the park, just a few blocks away.” |
Far | “The lighthouse is visible from far away at night.” |
Ahead | “Keep walking; the museum is just ahead.” |
Behind | “The parking lot is behind the building.” |
Above | “A flock of birds flew above the treetops.” |
Below | “The divers explored the coral reefs below the boat.” |
Around | “The rumor spread around the office quickly.” |
Beside | “He stood beside her during the ceremony.” |
Underneath | “The cat hid underneath the porch during the rain.” |
Over | “The plane flew over the clouds.” |
Adverbs of Time
These adverbs let us know when something happened in the sentence. A good example is
- “We should meet at the weekend“.
- “I will do my homework later.”
The whole word “weekend” becomes the adverb here.
Here are some examples:
Adverb of Time | Example Sentence |
---|---|
Now | “I am busy now, can we talk later?” |
Then | “I was younger then and more adventurous.” |
Later | “We will discuss the budget later in the meeting.” |
Soon | “She will be arriving soon, so we should get ready.” |
Yesterday | “I finished the report yesterday.” |
Tomorrow | “We are planning to go hiking tomorrow.” |
Today | “The weather today is perfect for a picnic.” |
Tonight | “They plan to see a movie tonight.” |
Always | “He always jogs before breakfast.” |
Often | “She often visits her grandparents on weekends.” |
Sometimes | “Sometimes, I prefer to work from home.” |
Rarely | “He rarely eats fast food.” |
Never | “I have never seen such a beautiful sunset.” |
Immediately | “The response came immediately after the request.” |
Eventually | “She eventually passed her driving test after several attempts.” |
Currently | “They are currently renovating the old theater.” |
Frequently | “The issue has been occurring more frequently lately.” |
Annually | “The company holds an annual retreat, usually in January.” |
Daily | “Our team has a daily stand-up meeting at 9 AM.” |
Weekly | “The magazine is published weekly.” |
Adverbs of Frequency
Frequency adverbs are crucial in expressing how often an action occurs. We categorize them into definite and indefinite frequency adverbs to convey precision or a general sense of time.
Here are some examples:
Adverb of Frequency | Example Sentence |
---|---|
Always | “She always takes her coffee black.” |
Frequently | “He frequently visits the gym during the week.” |
Usually | “They usually go out for dinner on Fridays.” |
Often | “She often brings homemade lunch to work.” |
Sometimes | “Sometimes, I prefer to take the long route home.” |
Occasionally | “He occasionally stops by the bookstore after work.” |
Seldom | “She seldom watches television nowadays.” |
Rarely | “They rarely eat at fast-food restaurants.” |
Hardly ever | “I hardly ever see them at social events anymore.” |
Never | “He never forgets to call on birthdays.” |
Adverbs of Focusing
These adverbs go in the middle of the sentence to emphasize the meaning of the sentence.
- “She certainly has the looks.”
The adverb is “certainly” and it stresses the importance of “her looks” in the sentence.
Here are some examples:
Adverb of Focusing | Example Sentence |
---|---|
Specifically | “She asked specifically for red roses, not pink.” |
Particularly | “The meal was particularly delicious tonight.” |
Mainly | “I am mainly interested in 20th-century literature.” |
Especially | “He loves all sports, but especially football.” |
Only | “Only she knows the secret to the family recipe.” |
Just | “I just want to know the truth.” |
Even | “Even the slightest noise can disturb the birds.” |
Indeed | “That is indeed the best performance I’ve seen.” |
Merely | “It was merely a misunderstanding, nothing serious.” |
Simply | “I simply cannot agree with your argument.” |
Adverbs of Certainty
These adverbs are also in the middle of the sentence and give us an approximation as to what could happen.
Adverb of Certainty | Example Sentence |
---|---|
Definitely | “I will definitely be there by 8 o’clock.” |
Certainly | “She can certainly handle the project on her own.” |
Clearly | “He clearly stated his intentions in the letter.” |
Obviously | “She obviously misunderstood the instructions.” |
Surely | “Surely you jest, that can’t be true!” |
Undoubtedly | “This is undoubtedly the best option we have.” |
Probably | “They will probably arrive in the next half hour.” |
Perhaps | “Perhaps we should reconsider our approach.” |
Possibly | “It’s possibly the oldest tree in the region.” |
Unquestionably | “He is unquestionably qualified for the leadership role.” |
Adverbs of Viewpoint
These are used to share a view and are put at the start of a sentence.
Here are some examples:
Adverb of Viewpoint | Example Sentence |
---|---|
Personally | “Personally, I think that the original movie was much better.” |
Frankly | “Frankly, I’m not impressed with the results.” |
Honestly | “Honestly, I would have made a different decision.” |
Technically | “Technically, you’re correct, but that’s not the point.” |
Theoretically | “Theoretically, the plan could work, but it’s risky.” |
Officially | “Officially, the store closes at 9 PM, but it’s often open later.” |
Actually | “Actually, I preferred the first design you showed us.” |
Fortunately | “Fortunately, we arrived at the station just in time.” |
Unfortunately | “Unfortunately, the concert has been canceled due to weather.” |
Arguably | “Arguably, she is one of the best authors of our time.” |
Adverbs of Evaluative
These are used to evaluate the findings through the sentence (usually related to what was previously said).
- “Unfortunately, I cannot help you there.”
Here are some examples:
Adverb of Evaluative | Example Sentence |
---|---|
Thankfully | “Thankfully, the weather cleared up for the wedding.” |
Ideally | “Ideally, we would start the project next month.” |
Surprisingly | “Surprisingly, he agreed to all our terms without objection.” |
Regrettably | “Regrettably, we must postpone the event until next year.” |
Importantly | “Importantly, we must consider the environmental impact of our decision.” |
Admittedly | “Admittedly, I could have handled the situation better.” |
Understandably | “Understandably, she was upset about the sudden changes.” |
Unfortunately | “Unfortunately, the flight has been delayed due to bad weather.” |
Fortunately | “Fortunately, no one was injured in the accident.” |
Remarkably | “Remarkably, the team completed the project ahead of schedule.” |
List of Adverbs
You can see some popular adverbs in the adverbs list below.
- Accidentally
- Always
- Angrily
- Anxiously
- Awkwardly
- Badly
- Blindly
- Boastfully
- Boldly
- Bravely
- Brightly
- Cheerfully
- Coyly
- Crazily
- Defiantly
- Deftly
- Deliberately
- Devotedly
- Doubtfully
- Dramatically
- Dutifully
- Eagerly
- Elegantly
- Enormously
- Evenly
- Eventually
- Exactly
- Faithfully
- Finally
- Foolishly
- Fortunately
- Frequently
- Gleefully
- Gracefully
- Happily
- Hastily
- Honestly
- Hopelessly
- Hourly
- Hungrily
- Innocently
- Inquisitively
- Irritably
- Jealously
- Justly
- Kindly
- Lazily
- Loosely
- Madly
- Merrily
- Mortally
- Mysteriously
- Nervously
- Never
- Obediently
- Obnoxiously
- Occasionally
- Often
- Only
- Perfectly
- Politely
- Poorly
- Powerfully
- Promptly
- Quickly
- Rapidly
- Rarely
- Regularly
- Rudely
- Safely
- Seldom
- Selfishly
- Seriously
- Shakily
- Sharply
- Silently
- Slowly
- Solemnly
- Sometimes
- Speedily
- Sternly
- Technically
- Tediously
- Unexpectedly
- Usually
- Victoriously
- Vivaciously
- Warmly
- Wearily
- Weekly
- Wildly
- Yearly
Learn more with the full list of adverbs in English.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the basic rules that govern the use of adverbs in sentences?
Adverbs can modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs, providing more information on how, when, where, or to what extent an action is performed. Usually, adverbs are placed close to the word they’re modifying to avoid confusion, but flexibility in placement exists to emphasize different aspects of the sentence.
How can we explain adverbs to children in a simple and understandable way?
To help children understand adverbs, we can tell them that adverbs are special words that describe how something is done. They often end with “-ly” and can answer questions like “how?” “when?” “where?” and “to what extent?” For example, we could say, “She quickly ran to the playground,” where “quickly” tells us how she ran.
How do adverbs differ from adjectives, and can you give examples?
While adjectives describe nouns, such as “green tree” or “loud music,” adverbs typically modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, like “she sang beautifully” or “very loud music.” The word “beautifully” modifies the verb “sang,” and “very” modifies the adjective “loud.”
Can you list the different types of adverbs along with examples for each?
Certainly! Here are a few types of adverbs with examples:
- Adverbs of time: “She will start her homework soon.”
- Adverbs of manner: “The cat slept peacefully.”
- Adverbs of place: “They looked everywhere for the lost key.”
- Adverbs of frequency: “He rarely eats sweets.”
- Adverbs of degree: “I am completely finished with my project.”
azza
Sunday 29th of January 2023
Excellentes leçons, merci beaucoup..