Adverbs

The adverbs and the adjectives in English

Adjectives qualify nouns.

Adverbs qualify actions. Adverbs can modify verbs, adjectives or other adverbs.

Eva is a careful girl ➫ adjectiveEva drives carefullyadverb

Difference between an adjective and an adverb

I am a slow driver ⮞ How am I? ➱ slow ➫ adjective
I drive slowly ⮞ How do I drive? ➱ slowly ➫ adverb

Adjective when you indicate something about the noun

Adverb when you indicate something about the verb


reference: English for Life Pre-Intermediate Oxford

NOTE : After the verbs ➣ be ➣ look ➣ taste ➣ sound ➫there is an adjectiveNOT an adverb

The meal was perfectNOT perfectly

It sounded terribleNOT terribly

Adverbs and adjectives that have the same form

closedailyearlyfair
farfasthardhigh
latelonglowright
widewrong

Form: Adjective + -ly

adjectiveadverb
dangerousdangerously
safesafely
happyhappily
horriblehorribly
easyeasily
literalliterally
shyshyly
GOODWELL

BE CAREFUL He is a good cat but he does not feel well

BE CAREFUL NOT all words ending in -ly are adverbs:

  • adjectives ending in -ly: curly, chilly, friendly, elderly, silly, lonely, ugly, lovely, lively
  • nouns, ending in -ly: butterfly, family, jelly, ally, bully, melancholy
  • verbs, ending in -ly: apply, rely, reply, supply, comply, imply

Used:

➣ to modify verbs

The team played badly.

I want to live intensely.

➣ to modify adjectives

It was an extremely bad match.

I feel rather ashamed.

➣to modify adverbs

Mark behaves utterly well.

There are quite a lot of people.

➣ to modify sentences

Unfortunately, the flight has been cancelled.

Suddenly, the lights went out.

Types:

Adverbs of frequency

They answer how often something happens.

  • always
  • frequently
  • usually
  • often
  • sometimes
  • occasionally
  • rarely
  • hardly ever
  • seldom
  • never

These adverbs go before the verb.

Subjectauxiliaryadverb of frequencyverb
He nevergets up early
Theycanoftendo it
I do notalwaysgo there

BUT after verb to be

Subjectverb to beadverb of frequency
Sueisseldom late

Adverbs of time

They answer when something happens.

nowdailysoon sinceeventually
thenweeklyearly just finally
todayfortnightlylate alreadylately
tonightmonthlylast yetformerly
tomorrowyearlyfirst stillrecently
yesterdayannuallynext previously
before
after

Adverbs of place

They answer where something happens.

Adverbs of manner

They answer how something happens.

Adverbs of degree

They answer how much something happens.

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