Adverbs
What is an adverb?
An adverb refers to any element in a sentence used to modify a verb, adjective, another adverb, or even an entire clause.
Adverbs usually answer questions such as How? where? when? how often? and how much?
An adverb is a word that describes a verb. It tells you about an action, or the way something is done. A lot of adverbs end in -ly.
Examples:
- They laughed loudly.
- The baby is sleeping soundly.
- The dog is barking fiercely. Alice skated beautifully.
- The Prince and the Princess lived happily ever after.
- The birds are singing sweetly.
- It is raining heavily.
- The dog and the cat live together peacefully.
- The soldiers fought bravely.
- The sun is shining brightly.
- The old man walked slowly.
Types of Adverbs
Adverbs are categorized into different types according to their functions when used in a sentence.
Adverbs of Manner
Adverbs of manner are employed in sentences to provide the reader or listener with more information about the action being done by the subject in a sentence. It is usually identified by asking the question ‘how’.
Describe how something happens or how someone does something. Usually formed from adjectives.
Examples:
- Please drive carefully.
- The driver braked suddenly.
- The parcel arrived safely.
- She runs very fast.
- I accidentally deleted the file.
- The dog jumped up playfully.
- Please write legibly.
- Please speak clearly.
- Look closely at these footprints.
- You have all answered correctly.
- You can shop cheaply at this store.
- Kamal dressed smartly for the party.
- Suraiya is behaving selfishly.
- The man drove carelessly.
- The twins liked to dress differently.
- She played skillfully.
List of common single-word manner adverbs
They form the largest group of adverbs. We make most of them simply by adding –ly to their corresponding adjective. This is an alphabetical list of 130 common single-word adverbs of manner. Adverbs of manner that do not end in -ly are shown in bold.
- accidentally
- angrily
- anxiously
- awkwardly
- badly
- beautifully
- blindly
- boldly
- bravely
- brightly
- busily
- calmly
- carefully
- carelessly
- cautiously
- cheerfully
- clearly
- closely
- correctly
- courageously
- cruelly
- daringly
- deliberately
- doubtfully
- eagerly
- easily
- elegantly
- enormously
- enthusiastically
- equally
- eventually
- exactly
- faithfully
- fast
- fatally
- fiercely
- fondly
- foolishly
- fortunately
- frankly
- frantically
- generously
- gently
- gladly
- gracefully
- greedily
- happily
- hard
- hastily
- healthily
- honestly
- hungrily
- hurriedly
- inadequately
- ingeniously
- innocently
- inquisitively
- irritably
- joyously
- justly
- kindly
- lazily
- loosely
- loudly
- madly
- mortally
- mysteriously
- neatly
- nervously
- noisily
- obediently
- openly
- painfully
- patiently
- perfectly
- politely
- poorly
- powerfully
- promptly
- punctually
- quickly
- quietly
- rapidly
- rarely
- really
- recklessly
- regularly
- reluctantly
- repeatedly
- rightfully
- roughly
- rudely
- sadly
- safely
- selfishly
- sensibly
- seriously
- sharply
- shyly
- silently
- sleepily
- slowly
- smoothly
- so
- softly
- solemnly
- speedily
- stealthily
- sternly
- straight
- stupidly
- successfully
- suddenly
- suspiciously
- swiftly
- tenderly
- tensely
- thoughtfully
- tightly
- truthfully
- unexpectedly
- victoriously
- violently
- vivaciously
- warmly
- weakly
- wearily
- well
- wildly
- wisely
Examples of Adverbs of Manner
- She sings beautifully.
- Do you know him well?
- He walks slowly.
- Did he do it purposefully?
- We met with our old school friends unexpectedly.
- My mother asked us to take the responsibility given to us seriously.
- We buy fresh milk from the man across the street regularly.
- See to it that you cross the road carefully.
- I perfectly understand what you are going through.
- George accidentally dropped the keys somewhere in the supermarket.
- The event was poorly managed.
- Sunil kept reminding Radh repeatedly to talk to the people in charge before it was too late.
Changes in spelling
Sometimes the spelling of a word will have to change slightly so as to better accommodate the extra “-ly.” If the adjective ends in “-ic,” for instance, it will usually become “-ically”:
- enthusiastic > enthusiastically
If the adjective ends in a “-y,” it usually becomes “-ily”:
- happy > happily
And if it ends in “-le,” the “e” on the end is dropped to make “-ly”:
- terrible > terribly
Adverbs of Time
An adverb of time, as the name suggests, can be used in a sentence to depict when an action mentioned in the sentence is taking place. It can be identified by asking the question ‘when’. They work best when placed at the end of a sentence, but you can change the position of the adverb to provide emphasis.
Adverbs of time tell us at what time (when) or for how long (duration) something happens or is the case.
Some examples of adverbs of Time:
- We are eating now. (When are we eating? Now.)
- I’m going to the movies tomorrow. (When are you going? Tomorrow.)
- She left yesterday. (When did she leave? Yesterday.)
List of Adverbs of Time
Given below is a list of adverbs of time that you can use in your sentences to denote the time of the action.
points of time (definite)
- now
- then
- today
- tomorrow
- tonight
- yesterday
frequency (definite)
- annually
- daily
- fortnightly
- hourly
- monthly
- nightly
- quarterly
- weekly
- yearly
frequency (indefinite)
- always
- constantly
- ever
- frequently
- generally
- infrequently
- never
- normally
- occasionally
- often
- rarely
- regularly
- seldom
- sometimes
- regularly
- usually
relationships in time (indefinite)
- already
- before
- early
- earlier
- eventually
- finally
- first
- formerly
- just
- last
- late
- later
- lately
- next
- previously
- recently
- since
- soon
- still
- yet
Examples of Adverbs of Time
- Can I do my homework later?
- Sahil has just arrived.
- Will you be able to finalize the dialogues for the play by tomorrow?
- Tonight, we are celebrating the grand success of the company.
- Last week, we alerted the authorities that the streetlights were not working in our area.
- Did you go to school yesterday?
- I will be visiting my grandmother next week.
- The teacher asked the students to fill in the consent forms immediately.
- My friends make sure to meet up monthly.
- Sunita stayed at home today.
- I will be going to my cousin’s place tomorrow.
- Yesterday, Teena met Manu at the supermarket.
- Can you please bring the photocopies soon so that we can provide it to the students?
- Make sure you remind her to take the dried clothes later.
- He often swims in the evening.
- Rama is always cheerful.
- Sometimes I ride my bike to school.
- Everyone arrived early.
- Nidhi arrived late.
- It’s snowing again.
- The mother bird started to build her nest yesterday.
- She is continuing to build it today.
- She will finish it tomorrow.
- Ramzan’s shoes were too big for him last year.
- They fit him this year.
- They will be too small for him next year.
- It rained last night.
- The weather is fine this morning.
Adverbs of Place
Adverbs of place tell us about an aspect of location associated with the action of a verb, specifying the direction, distance, movement, or position involved in the action.
Some adverbs tell you where something happens. They are called adverbs of place. They answer the question ‘where’.
Examples:
- Mom and Dad are watching television upstairs.
- The children are playing downstairs.
- It’s raining. Let’s go inside.
- Ravi, you can stay outside.
- Come here.
- Please put the books there.
- The workers are moving the rubbish away.
- The miners are working underground.
- They are going abroad to study.
- There are trees everywhere.
- Roshan Lal lived next door.
- Where’s Razia?
- The boy was asked to keep the cups here.
- Are you going out today?
- Will you be leaving the chair outside?
- We went northwards after reaching the foot of the hill.
- The little girl ran towards her mother the moment she saw her.
- Can we please go somewhere to clear our minds?
- It is raining here.
- Do you live nearby?
- She has been working there for seven years now.
- They headed homewards after the event.
- Can you please keep the door open when you come in?
- After keeping our luggage in our third-floor room, we went downstairs to the hotel lounge.
- I am thinking about going north to explore the mountain country.
- I don’t think you are allowed to park anywhere you like.
- I love to go out on a full moon night.
Common suffixes
- –wards or –ward (backward, downwards, eastward, forwards, homewards, upwards) – these normally express movement in the specified direction
- –where (anywhere, everywhere, nowhere, somewhere)
- Swajms Tips: Note that some adverbs can also be prepositions.
- She was waiting with a red scarf on. (adverb)
- She put the red scarf on the table. (preposition)
List of Adverbs of Place
This is an alphabetical list of common single-word place adverbs.
about
above
abroad
anywhere
away
back
backward (also backward)
behind
below
down
downstairs
east
elsewhere
far
here
in
indoors
inside
near
nearby
north
off
on
out
outside
over
south
there
towards
under
up
upstairs
west
where
Adverbs of Place
An adverb of frequency is a word that is employed in a sentence to give more information about the verb, adjective, or another adverb. Adverbs of frequency can be placed after the noun or pronoun that acts as the subject and before the verb if there is just one verb in a sentence. If there is more than one verb in a sentence (e.g., auxiliary verb), the adverb of frequency can be positioned before the main verb.
Adverbs of frequency (sometimes called frequency adverbs) tell us How frequently or how often something happens or is the case; they can describe verbs and adjectives, but they do not modify other adverbs.
Examples of Adverbs of Frequency
- Sunidhi often likes to have food from hotels.
- Zareena always buys groceries from the supermarket.
- The teachers have been instructed to take attendance every hour.
We can divide Adverbs of Frequency into two parts.
Adverbs of Definite Frequency
Adverbs of definite frequency describe a specific or exact range of time for when something occurs or is the case.
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.
Sometimes, usually for reasons of emphasis or style, some adverbs of definite frequency may go at the FRONT.
For example:
- Every day, more than six thousand people die on our roads.
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 mainly go in MID position in the sentence. They go before the main verb (except the main verb “to be”):
Examples:
- 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:
Examples:
- Sometimes they come and stay with us.
- I play tennis occasionally.
Rarely and seldom can also go at the end of a sentence (often with “very”):
Examples:
- We see them rarely.
- Raju eats meat very seldom.
Adverbs of Degree
An adverb of degree is employed in a sentence to depict the intensity or degree of an adjective, verb, or another adverb. It usually answers the question ‘to what extent’. They are normally positioned before the word (an adjective in most cases) they are modifying.
Examples of Adverbs of Degree
- Ramesh is very tall.
- The buttermilk we had was too cold.
- It is extremely cold this time of the year.
- Suresh had almost completed his work.
- The class is unusually quiet today.
- The doctor strongly recommended that we take two or three opinions before we made a decision.
- The event went pretty well without many problems.
- He felt really bad for having shouted at you earlier.
List of Adverbs of Degree
This is an alphabetical list of common single-word degree adverbs.
- almost
- absolutely
- awfully*
- badly*
- barely
- completely
- decidedly
- deeply
- enough
- enormously
- entirely
- extremely
- fairly
- far
- fully
- greatly
- hardly
- highly
- how
- incredibly
- indeed
- intensely
- just
- least
- less
- little
- lots
- most
- much
- nearly
- perfectly
- positively
- practically
- pretty*
- purely
- quite
- rather
- really
- scarcely
- simply
- so
- somewhat
- strongly
- terribly*
- thoroughly
- too
- totally
- utterly
- very
- virtually
- well
*informal
Conjunctive Adverbs
Conjunctive adverbs (also called linking adverbs or connecting adverbs) are a specific type of conjunction. Conjunctions are used to join together words, phrases, or clauses. Conjunctive adverbs are specifically used to connect two independent clauses.
An independent clause (also called a main clause) contains a subject and a predicate, and it expresses a full thought.
| Conjunctive Adverbs | Uses | Sentence Examples |
| However | Used to emphasize something that is being said | Jeesan went to many stationery stores in that area; however, he did not find what he was looking for. |
| Besides | The computer I am thinking of buying does not meet my expectations; besides, it is very expensive. | |
| Instead | Seema had planned to go out with her family to the circus; instead, she went to the beach. | |
| Anyway | Maria wanted to visit the museum yesterday but could not as it was raining. Anyway, we are going today, so we asked her to join us. | |
| Nonetheless | People have been struggling to be financially stable; nonetheless, they are managing to make all ends meet. | |
| Nevertheless | It was raining; nevertheless, we went to the party. | |
| Meanwhile | Nisha was washing all the plates; meanwhile, her husband cleaned the house. | |
| Also | Used to add ideas | See to it that you carry your umbrella and torchlight when you go on the trip. Also, make sure you take a few copies of your ID proof for verification. |
| Furthermore | Our parents are coming home this weekend and, furthermore, we will be going to Bangalore. | |
| Besides | The train is already running late. Besides, we got caught in the early morning traffic. | |
| Additionally | Diu Art Cafe is known for its amazing food. Additionally, the cafe often features live music and dance shows. | |
| Moreover | Ajith is an engineer and, moreover, he is a good singer. | |
| Similarly | Used to represent similar ideas and statements or compare two ideas | See to that you carry your umbrella and torchlight when you go on the trip. Also, make sure you take a few copies of your ID proof for verification. |
| Likewise | The student who stands in the beginning of the line has to pass the ball and move to the end of the line. Likewise, the next student has to move to the beginning of the line and do the same. | |
| Indeed | Make sure you carry your ID proof when you are traveling; otherwise, they will not let you travel on the train. | The show went on for so long and indeed, was a great one. |
| Certainly | Certainly, that was your responsibility. | |
| Undoubtedly | Undoubtedly, this year’s annual day was the best. | |
| Of course | Adjectives are used to describe nouns. Similarly, you can use adverbs to describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. | |
| Consequently | Used to represent cause and effectUsed to express one’s complete agreement with something that is happening or suggested; to show that something is happening as a result of something. | I am participating in multiple competitions. Consequently, I will require more time for practice and preparation. |
| Otherwise | Make sure you carry your ID proof when you are travelling; otherwise, they will not let you travel on the train. | |
| Accordingly | The prices of the materials kept fluctuating every year. Accordingly, we had to adjust the cost of our products. | |
| Then | Pravin moved all the furniture; then, he cleaned the entire house. | |
| Therefore | It became too dark; therefore, we decided not to go to the park. | |
| Thus | Neshar received the maximum votes; thus, became the chairperson of the academic year 2022-23. | |
| Finally | Finally, her parents permitted her to go for the trek. | |
| Hence | The hills are steep, and hence, it is very dangerous to drive at night. |
Comparative Adverbs
Just like adjectives, adverbs have comparative and superlative degrees; adverbs in their basic forms are sometimes known as being in the positive degree.
Comparative adverbs express a higher (or lower) degree of how an action is performed, usually in comparison to another person or thing.
Superlative adverbs, on the other hand, are used to identify the highest (or lowest) degree of how an action is performed.
If we want to compare one verb action with another, we can use a comparative adverb.
for example:
- Nishikant ran fast, but Naina came first because she ran faster.
Swajms Tips: We use comparative adverbs when talking about two actions (not three or more actions). Comparison is always between TWO things.
There are three basic ways to make or “form” a comparative adverb:
1. One-syllable adverbs: add -er
If an adverb has only one syllable, we usually just add -er to make it comparative: fast → faster. Here are some examples:
| adverb | comparative adverb |
|---|---|
| fast | faster |
| hard | harder |
| high | higher |
| late | later |
| long | longer |
| low | lower |
| wide | wider |
2. Two-syllable adverbs: use more
When an adverb has two or more syllables (like all -ly adverbs), we can make it comparative by adding more in front: quickly → more quickly. Look at these examples:
| adverb | comparative adverb |
|---|---|
| carefully | more carefully |
| efficiently | more efficiently |
| happily | more happily |
| horribly | more horribly |
| often | more often |
| quickly | more quickly |
| recently | more recently |
| slowly | more slowly |
| sadly | more sadly |
| strangely | more strangely |
We can also use less in place of more to suggest a reduction in the action. Look at these examples:
| sentence | for example |
|---|---|
| She visits often. | once a week |
| Now she visits more often. ↑ | once a day |
| Now she visits less often. ↓ | once a month |
3. Irregular Adverbs
A few adverbs have irregular forms, for example:
| adverb | comparative adverb |
|---|---|
| badly | worse |
| early | earlier |
| far | further/farther |
| little | less |
| much | more |
| well | better |
Examples of Comparative Adverbs
- Trains go fast but planes go faster.
- Planes go faster than trains.
- Trains don’t go faster than planes.
- Trains go more slowly than planes.
- Planes go less slowly than trains.
- Joe won because he played better than Jane played.
- Joe won because he played better than Jane.
- Joe won because he played better.
- Did cities grow more quickly after the Industrial Revolution?
- He hit the ball more powerfully than his competitor.
- As we get older we remember things less easily.
- Could you talk a bit more quietly, please?
- Could you talk a bit less loudly, please?
- I can’t hear you. Please speak louder/more loudly.
