English Grammar
ADVERBS: formation, position and use of adverbs
Adverbs are used to say
how, how often,
where or in what manner we do something.
She danced gracefully.
They were all chatting happily when we arrived.
He drove carefully along the icy road.
The technician explained the problem very clearly.
Tom often travels by train.
The children are playing outside.
Jane really likes that band.
| FORMATION OF ADVERBS | ADJECTIVE | ADVERB |
| Most adverbs are formed by adding 'ly' to the adjective. | slow quick wide |
slowly quickly widely |
| If the adjective ends in -l: double the 'l' and add 'y': |
careful hopeful graceful |
carefully hopefully gracefully |
| If the adjective ends in -y: change the 'y' to 'i' and add 'ly': |
busy easy lucky |
busily easily luckily |
| If the adjective ends in -able, -ible, or -le: replace the final 'e' with 'y'. |
probable incredible humble |
probably incredibly humbly |
| If the adjective ends in -ic: add -ally. Except: public → publicly |
basic dynamic energetic |
basically dynamically energetically |
| Some exceptions: |
good hard fast early late daily straight |
well hard fast early late daily straight |
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Please note: Although they end in -ly, the following words are adjectives, NOT adverbs : friendly, lively, lonely, lovely, silly, ugly for example :a friendly person, a silly remark, an ugly duckling, and so on ... |
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POSITION OF ADVERBS
Different types of adverbs (manner, frequency, place, degree...) go in different positions.
- MANNER:
- Adverbs of manner usually go after the verb, or after the verb and the object.
-He spoke clearly.
-He read the instructions carefully. - The adverb can go before the verb if the object is long.
-He slowly moved the newspaper and pencil and picked up the book.
- FREQUENCY:
- Adverbs of frequency usually go:
-After the verb be:
-Tom is often late.
-Before all other verbs:
-Eva sometimes takes the bus.
-Between two verbs if there are two.
-You can always change it later.
After the first verb if there are more than two.
-I would never have found the way.
Before two verbs if the second verb is an infinitive.
-We generally try to eat healthy food.
Frequency phrases (e.g. once a week) go at the beginning or at the end of a sentence.
-Every so often Anna goes to the library.
-She plays tennis once a week.
- PLACE:
- 'Here', 'there', 'inside',etc. usually go at the end of a sentence.
-Come and sit here.
-They are waiting inside.
- DEGREE:
- 'Really', 'quite', etc. usually go before the verb.
-I really love that dress.
-She quite liked the idea of a picnic.
If there are two verbs they go between.
-I would just like a glass of water.
-He had really liked his history teacher.
'A lot', 'very much', etc. go at the end.
-He watches television a lot.
-We enjoyed the film very much.
- MORE THAN ONE ADVERB :
- When there is more than one adverb in a sentence, the usual order is:
MANNER / PLACE / TIME (or how - where - when).
-He carefully carried the baby upstairs. (manner/place)
-They moved abroad recently. (place/time) - Adverbs of time are sometimes placed at the begining of a sentence for emphasis:
-Soon all our children will have left home permanently.