• ADVERBS

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Adverbs are a very broad collection of words that may describe how, where, or when an action took place. They may also express the viewpoint of the speaker about the action, the intensity of an adjective or another adverb, or several other functions. Adverbs are one of the four major word classes, along with nouns, verbs and adjectives. Use these pages about the grammar of adverbs in English to become more precise and more descriptive in your speaking and writing.

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Some general examples include the following:

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“Can you move it carefully? It’s fragile.”

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“Quickly! We’re late.”

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“She swims really well.”

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“Don’t go so fast.”

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“You have to turn it clockwise.”

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“Come over here.”

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“Actually, I don’t know her.”

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“I haven’t seen them recently.”

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“The bathroom’s upstairs on the left.”

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• Adverbs: Meanings and Functions

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Adverbs have many different meanings and functions. They are especially important for indicating the time, manner, place, degree and frequency of something.

 

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Time

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I never get up early at the weekends.

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Manner

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Walk across the road carefully!

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Place

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When we got there, the tickets had sold out.

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Degree

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It’s rather cold, isn’t it?

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Frequency

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I’m always losing my keys.

                    

 

• Using Adverbs in English

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Adverbs modify, or tell us more about, other words. Usually adverbs modify verbs, telling us how, how often, when, or where something was done. The adverb is placed after the verb it modifies.

 

• EXAMPLES

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The bus moved slowly.

The bears ate greedily.

The car drove fast.

 

Sometimes adverbs modify adjectives, making them stronger or weaker.

 

• EXAMPLES

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You look absolutely fabulous!

He is slightly overweight.

You are very persistent.

 

Some types of adverbs can modify other adverbs, changing their degree or precision.

 

• EXAMPLES

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She played the violin extremely well.

You're speaking too quietly.

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Some adverbs have the same form as the adjective: early, fast, hard, high, late, near, straight, & wrong. 

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• EXAMPLES

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• It is a fast car.

• He drives very fast.

• This is a hard exercise.

• He works hard.

• We saw many high buildings.

• The bird flew high in the sky.

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Well is the adverb that corresponds to the adjective good.

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• EXAMPLES

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• He is a good student.

• He studies well.

• She is a good pianist.

• She plays the piano well.

• They are good swimmers.

• They swim well.

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Positions of adverbs

 

Adverbs can be used in three positions in a sentence or clause:

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• front (perhaps they’ll arrive this evening)

• mid (she hardly knew him)

• end (I left the bedroom and ran downstairs)

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Different types of adverbs go in different positions. Here are some general guidelines:

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Front position

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The main types of adverbs that can be used in this position are those that:

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• begin a sentence or clause that’s linked in meaning to another:

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People tend to put on weight in middle age. However, gaining weight is not inevitable.

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I’ll begin with an overview of the product. Secondly, I’ll talk about projected sales.

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• refer to time or frequency:

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Afterwards, we went out for a walk.

Sometimes she wonders what life’s all about.

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• refer to place:

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There goes my bus!

Up he ran, soon disappearing from view.

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• comment on the rest of the sentence or clause (sentence adverbs):

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Luckily, our meal lived up to expectation.

Clearly, more research is needed.

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Mid position

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This term refers to adverbs that can be used in the middle of a sentence or clause. The main kinds of adverbs found in this position are those that:

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• refer to frequency:

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We always meet for coffee on Saturday.

She’s never been to Sweden.

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• refer to manner:

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He carefully avoided my eye.

I slowly walked into town.

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• make the meaning of a verb, adjective, or other adverb stronger or weaker:

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She nearly fell asleep at her desk.

These ideas are very complicated.

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• comment on the rest of the sentence or clause:

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When we first heard this story, frankly, we couldn’t believe it.

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• focus on part of a sentence or clause:

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I’m only going to stay in New York for a week.

Tina can’t just drop all her commitments.

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End position

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The main types of adverbs which can be used at the end of a sentence of clause are those that:

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• refer to manner:

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It's an interesting plot twist, and one that works well.

For some reason, his career progressed slowly.

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• refer to time or frequency:

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The troops flew home yesterday.

They’re sending hundreds of texts to each other monthly.

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• refer to place:

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They’re sitting at the table over there.

There was a sudden burst of laughter from the people who could see outside.

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Position of adverbs and verbs

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Adverbs are often found between the subject and its verb:

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We always meet for lunch at 1 p.m.

I completely forgot his name.

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They can also come between an auxiliary verb (such as be or have) and a main verb:

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The concert was suddenly cancelled.

He had quickly eaten his dinner.

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