Adverbs of manner tell us how something happens. They are usually placed either after the main verb or after the object.

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• EXAMPLES

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• He swims well.

• He ran quickly.

• She spoke softly.

• James coughed loudly to attract her attention.

• He plays the flute beautifully. (after the direct object)

• He ate the chocolate cake greedily. (after the direct object)

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An adverb of manner cannot be put between a verb and its direct object. The adverb must be placed either before the verb or at the end of the clause.

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• EXAMPLES

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• He ate greedily the chocolate cake. [incorrect]

• He ate the chocolate cake greedily. [correct]

• He greedily ate the chocolate cake. [correct]

• He gave us generously the money. [incorrect]

• He gave us the money generously. [correct]

• He generously gave us the money. [correct]

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If there is a preposition before the verb's object, you can place the adverb of manner either before the preposition or after the object.

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• EXAMPLES

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• The child ran happily towards his mother.

• The child ran towards his mother happily.

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Adverbs of manner should always come immediately after verbs which have no object (intransitive verbs).

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• EXAMPLES

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• The town grew quickly after 1997.

• He waited patiently for his mother to arrive.

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These common adverbs of manner are almost always placed directly after the verb: well, badly, hard, & fast.

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• EXAMPLES

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• He swam well despite being tired.

• The rain fell hard during the storm.

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LITERARY USAGE

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Sometimes an adverb of manner is placed before a verb + object to add emphasis.

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• EXAMPLES

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• He gently woke the sleeping woman.

• She angrily slammed the door.

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Some writers put an adverb of manner at the beginning of the sentence to catch our attention and make us curious.

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• EXAMPLES

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• Slowly she picked up the knife.

• Roughly he grabbed her arm.