There are different kinds of adverbs expressing different meaning. The
following are some of the common ones.
Adverb of time
An adverb of time tells us when something is done or happens. We use it at
the beginning or at the end of a sentence. We use it as a form of emphasis when
we place it at the beginning. Adverbs of time include afterwards,already, always, immediately, last
month, now, soon, then, and yesterday.
·
He collapsed and died yesterday.
·
His factory was burned down a
few months ago.
·
Last week, we were stuck in the lift for an hour.
Adverb of place
An adverb of place tells us where something is done or happens. We use it
after the verb, object or at the end of a sentence. Adverbs of place include
words such as above, below, here, outside, over
there, there, under,upstairs.
·
We can stop here for
lunch.
·
The schoolboy was knocked over by
a school bus.
·
They rushed for their lives when fire
broke out in the floor below.
Adverb of manner
An adverb of manner tells us how something is done or happens. Most adverbs
of manner end in –ly such as badly, happily, sadly, slowly, quickly,
and others that include well, hard, fast,
etc.
·
The brothers were badly injured
in the fight.
·
They had to act fast to
save the others floating in the water.
·
At the advanced age of 88, she still
sang very well.
Adverb of degree
An adverb of degree tells us the level or extent that something is done or
happens. Words of adverb of degree are almost, much, nearly, quite, really,so, too, very,
etc.
·
It was too dark for us
to find our way out of the cave. (Before adjective)
·
The referee had to stop the match when
it began to rain very heavily. (Before adverb)
·
Her daughter is quite fat
for her age.
·
The accident victim nearly died
from his injuries.
·
After all these years, she is still feeling very sad
about her father’s death.
Adverb of frequency
An adverb of frequency tells us how often something is done or happens.
Words used as adverbs of frequency include again, almost, always, ever,frequently, generally, hardly
ever, nearly, nearly always, never,occasionally, often, rarely, seldom, sometimes, twice, usually,
andweekly.
·
They were almost fifty
when they got married.
·
He hardly ever say
something nice to his wife.
·
While overseas, he frequently phoned
home.
·
She is not nearly always
right although she thinks she is always right.
·
He complained that she never smiled
back.
·
We only write to each other very occasionally.
·
Peter seldom reads the
Bible.
·
Sometimes he stays late in the office to complete his work.
·
Our cat was bitten twice by
the same dog.
·
The man usually proposes
marriage.
There are three forms of adverbs: adverbs formed by adding -ly to an
adjective, adverbs that share identical words with an adjective, and adverbs
not derived from an adjective or any other word.
a) Most adverbs are formed by adding -ly to an adjective:
·
He had a sudden heart
attack while jogging. (Adjective)
·
He suddenly had a heart
attack while jogging. (Adverb)
·
She had a quick walk to
get there on time. (Adjective)
·
She walked quickly to
get there on time. (Adverb)
b) Adverbs that share identical words with an adjective:
·
He found the exam quite hard.
(Adjective)
·
He failed his exam as he didn't try
very hard. (Adverb)
·
The two brothers live on opposite sides
of the city. (Adjective)
·
She has a brother who lives opposite to
her. (Adverb)
c) Adverbs such as as, even, how, never, next, now, rather, so, soon, still,
then, too, etc.
·
He doesn't even know
where the Pacific Ocean is.
·
He said he had never been
to a circus.
·
She has got rather a
lot of money to spend at this time of the month.
·
She has eaten two big pizzas and
is still hungry.
Converting a number of adjectives to adverbs by adding -ly entails removing
a letter as shown in the following:
·
by adding –ly or –ally to
the end of an adjective (quick –quickly, heroic –heroically),
·
by adding –ly after
removing the last –e from an adjective
(comfortable–comfortably, possible–possibly), or
·
by dropping the last y from
an adjectiveand replacing it with –ily (easy–easily,
happy–happily).
Adverbs are also formed from other parts of speech such as noun
(accident)and verb (hurry), and from present participle (frightening).
·
She deleted my file by accident.
(Noun)
·
She accidentally deleted
my file. (Adverb)
·
Nick hurried to answer
the telephone. (Verb)
·
Nick moved hurriedly to
answer the telephone. (Adverb)
·
He's frightening us
with the speed he's driving. (present participle)
·
He's driving frighteningly close
to the edge of the pavement. (Adverb)
Adverbs occupy different positions in a
sentence.
1. At the beginning of a sentence before the subject
·
Sometimes she gives me a lift to work.
·
Fortunately we got home before it started to rain.
·
Suddenly all the lights went out.
2. After the auxiliary verb and before the main verb
·
The father was tragically killed
in a road accident.
·
We do occasionally go
bird-watching.
·
The rain has already stopped
when we arrived.
3. After the auxiliary verb (be) that is used as the main verb
·
She is always quick to
point out other people's faults.
·
As usual, they are very late.
·
The boys were incredibly lucky
to be alive after what happened.
4. Before the main verb if there is no auxiliary verb
·
Their parents often go
to the cinema.
·
She reluctantly agreed
to his proposals.
·
Your fat uncle accidentally knocked
my vase of fresh flowers over.
5. After the main verb if there is no auxiliary verb
·
The sisters dressed beautifully for
the occasion.
·
The tourist looked carefully at
the antique before she bought it.
·
She spoke loudly to the
crowd on women's issues.
6. At the end of a sentence
·
He admitted punching and kicking the
man repeatedly.
·
Our old neighbour fell and hurt her
leg badly.
·
Hey, you have not pronounced my
name correctly.
