Adverb: Definition and Examples
- What is an adverb?
- What are the different kinds of adverbs?
- What are the most important tips for using adverbs?
Question 1: What is an Adverb?
An adverb is a part of speech used to describe a verb, adjective, clause, or another adverb. It simply tells the readers how, where, when, or the degree at which something was done.
Examples:
- The manager accepted the challenge very nicely.
The italicized word is an adverb that describes nicely, which is another adverb.
- Surprisingly, the cubicles of the public restroom are clean.
- Tears began to fall as he saw the completely lifeless body of his wife.
Surprisingly is the adverb in this sentence.
It modifies the clause that comes right after it.
At 6 a.m., a stray cat jumped into the open window.
The italicized part is a prepositional phrase with an adverbial function. It tells when the event occurred.
Question 2: What are the Different Kinds of Adverbs?
Aside from answering the main question “What is an adverb?” it is also important to explore the different kinds of this part of speech. Basically, there are four kinds of adverbs:
- Adverbs of Manner
This kind of adverb describes the manner by which something was done or something happened. Adverbs of manner answer the question “How?”
Examples:She walks gracefully,The students measured the volume of the chemicals accurately.
- Adverbs of Time
Aside from answering when an event occurred, adverbs of time also answer questions like, “How long?” and “How often?”
Examples: Mahi lived in Germany for a year,I’m going to the dentist tomorrow.
- Adverbs of Degree
This kind of adverb indicates the degree at which something will be done. It tells something about the intensity.
Examples:You didn’t try hard enough,The temperature of the room was extremely.
- Adverbs of Place
Adverbs of place simply answer the question “Where?”
Examples:Heisenberg looked away from the dead body,They built a huge toy factory nearby.
Question 3: What are the Most Important Tips for Using Adverbs?
Sometimes, students know what adverbs are but don’t know how to use them properly. So here are the most useful tips that you should keep in mind:
- In writing an adverb of manner, you must never write the adverb in between the verb and the object of the verb.
Example (from above):
The students measured accurately the volume of the chemicals. (wrong)
The students measured the volume of the chemicals accurately. (correct)
The first sentence is wrong because the adverb is located somewhere between “measured” (verb) and “volume” (object of the verb).
- Know when to use the comparative or superlative forms of adverbs. Words like more or less are added to the main adverb when comparing two things. Most or least are used if there are three or more things to compare.
Examples: most often; more frequently.
- Not all words ending in –ly are adverbs. This is pretty obvious, but some students assume that a word is an adverb just because it ends in –ly.
- Do not overly use adverbs. If there are single alternative words, you can use those.
Question 1: What is an Adverb?
An adverb is a part of speech used to describe a verb, adjective, clause, or another adverb. It simply tells the readers how, where, when, or the degree at which something was done.
Examples:
- The manager accepted the challenge very nicely.
The italicized word is an adverb that describes nicely, which is another adverb.
- Surprisingly, the cubicles of the public restroom are clean.
- Tears began to fall as he saw the completely lifeless body of his wife.
Surprisingly is the adverb in this sentence.
It modifies the clause that comes right after it.At 6 a.m., a stray cat jumped into the open window.The italicized part is a prepositional phrase with an adverbial function. It tells when the event occurred.Question 2: What are the Different Kinds of Adverbs?Aside from answering the main question “What is an adverb?” it is also important to explore the different kinds of this part of speech. Basically, there are four kinds of adverbs:- Adverbs of Manner
This kind of adverb describes the manner by which something was done or something happened. Adverbs of manner answer the question “How?”
Examples:She walks gracefully,The students measured the volume of the chemicals accurately. - Adverbs of Time
Aside from answering when an event occurred, adverbs of time also answer questions like, “How long?” and “How often?”
Examples: Mahi lived in Germany for a year,I’m going to the dentist tomorrow. - Adverbs of Degree
This kind of adverb indicates the degree at which something will be done. It tells something about the intensity.
Examples:You didn’t try hard enough,The temperature of the room was extremely. - Adverbs of Place
Adverbs of place simply answer the question “Where?”
Examples:Heisenberg looked away from the dead body,They built a huge toy factory nearby.Question 3: What are the Most Important Tips for Using Adverbs?Sometimes, students know what adverbs are but don’t know how to use them properly. So here are the most useful tips that you should keep in mind:- In writing an adverb of manner, you must never write the adverb in between the verb and the object of the verb.
Example (from above):The students measured accurately the volume of the chemicals. (wrong)The students measured the volume of the chemicals accurately. (correct)The first sentence is wrong because the adverb is located somewhere between “measured” (verb) and “volume” (object of the verb).- Know when to use the comparative or superlative forms of adverbs. Words like more or less are added to the main adverb when comparing two things. Most or least are used if there are three or more things to compare.
Examples: most often; more frequently.- Not all words ending in –ly are adverbs. This is pretty obvious, but some students assume that a word is an adverb just because it ends in –ly.
- Do not overly use adverbs. If there are single alternative words, you can use those.
- Adverbs of Manner
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