How to use adverbs in English? | Studio English
In this article, we will learn How to use adverbs in English? What do they mean and what are their different types? Let’s get started.
Adverbs are used to modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs to give more information about the action.
Here’s how to use adverbs in different cases:
- To modify a verb:
Most of the time adverbs are used to modify a verb and indicate how the action happened, for example:
- He talks angrily.
- He sings cheerfully.
- She walks fast.
- She sings happily.
- The kid speaks loudly.
In all the above sentences you can find the adverb by asking ‘how’. How does he talk? The answer is “angrily”. How does he sing? “cheerfully”. How does she walk? Fast. How does she sing? Happily. How does the kid speak? Loudly. Adverbs are also used to give information about time and place.
- To modify adjectives:
Adverbs can also be used to modify adjectives. They are used to show how intense the adjective is, here are some examples:
- The girl is really beautiful.
- The book is very interesting.
- The weather is almost always cold in winter.
- To modify other adverbs:
Adverbs can also be used to modify other adverbs. Here are some examples:
- My sister runs very fast.
What does adverb mean in English?
English adverbs are defined in the Oxford dictionary as: “a word or phrase that modifies or qualifies an adjective, verb, or other adverb or a word group, expressing a relation of place, time, circumstance, manner, cause, degree, etc. (e.g., gently, quite, then, there).”
Adverbs are words or phrases that are used to give us more information about other words. And it’s usually used with verbs to show when, how, where, and how often the action or something was done. Additionally, it comes after the verb.
How many Adverbs are in English?
Adverb in English grammar can be classified based on the information they give to us. Mainly they can be divided into 6 types and they are:
- Adverbs of manner
- Adverbs of time
- Adverbs of place
- Adverbs of frequency
- Adverbs of degree
- Conjunctive adverbs
Let’s understand more about each one of them.
How many types of adverbs are there in English?
Adverbs of Manner: they are used to show how something is done, and to make it easy just ask how and the answer will be the adverb. Here are some examples:
| angrily | he talks angrily. |
| anxiously | walks anxiously. |
| awkwardly | eats awkwardly. |
| badly | play badly. |
| beautifully | draw beautifully. |
| calmly | speaks calmly. |
| carefully | drive carefully |
| carelessly | play carelessly. |
| cautiously | act cautiously |
| cheerfully | sings cheerfully. |
| clearly | explain the lesson clearly |
| closely | look closely |
| correctly | write something correctly |
| deliberately | make a mistake deliberately. |
| eagerly | listen eagerly |
| easily | cries easily. |
| enthusiastically | react enthusiastically |
| fast | walk fast |
| fondly | remember someone fondly |
| frankly | speak frankly |
| gently | touch the flower gently |
| happily | sings happily |
| healthily | live healthily |
| innocently | spell a wod innocently. |
| kindly | ask kindly. |
| loudly | speak loudly |
| mysteriously | speak mysteriously. |
| naturally | walk naturally |
| neatly | dress neatly. |
| nervously | walks nervously |
| noisily | eat noisily |
Adverbs of Time: this one is used to tell when something happened or happened. To know it asks ‘when’.
| now | frequently |
| then | generally |
| today | infrequently |
| tomorrow | never |
| tonight | normally |
| yesterday | occasionally |
| annually | often |
| daily | rarely |
| fortnightly | regularly |
| hourly | seldom |
| monthly | sometimes |
| nightly | regularly |
| quarterly | usually |
| weekly | already |
| yearly | before |
| always | early |
| constantly | earlier |
| ever | eventually |
| late | finally |
| later | first |
| lately | formerly |
| next | just |
| previously | last |
| recently | since |
| yet | soon |
Adverbs of Place: this is used to define where the action happened, and to know it ask ‘where’. Here are some examples:
| Aside: | he put the bags aside to open the door. |
| Abroad: | he will study abroad. |
| Away | go away and let me sleep. |
| Ahead | you have a great future ahead of you |
| Far | she lives far from work. |
| Back | he came back from the airport. |
| Indoors | we stayed indoors all night because of the rain. |
| Close | stay close. |
| Downstairs | bring the billow from downstairs. |
| Upstairs | he is upstairs studying. |
| Nearby | my house is nearby. |
| Outdoors | it’s too cold, don’t go outdoors. |
| In front of | there was a cat in front of the house. |
| Beyond: | the beauty of the island is beyond anything else. |
| Under | the book is under the table. |
| Over here | come over here. |
| Up | go up to your room |
| Homeward | setting off homeward |
| Everywhere | there is a mess everywhere |
| Forward | move a bit forward. |
Adverbs of Frequency: this one is used to show how often the action or something is done. To know it ask yourself ‘how often’. Here are some examples of the common adverbs in English:
| Almost always | the bus almost always comes late. |
| Almost never | He almost never talked to anyone outside work. |
| Always | He always walks home alone. |
| Annually | he travels annually. |
| Constantly | she sings Constantly. |
| Continuously | he speaks Continuously |
| Continually | he keeps annoying me Continually |
| Daily | she works out daily. |
| Eventually | you will understand it Eventually. |
| Ever | have you ever talked to someone you don’t know? |
| Frequently | she works out Frequently. |
Adverbs of Degree: this one is use to describe adverbs and adjectives to indicate how intense an action is done. Here are some examples:
| extremely | I was extremely angry. |
| terribly | she was terribly sad. |
| horribly | he sang horribly. |
| spectacularly | she was spectacularly amazing tonight. |
| wonderfully | she played the piano wonderfully. |
| insanely | he acted insanely. |
| especially | the play was terrible, especially the last dance. |
| uncommonly | it’s uncommonly to rain in summer. |
| unusually | the dog was unusually quiet this morning |
| particularly | the play was terrible, particularly the last dance. |
| remarkably | the movie was remarkably amazing. |
| fairly | She was fairly good at singing. |
| pretty | she did pretty well on the exam |
Conjunctive Adverbs: this type is different from all other types. It’s used to link two sentences or clauses together. Here are some examples: However, nevertheless, meanwhile, therefore, instead, likewise, notably, subsequently, rather, namely, on the other hand, incidentally, in addition to, etc.
Where to place adverbs in English?
Adverb placement in English comes right after or close to the word they modify. Putting it in the wrong place will form a completely different meaning. Here’s an example to prove to you:
Max only fed the dog.
Max fed the dog only.
In the first sentence, we understand that max didn’t do anything but feed the cat, didn’t play with it or anything. While in the second sentence we understand that among his pets he only fed the cat. Therefore, you should be careful where to place the adverb or you will form a different meaning.
What is adverb clause in English grammar?
An adverbial clause in English is a group of words that functions together as an adverb. They are used to give more information about a verb, adjective, or another adverb. And they are always dependent, meaning that they can’t form a sentence on their own. Here’s an example:
He bakes cakes before he leaves for work every morning.
What is adverb in English grammar with examples?
Adverb in English Grammar is words or phrases used to indicate how, when, where, and how often something happens. Here are some examples:
- he talks angrily.
- walks anxiously.
- eats awkwardly.
- play badly.
- draw beautifully.
- speaks calmly.
- drive carefully
- play carelessly.
- act cautiously
- sings cheerfully.
- explain the lesson clearly.
Here’s a list of adverbs in English:
| always | yesterday |
| usually | today |
| normally/generally | tomorrow |
| often/frequently | tonight |
| sometimes | now |
| on occasion/occasionally | then |
| seldom/hardly ever | this morning |
| rarely, and | before |
| never. | later |
| daily | since |
| weekly | soon |
| monthly | still |
| yearly | yet |
| every day | early |
| every two hours | earlier |
| once a week. | eventually |
| gladly | recently |
| gently | previously |
| quietly | finally |
| safely | above |
| truthfully | behind |
| warmly | below |
| wildly | on |
| carefully | down |
| wisely | up |
| hard | far |
| fast | in |
| straight | outside |
| well | towards |
| angrily | under |
| boldly | upstairs |
| daringly | back |
| off | over |
How to change adjectives to adverbs in English?
Changing adjectives to adverbs in English is easy. Adverbs in English are mostly formed by adding ‘ly’ at the end of the adjective. As follows:
| Adjective | Adverb |
| cheap | cheaply |
| quick | quickly |
| slow | slowly |
That’s it for today’s article, for more information or if you have any questions visit our website Studio English.
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