Adverbs

Adverbs are words that modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. Adverbs answer the questions: how? where? when? or how much/to what degree? Look at these examples,

 •  He runs quickly. [how does he run?]
 •  I go home. [Where do I go?]
 •  I get up late. [When do I get up?]
 •  I am very happy? [How happy am I?]


TYPES OF ADVERBS

[1] Adverbs of manner

Adverbs of manner tell how or the way in which things happen. They answer the questions: “how…?” or “in what way…?” For examples,

 •  She ran the race quickly.
 •  He yelled loudly.
 •  He completed the task skillfully.
 •  She answered him courteously.

[2] Adverbs of degree

Adverbs of degree tell the degree or the extent of how something is; they answer to the question: “to what degree?” or “to what extend?”  The common adverbs of degree are: adequately, almost, entirely, extremely, fairly, greatly, highly, hugely, immensely, moderately, partially, perfectly, practically, profoundly, quite, strongly, totally, tremendously, very, virtually, etc. For examples,

 •  She is entirely correct.
 •  He was somewhat happy.
 •  The water was extremely cold.
 •  I am too tired to go out tonight.

[3] Adverbs of place

Adverbs of place tell the location; they answer the question “where?”. The common adverbs are: abroad, anywhere, here, outside, somewhere, there, underground, upstairs, etc. For examples,

 •  They drove downtown.
 •  She climbed upstairs.
 •  He stayed behind.
 •  The bird flew here.

[4] Adverbs of time

Adverbs of time indicate time; they answer the question: “when?” The common adverbs are: afterwards, eventually, finally, later, now, soon, still, yesterday, etc. For examples,

 •  The ship sailed yesterday.
 •  I expect an answer soon.
 •  I eventually went to the shops.
 •  I'm still at the shops.

 [5] Adverbs of frequency

Adverb of frequency tell how often things happen. They answer the question "how often…?".  Here are the adverbs of frequency listed in order of their frequency; i.e. from most frequent to least frequent: always, constantly, nearly/almost always, usually, generally, normally, regularly, often, frequently, sometimes, periodically, occasionally, now and then, once in a while, rarely, seldom, infrequently, hardly ever, scarcely ever, almost never, and never. For examples,

 •  I always do my homework on time.
 •  She goes out occasionally.
 •  He never goes to school.

[6] Adverbs of probability

Adverbs of probability tell us the likelihood of something happening. The common adverbs are: certainly, definitely, doubtless, maybe, perhaps, possibly, probably, etc. For examples,

 •  We will definitely win the game.
 •  We will certainly finish the project on time.

[7] Adverbs of relation (Relative adverbs)

Relative adverbs used in the same way as relative pronouns. They replace the more formal structure of "preposition + which" in a relative clause. They are: where, when, why. For examples,

 •  That's the restaurant where we met for the first time. (where = at/in which)
 •  I remember the day when we first met. (when = on which)
 •  There was a very hot summer the year when he was born. (when = in which)
 •  Tell me (the reason) why you were late home. (why = for which)

[8] Adverbs of interrogation

Interrogative adverbs are usually placed at the beginning of a question. These are: why, where, how, when. For examples,

 •  Why are you so late?
 •  Where is my passport?
 •  How are you?
 •  How much is that coat?
 •  When does the train arrive?

[9] Conjunctive adverbs

Conjunctive adverbs express relationship. They act as a transition between complete ideas. They normally show comparison, contrast, cause-effect, sequence, or other relationships. They usually occur between independent clauses or sentences.

Here is a list of common conjunctive adverbs: accordingly, furthermore, moreover, similarly, also, hence, namely, still, anyway, however, nevertheless, then, besides, incidentally, meanwhile, thereafter, certainly, indeed, nonetheless, therefore, consequently, instead, now, thus, finally, likewise, otherwise, undoubtedly... For examples,

 •  He is clever; furthermore, he works hard.
 •  She studies hard; therefore, she passes the exams with flying color.

[10] Adverbs of viewpoints and commenting

These adverbs tell us about the speaker's viewpoint or opinion about an action, or make some comment on the action.

Viewpoint -- These adverbs are placed at the beginning of the sentence and are separated from the rest of the sentence by a comma. Some common Viewpoint adverbs: confidently, honestly, ideally, seriously, clearly, comically, personally, surprisingly, obviously, officially, undoubtedly, surely... For examples,

 •  Frankly, I think he is a liar.
 •  Theoretically, we can increase the price when the demand goes up.
 •  Personally, I believe you idea was right.
 •  Surprisingly, this car is cheaper than the smaller model.
 •  Geographically, the market should be divided into three segments.

Commenting -- These are very similar to viewpoint adverbs, and often the same words, but they go in a different position - after the verb to be and before the main verb. Some common commenting adverbs: definitely, certainly, obviously, simply... For examples,

 •  She is certainly the best person for the job.
 •  You obviously enjoyed your meal.


USES OF ADVERBS

We use adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.

[1] Used to modify verbs

For examples,
 •  They did their work quickly.
 •  He replied angrily.
 •  The bird flew crazily.

[2] Used to modify adjectives

For examples,
 •  They were somewhat happy.
 •  He is so smart.
 •  The job is quite difficult.

[3] Used to modify adverbs

For examples,
 •  The bird flew very quietly.
 •  They come too late.
 •  We have tried hard enough.