Adverbs
Adverbs are words that are used in
sentences to describe or change the meaning of a Verb or Adjective or even
another Adverb. They add description to the sentence to make it more detailed
and interesting. For example:
He walked slowly across the
square.
Here, one can see that the Adverb
‘slowly’ is describing the Verb ‘walk’ by telling that the person was walking
slowly.
Types
of Adverbs
Adverbs are used in sentences to
answer many questions about the Verbs/Adjectives/Adverbs themselves. The
different types of Adverbs are as following:
Adverb of Time
E.g.: The results were announced
yesterday.
Here the Adverb is yesterday
which is answering the question: When were the results announced?
‘Announced’ is the verb in this sentence.
She will visit the hospital tomorrow.
Here the Verb is ‘visit’ and
the Adverb is tomorrow as the question being asked is: Whenwill
she visit the hospital?
Other examples of Adverbs of Time
are – Once, Never, Tomorrow, Daily etc.
Adverb of Place
E.g.: They will meet you there.
The Adverb here is there that
is specifying a place for the Verb meet and the question being answered
is: Where will they meet you?
In spring, flowers bloom everywhere.
Here the Verb is bloom and
the Adverb is everywhere, answering the question: Where do the
flowers bloom in spring?
Other examples of Adverbs of Place
are - Anywhere, Somewhere, Near, Far etc.
Adverb of Manner
E.g.: He quietly slipped
away.
The Adverb here is quietly which
is telling the way or manner in which the action was carried out and the Verb
is slipped which is telling: How did he slip away.
She works fast.
The Verb here is work and the
Adverb is fast and the question being asked is: How does she
work?
These Adverbs tell about the manner
of the action being done, whether it is done happily or haltingly etc. Other
examples of Adverbs of Manner are - Honestly, Joyfully, Cunningly etc.
Adverb of Frequency
He likes to watch TV every
day.
Here, the Adverb is every day
and it is telling about the amount of time spent in doing the Verb, which is watch.
The question in this sentence is: How often does he watch TV?
They meet every week.
The Adverb here is every week and
it is telling the frequency and the Verb is meet. The sentence is
telling us: How often do they meet?
These Adverbs are used to show the
duration or timing of the action that is happening/had happened/will happen.
They also tell us how often and how long these actions would be. Other examples
of Adverbs of Frequency are - Frequently, Often, Yearly, Briefly etc.
Adverbs of Degree
She almost finished
the work.
The Verb here is finished and
the Adverb is almost which is telling us about the amount of the work
finished. The question being asked is: How much of the work did she
finish?
They were completely surprised
by the windfall.
The adverb here is completely
which is showing the degree to which ‘they’ were surprised which is the
Verb. The question being asked here is: How much were they surprised?
The Adverbs of Degree are used to
show to what extent or how much has an action been done or will be done. Other
examples of these Adverbs are - Fully, Partially, Altogether etc.
Adverbs of Confirmation and Negation
They will certainly like
this vase.
The Adverb here is certainly
which is reinforcing the Verb like in answer to the question: Will they
like this vase?
He never leaves his
house.
The Adverb never is negating
the Verb leave. It is answering the question in denial: Does he
ever leave his house?
These Adverbs either confirm or deny
the action of the Verb. They are also used to reinforce the action that is
described by the Verb. Other examples of Adverbs of Confirmation are -
Definitely, Absolutely, Surely etc. Examples for Adverbs of Denial or Negation
are - No, Don’t, Can’t etc.
Adverbs of Comment
These Adverbs are used to make a
comment on the entire sentence. They give a look at the speaker’s viewpoint or
opinion about the sentence. These Adverbs don’t just change or describe the
Verb; they influence the whole sentence.
They found his secret easily.
+
Unfortunately
Unfortunately, they found his secret
easily.
Here, we see that adding the Adverb unfortunately
has changed the entire tone of the sentence. Earlier, it was a passive tone,
now it has a negative or disappointed tone.
Other examples of Adverbs of Comment
are -
- Luckily, the dog did not bite the children.
- Happily, the power returned before the big match.
- Did he honestly expect me to lie for him? (Adverb adds comment on the anger of the speaker.)
- And they would win the world cup, obviously. (Can be said in a sarcastic as well as positive manner)
Adverbs of Conjunction
These Adverbs are used to connect
ideas or clauses, they are used to show consequence or effect or the relation
between the two clauses. To use these Adverbs to conjugate two clauses you need
to use a semicolon (;) to connect them.
Clause 1: He was going for an
important interview.
Clause 2: He made sure he reached on
time.
He was going for an important
interview; accordingly, he made sure he reached on time.
Here, we see how the Adverb ‘accordingly’
is joining the two clauses and showing the relation between them with the use
of a semicolon (;). Accordingly means- therefore or that is why.
A few other Adverbs of Conjunction
are -
- However - Yet, on the other hand, in spite of
- Consequently - As a result, resulting in
- Moreover - Beside, in addition
- Conversely - Opposite of, contrary to
List
of Adverbs, Adverb Examples
Accidentally
|
Eventually
|
Jealously
|
Poorly
|
Suddenly
|
Always
|
Exactly
|
Joyfully
|
Positively
|
Surprisingly
|
Angrily
|
Excitedly
|
Kindly
|
Properly
|
Sweetly
|
Arrogantly
|
Extremely
|
Lazily
|
Quickly
|
Terribly
|
Badly
|
Fairly
|
Less
|
Quietly
|
Thankfully
|
Beautifully
|
Faithfully
|
Loudly
|
Rarely
|
Thoughtfully
|
Bitterly
|
Fast
|
Lovingly
|
Really
|
Tomorrow
|
Blindly
|
Foolishly
|
Loyally
|
Regularly
|
Unexpectedly
|
Boldly
|
Fortunately
|
Madly
|
Reluctantly
|
Unfortunately
|
Bravely
|
Frankly
|
More
|
Repeatedly
|
Urgently
|
Briefly
|
Generally
|
Mysteriously
|
Rudely
|
Usually
|
Busily
|
Generously
|
Naturally
|
Sadly
|
Valiantly
|
Carefully
|
Gently
|
Nearly
|
Safely
|
Very
|
Certainly
|
Gracefully
|
Nervously
|
Seldom
|
Violently
|
Clearly
|
Happily
|
Never
|
Selfishly
|
Well
|
Courageously
|
Highly
|
Obediently
|
Seriously
|
Wisely
|
Cruelly
|
Honestly
|
Officially
|
Silently
|
Yearly
|
Curiously
|
Hopelessly
|
Often
|
Slowly
|
Yesterday
|
Daily
|
Immediately
|
Openly
|
Softly
|
|
Delightfully
|
Innocently
|
Painfully
|
Sometimes
|
|
Easily
|
Instantly
|
Patiently
|
Soon
|
|
Enthusiastically
|
Interestingly
|
Politely
|
Strictly
|