What is an Adverb?

Sahil runs quickly.

She writes quite lucidly.

This is a very sweet orange.

Here, in the above sentences the underlined words ‘quickly’, ‘quite’ and ‘very’ are termed as adverbs.

In the first sentence, ‘quickly’ shows in what manner (or how) Sahil runs; that is, quickly modifies the verb runs.

In the second sentence, ‘quite’ shows to what extent (or how far) She writes lucidly; that is, lucidly modifies the adverb lucidly.

In the third sentence, ‘very’ shows in what degree (or how much) the orange is sweet; that is, very modifies the adjective sweet.

A word that modifies the meaning of a verb, an adjective or another adverb is called as an adverb.

For instance:

She is very beautiful.

The dog sprints on him hurriedly.

The much smarter boy won the competition.

Riya wore an immaculately designed dress.

Identifying the Adverb:

Adverbs are identified from the functions they perform in the sentence. If it is describing any of these three parts of speech- a verb, an adjective or an adverb then it is an adverb.

Usually, not all but some adverbs have –ly in their endings which makes recognizing them an easy task.

For instance:

Happily, slowly, loudly, angrily, continuously, lovingly, luckily etc.

He luckily escaped from her grasp.

In this sentence, ‘luckily’ is an adverb as it describing the word escaped and it ends in –ly.

Some adverbs are also frequency words such as,

Very, much, more, many, etc.

She was very

In this sentence, ‘very’ is an adverb of frequency describing the word hungry. Check this module to learn Grammar.

Different types of Adverbs:

Adverbs may be divided into the following classes, according to their meaning; such as

Adverb of Time

An Adverb of time lets us know when any action occurs.

For instance:

I hurt my feet yesterday.

That day he arrived early.

I have never heard of this before.

He comes here often.

The movie started a bit late.

We shall now begin to eat.

I had a letter from her mother lately.

I have spoken to her already.

I meet him daily.

Adverb of Place

An Adverb of Place lets us know where any action is going to occur or has already occurred.

For instance:

Come here.

Go downstairs.

Walk a step forward.

My dog is out.

He looked down.

The horse fled away.

Stand there.

The child followed his mother everywhere.

Adverb of Manner

An Adverb of Manner lets us know how or in what manner an action occurs.

For instance:

Is that so?

He shouldn’t have done so.

The child slept peacefully.

This book is well-written.

I was agreeably disappointed.

The girl works hard.

The Soldiers fought bravely.

Thus only, you will succeed.

Adverb of Degree or Quantity

An Adverb of Degree or Quantity lets us know how much or in what degree or to what extent an action may occur.

For instance:

You are partly wrong.

She was rather busy.

She dances pretty well.

I am so glad.

She was fully prepared.

Is that any better?

He was too careless.

The sea is very calm.

A quick note: This class of adverbs nearly includes all those Adverbs which are derived from adjectives and end in –ly.

Adverb of Condition

An Adverb of Condition tells us the condition required for the main idea to come into effect. It usually starts with if or unless.

For instance:

If it won’t work, the project will be ruined.

I won’t eat unless you cook for me.

Unless you find me a home, I am staying here.

If only he had accepted, she wouldn’t have left home.

Adverb of Concession

An Adverb of Concession contrasts with the main idea. It mainly starts with a subordinating conjunction like although, while, whereas, even though, and even if.

For instance:

Although she lacks behind time, she completes the assigned task dedicatedly.

Even if she disagrees now, she’ll accept the offer anyway.

Even though his face is contoured, his smile steals the heart.

Adverb of Reason

An Adverb of Reason gives a reason for the main idea. An adverb of reason usually starts with subordinating conjunctions like as, because, since or given.

For instance:

He, therefore, left the college.

She is hence unable to disprove the charge.

I don’t have a passport because I didn’t have money to make one.

Where do you place Adverbs?

Adverbs when placed suitably well, create impactful and effective sentences. Here are the positions when adverbs can be placed:

Before the verb

She quickly hops on the bus.

After the verb

She hops on the bus quickly.

As an opener

Quickly, she hops on the bus.

Degrees of Adverbs:

Many adverbs may have different degrees. The degrees let us know to which extent the places, persons or things are compared.

Comparative

Faster, longer, more swiftly, more skillfully, harder, sooner.

Consider some examples:

Mahi works harder than Prisha.

He works more dedicatedly than Ramesh.

My teacher wakes up earlier than my mom.

Payal danced more gracefully than Ana.

Superlative

Fastest, Longest, most swiftly, most skillfully, hardest, soonest.

Consider some examples:

Shruti is the hardest worker amongst Mahi and Prisha.

Suresh works most dedicatedly than this colleagues.

My dad rises the earliest before my mom and me.

Priya is the best teacher in the school.

Adverbs are easy to understand but what is actually required is tremendous and regular practice. A regular regime of practicing Grammar and its usage in daily routine will hone your skills and make you feel confident about you. Get yourself a position amongst the society with extraordinary communication skills and excellent Grammar.

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