Lesson on Adverbs

What Are Adverbs?

An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. Adverbs often tell us how, when, where, how much, or how often an action occurs.

Types of Adverbs

• Adverbs of Manner: Describe how something is done (e.g., quickly, slowly, beautifully).
• Adverbs of Time: Indicate when something happens (e.g., now, yesterday, soon).
• Adverbs of Place: Indicate where something happens (e.g., here, there, everywhere).
• Adverbs of Frequency: Indicate how often something happens (e.g., always, never, sometimes).
• Adverbs of Degree: Indicate the extent or degree of an action or adjective (e.g., very, too, quite).

Forming Adverbs

Many adverbs are formed by adding -ly to adjectives:

• Quick → Quickly
• Beautiful → Beautifully
• Happy → Happily

Note: Some adverbs do not follow this pattern and are irregular (e.g., fast, well).

Position of Adverbs

The placement of adverbs in a sentence depends on their type:

• Adverbs of Manner: Usually after the verb or object (e.g., She dances gracefully.)
• Adverbs of Time: Usually at the beginning or end (e.g., Yesterday, I visited the museum.)
• Adverbs of Place: After the verb (e.g., He sat there.)
• Adverbs of Frequency: Before the main verb but after the auxiliary verb (e.g., She often goes swimming.)