What Is an Adverb?

An adverb is a word that modifies (describes) a verb (he sings loudly), an adjective (very tall), another
adverb (ended too quickly), or even a whole sentence (Fortunately, I had brought an umbrella).
Adverbs often end in -ly, but some (such as fast) look exactly the same as their adjective counterparts.

Tom Longboat did not run badly.

Tom is very tall.
The race finished too quickly.
Fortunately, Lucy recorded Tom’s win.

1. Adverbs and verbs

Adverbs often modify verbs. This means that they describe the way an action is happening.

Phillip sings loudly in the shower.

My cat waits impatiently for his food.
I will seriously consider your suggestion.

The adverbs in each of the sentences above answer the question in what manner?
How does Phillip sing? Loudly.
How does my cat wait? Impatiently.
How will I consider your suggestion? Seriously.
Adverbs can answer other types of questions about how an action was performed. They can also
tell you when (We arrived early) and where (Turn here).

However, there is one type of verb that doesn’t mix well with adverbs. Linking verbs,
such as feel, smell, sound, seem, and appear, typically need adjectives, not adverbs. A very
common example of this type of mix-up is: I feel badly about what happened.
Because “feel” is a verb, it seems to call for an adverb rather than an adjective. But “feel” isn’t
just any verb; it’s a linking verb.
An adverb would describe how you perform the action of feeling—an adjective describes what
you feel.
“I feel badly” means that you are bad at feeling things. If you’re trying to read Braille through
thick leather gloves, then it might make sense for you to say “I feel badly.” But if you’re trying to
say that you are experiencing negative emotions, “I feel bad” is the phrase you want.

2. Adverbs and adjectives

Adverbs can also modify adjectives and other adverbs. Often, the purpose of the adverb is to add a
degree of intensity to the adjective.

The woman is quite pretty.

This book is more interesting than the last one.
The weather report is almost always right.

The adverb almost is modifying the adverb always, and they’re both modifying right.

“Is my singing too loud?” asked Phillip.

My cat is incredibly happy to have his dinner.
We will be slightly late to the meeting.
This bridesmaid dress is a very unflattering shade of puce.
 3. Adverbs and other adverbs
You can use an adverb to describe another adverb. In fact, if you wanted to, you could use several.

Phillip sings rather enormously too loudly.

The problem is that it often produces weak and clunky sentences like the one above, so be careful
not to overdo it.

4. Adverbs and sentences

Some adverbs can modify entire sentences—unsurprisingly, these are called sentence adverbs.
Common ones include generally, fortunately, interestingly, and accordingly.
Sentence adverbs don’t describe one particular thing in the sentence—instead, they describe a
general feeling about all of the information in the sentence.

Fortunately, we got there in time.

Interestingly, no one at the auction seemed interested in bidding on the antique spoon
collection.

At one time, the use of the word hopefully as a sentence adverb (e.g., Hopefully, I’ll get this job)
was condemned. People continued to use it though, and many style guides and dictionaries now
accept it. There are still plenty of readers out there who hate it though, so it’s a good idea to avoid
using it in formal writing.

Degrees of comparison
Like adjectives, adverbs can show degrees of comparison, although it’s slightly less common to use them
this way. With certain “flat adverbs” (adverbs that look exactly the same as their adjective counterparts),
the comparative and superlative forms look the same as the adjective comparative and superlative forms.
It’s usually better to use stronger adverbs (or stronger adjectives and verbs) rather than relying on
comparative and superlative adverbs.

An absolute adverb describes something in its own right:

He smiled warmly
A hastily written note

To make the comparative form of an adverb that ends in -ly, add the word more:

He smiled more warmly than the others.

The more hastily written note contained the clue.

To make the superlative form of an adverb that ends in -ly, add the word most:

He smiled most warmly of them all.

The most hastily written note on the desk was overlooked.

Placement of adverbs
Place adverbs as close as possible to the words they are supposed to modify.
Putting the adverb in the wrong spot can produce an awkward sentence at best and completely change the
meaning at worst. Be especially careful about the word only, which is one of the most often misplaced
modifiers. Consider the difference between these two sentences:

Phillip only fed the cat.

Phillip fed only the cat.
The first sentence means that all Phillip did was feed the cat. He didn’t pet the cat or pick it up or
anything else.
The second sentence means that Phillip fed the cat, but he didn’t feed the dog, the bird, or anyone else
who might have been around.

When an adverb is modifying a verb phrase, the most natural place for the adverb is usually the middle of
the phrase.

We are quickly approaching the deadline.

Phillip has always loved singing.
I will happily assist you.

Type Examples

Adverb of Manner An adverb of manner tells us how an action occurs.

(how) • The lion crawled stealthily.
• Will you come quietly, or do I have to use
 Type Examples

earplugs? (Comedian Spike Milligan)

(NB: Lots of adverbs of manner end "-ly.")

Adverb of Time An adverb of time tells us when an action occurs or how

(when and how often.
often) • I tell him daily.
• What you plant now, you will harvest later.
(Author Og Mandino)
(NB: Adverbs of time that tell us how often something occurs
(e.g., "always," "often," "sometimes") are also known as
"adverbs of frequency.")

Adverb of Place An adverb of place tells us where an action occurs.

(where) • I did not put it there.
• Poetry surrounds us everywhere, but putting it
on paper is, alas, not so easy as looking at it.
(Artist Vincent Van Gogh)

Adverb of Degree An adverb of degree tells us to what degree an action

(aka Adverb of occurs.
Comparison) • He works smarter.
(how much) • Doubters make me work harder to prove them
wrong. (Businessman Derek Jeter)

Adverbial Phrases and Clauses

In all the examples above, the adverbs have been single words, but multi-word adverbs are common too.
Adverbs commonly come as phrases (i.e., two or more words) or clauses (i.e., two or more words
containing a subject and a verb). Below are some examples of multi-word adverbs. This list also includes
adverbs of condition, adverbs of concession, and adverbs of reason.

Type Examples

Adverb of Manner An adverb of manner often starts with a preposition (e.g., "in,"
"with") or one of the following: "as," "like," or "the way." (These
are called subordinating conjunctions.)
• Money speaks, but it speaks with a male voice.
(Author Andrea Dworkin)
(This is called a prepositional phrase. It's also an
adverbial phrase.)
• People who say they sleep like a baby
does usually don't have one. (Psychologist Leo J.
Burke)

Adverb of Time An adverb of time often starts with a preposition or one of the
 Type Examples

following subordinating conjunctions: "after," "as," "as long

as," "as soon as," "before," "no sooner than," "since," "until,"
"when," or "while."
• A company like Gucci can lose millions in a
second. (Gucci CEO Marco Bizzarri)
• After the game has finished, the king and pawn
go into the same box. (Italian proverb)

Adverb of Place An adverb of place often starts with a preposition or one of the
following subordinating conjunctions: "anywhere,"
"everywhere," "where," or "wherever."
• Opera is when a guy gets stabbed in the
back and, instead of bleeding, he sings. (Ed
Gardner)
• Some cause happiness wherever they go;
others whenever they go. (Playwright Oscar
Wilde)

Adverb of Degree An adverb of degree often starts with one of the following
(aka Adverb of subordinating conjunctions: "than," "as...as," "so...as," or
Comparison) "the...the."
• Nothing is so contagious as enthusiasm. (Poet
Samuel Taylor Coleridge)
• Be what you are. This is the first step toward
becoming better than you are. (Writer Julius
Charles Hare)
Read more about comparatives of adverbs (like "more
cleverly").

Adverbs of An adverb of condition tells us the condition needed before

Condition the main idea comes into effect. An adverb of condition often
starts with "if" or "unless."
• If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts.
(Theoretical physicist Albert Einstein)
• Age doesn't matter, unless you're a cheese.
(Filmmaker Luis Bunuel)

Adverbs of An adverb of concession contrasts with the main idea. An

Concession adverb of concession often starts with a subordinating
conjunction like "though," "although," "even though," "while,"
"whereas," or "even if."
• Although golf was originally restricted to wealthy,
overweight Protestants, today it's open to anybody who owns
hideous clothing. (Comedian Dave Barry)
 Type Examples

• A loud voice cannot compete with a clear voice, even if it's a

whisper. (Writer Barry Neil Kaufman)

Adverbs of Reason An adverb of reason gives a reason for the main idea. An
adverb of reason usually starts with a subordinating
conjunction like "as," "because," "given," or "since."
• I don't have a bank account because I don't know
my mother's maiden name. (Comedian Paula
Poundstone)
• Since we cannot change reality, let us change
the eyes which see reality. (Greek author Nikos
Kazantzakis)