ADVERBS

Grammar I- 2021
 Definition
An adverb is a word that adds more to the
meaning of a verb, an adjective or another
adverb.
I dreamt about you last night.
(dreamt=verb; last night=adverb)

The monster was incredibly ugly.

(ugly=adjective; incredibly=adverb)

The heart patient collapsed quite suddenly.

(suddenly=adverb; quite=adverb)
 Adverbs
Morphologically
Many adverbs are formed from adjectives by adding
the suffix -ly: clearly, eagerly.
However, not all words ending in –ly are adverbs.
The following words are good examples of
adjectives ending in –ly:
costly, cowardly, deadly, friendly, kindly, likely, lively,
lonely, lovely, manly, silly, sickly, timely, ugly, unlikely
 Others have no such ending: however, just, now, there, often, always, also.
A few adverbs allow comparative and superlative forms like those for
adjectives:
soon ---> sooner -- soonest; fast ---> faster ---> fastest.
Some words have the same form and they can be both adverbs and
adjectives as follow: far, hard, and long.
It is important to distinguish how they are used:
I don’t live far away from here. (Adverb)
Where I live isn’t far from here. (Adjective)
(Santiago isn’t far from here)
She worked quite hard. (Adverb)
She found the work quite hard. (Adjective)

If we exercise regularly, we may live longer. (Adverb)

If we exercise regularly, we may live longer lives. (Adjective)
 Adverbials (adverbs, prepositional phrases or adverbial
clauses) can also be used to give us additional information
about e.g. the time, place, or manner of the action which
is described in the rest of the sentence:

• We have been living [here] [in this house] [for over twenty years].
Adv PP PP
• We were sleeping [peacefully] [in our beds] [when the earthquake struck].
Adv PP Advl clause
 Comparison of Adverbs
Similar to the comparison of adjectives, adverbs have three
degrees of comparison:
the Positive, the Comparative and the Superlative.
Most adverbs which end in '-ly' form the Comparative with
'more' and the Superlative with 'most'.
Positive Comparative Superlative
happily more happily most happily
kindly more kindly most kindly
loudly more loudly most loudly
bad, badly worse worst
little less least
much more most
well better best
Informal uses of adjectives forms as adverbs are
especially common with comparative and
superlatives:
Inf : Can you drive slower? /
Can you drive more slowly?
Inf: Let’s see who can do it quicker. /
Let’s see who can do it more quickly.
Inf : Don’t talk so loud./
Don’t talk so loudly.
Syntactically
Adverbs occur as head of adverb phrases:
• very noisily, more slowly than a train.
Adverbs, with or without their own modifiers, are often used as modifiers
of an adjective or another adverb: really old, very soon.
Otherwise, they can modify a verb: You speak English well or act as
adverbials in a sentence: I’ll see you again soon.
The placement of adverbs in a sentence is very flexible. Depending on the
adverb, there are 3 normal places for adverbs: front, mid and end
position in a sentence:
• Yesterday morning something very strange happened.
• I have never understood him.
• What are you doing tomorrow?
 Unlike adjectives, adverbs
do not modify nouns.

CORRECT:
The woman has a beautiful
daughter. (Adjective)
INCORRECT:
*The woman has a beautifully
daughter. (Adverb)
 Order of Adverbs

THE ROYAL ORDER OF ADVERBS

Verb Manner Place Frequency Time Purpose
in the before
Beth swims enthusiastically every morning to keep in shape.
pool dawn
every before to get a
Dad walks impatiently into town
afternoon supper newspaper.
Tashonda in her before
every morning
naps room lunch.
Semantically
As modifiers, adverbs most often express the degree of a following
adjective or adverb: totally wrong; right now.
As elements of clauses, adverbials, adverbs and adverb phrases have a
wide range of meanings:
1.- They can modify an action, process, or state, by expressing such notions as
time, place, and manner:
So I learned German quite quickly. She was here earlier today.

2. They can convey the speaker's or writer's attitude (unfortunately,

surprisingly), level of certainty (probably), imprecision (kind of , like), style
(person’s manner of speaking: sincerely, honestly, frankly, simply, technically),
limitation (typically),towards the information in the rest of the clause:

Surely that child's not mine? Possibly she’ll arrive today.

3. They can express a connection with what was said earlier:
It must be beautiful, though.
Humanism is a positive philosophy….Humanists believe morality comes from
within the man… YET humanism is not a soft option
TYPES OF ADVERBS
 Types of Adverbs
Adverbs of Time Adverbs of Place
They show when an action They show where an action
or something is done or or something is done or
happens. They answer the happens.
question "When?" They answer the question
"Where?" Such adverbs are
They are either placed at the placed after the verb.
beginning or at the end of a Examples:
sentence. When they are at I live here.
the beginning, they are often They are talking outside.
emphasized. He walked in.
Examples: We met her in the zoo.
I phoned you yesterday. They like to walk along the river.
I saw her a few months ago.
Last week I saw them walking
together.
Adverbs of Manner
They show how an action or something is done.
They answer the question "How?" The adverb is
placed just after the verb when it is used in a
sentence.
Examples:
She cried loudly.
He drives quickly.
She speaks softly.
 Adverbs of Degree or Quantity
They answer the questions, "To what degree?" or
"How much?" They are usually placed before the
adjective and the adverb.
Examples:
It is[too] dark for us to see anything. (before adjective)
Last night it rained [very] heavily. (before adverb)
Degree adverbs that increase intensity are called amplifiers or
intensifiers
Our dentist was very good
She will be extremely cautious with the case.
Degree adverbs that decrease the effect of the modified item
are called diminishers or downtoners
(less, somewhat, slightly, fairly, quite, rather, almost, nearly, pretty, far from )
Your glass is almost empty
 Adverbs of Frequency
They answer the question "How often?"
Adverbs of frequency are very important because we often
use them. Examples of these adverbs include: never, rarely,
seldom, hardly ever, occasionally, sometimes, generally,
usually, frequently, nearly always, often and ever. Also
included are: quite, just, already, almost and nearly.
Examples:
Jane is rarely late for work.
Peter seldom reads the Bible.
Sue hardly ever wore lipstick.
We only write to each other very occasionally.
Sometimes he stays late in the office to complete his work.
The proposal is not generally acceptable to the public.
It is usually the man who proposes marriage.
While overseas, he frequently phoned home.
We always go to school by bus.
Sharon has often forgotten her books.
Does he ever come to play chess?
 Interrogative Adverbs
Relative Adverbs
(Question): When? Where?
How? Why? How when, where, how, why
much/often? These words are the same in
Examples: form as Interrogative
When was the last time you saw the Adverbs; but they are not
accused? questions.
Where have you been all the while? Examples:
How could you have overlooked all The time when he arrived is still
these mistakes? unknown.
Why do you have to do such a stupid The scene where the accident
occurred is close to the hospital.
thing?
He is the only one who knows how to
do it.
Nobody knows why he left in such a
hurry.
 Affirmative Adverbs &
Additive/ Restrictive Adverbs of negation
Adverbs Examples of these adverbs include:
yes, surely, certainly, indeed, by
all means, no, not at all, by no
They show that one item is means.
being added to another Examples:
I hope my parent just for once will say
yes to my latest idea.
Oh, my dad was a great guy, too
The film was also awarded here. You must have heard about the
haunted house surely.

They delimit a range of It would indeed help if I had a car.

possibilities
Oh no, not another breakdown at the
traffic lights?
I like all sorts of vegetables, especially
tomatoes. It is not at all certain that the match
Only my parents arrived early. will take place.
 Stance Adverbs* Linking Adverbs
• * ways that speakers or writers express their attitude to,
or evaluation of, or commitment to what they are saying
(or writing).
They show how the
• They can be used to express meaning of one section of
a variety of meanings: text is related to another
Levels of certainty (probably) This is a cheap and
simple process that you
Limitation (typically)
can do at home.
Imprecision (kind of , like) However, there are
Attitude (unfortunately, dangers.
surprisingly)
Style (person’s manner of speaking)
(sincerely, honestly, frankly,
simply, technically)
 More Notes on Adverb Order
As a general principle, shorter adverbial phrases precede longer
adverbial phrases, regardless of content. In the following sentence,
an adverb of time precedes an adverb of frequency because it is
shorter (and simpler):
Dad takes a brisk walk before breakfast every day of his life.
A second principle: among similar adverbial phrases of kind (manner,
place, frequency, etc.), the more specific adverbial phrase comes
first:
My grandmother was born in a sod house on the plains of northern Nebraska.
She promised to meet him for lunch next Tuesday.

Bringing an adverbial modifier to the beginning of the sentence can

place special emphasis on that modifier. This is particularly useful
with adverbs of manner:
Slowly, ever so carefully, Jesse filled the coffee cup up to the brim, even above the brim.
Occasionally, but only occasionally, one of these lemons will get by the inspectors.