Adverbs

How? When? Where? How often? Adverbs explain:

how, when, where, and how often something happens.

An adverb is used to “add meaning to” a verb, an adverb, or an adjective

Forming adverbs

• We add LY to form many adverbs: QUICK: QUICKLY; BEAUTIFUL: BEAUTIFULLY; SLOW: SLOWLY.
• There are exceptions: FAST never changes. LATE and HARD do not always change.

Examples:

It is terribly HOT!

• HOW hot is it?
  • Hot is an adjective.
    • Terribly is an adverb that adds meaning to the adjective HOT.

We WILL EAT our dinner very quickly tonight.

• HOW and WHEN will we eat?
  • Eat is a verb.
    • Quickly is an adverb that adds meaning to the verb WILL EAT.
    • Very is an adverb that adds meaning to the adverb QUICKLY. (How quickly?)
    • Tonight is an adverb that adds meaning to the verb WILL EAT.

There IS snow everywhere!

• WHERE is the snow?
  • Is is a verb.
    • Everywhere is an adverb that adds meaning to the verb IS.

I HAD a meeting here this morning, but tomorrow my meeting IS far away.

• WHERE were the meetings? WHEN were the meetings?
  • Had is a verb.
    • Here and this morning are adverbs that add meaning to the verb HAD.
  • Is is a verb.
    • Tomorrow and far away are adverbs that add meaning to the verb IS.

They DROVE their car very carefully today.

• HOW and WHEN did they drive?
  • Drove is the verb to drive in the simple past.
    • Carefully and today are adverbs that add meaning to the verb DROVE.

Adverbs of time

answer the question WHEN?

• He is early and they are late. (Late is an exception. In this sentence, we do not say lately.)

Adverbs of manner

answer the question HOW?

• He is driving carefully.
• She is walking fast. (Fast is an exception. We never say fastly.)
• We work hard. (Hard is an exception. In this sentence, we do not say hardly.)
• The children spoke politely.

Adverbs of place

answer the question WHERE?

• There is snow everywhere.
• We took the dog outside.

Adverbs of frequency

answer the question HOW OFTEN?

• It is time for our daily meeting. Daily is an adverb of definite frequency.
• We often go on vacation. Often is an adverb of indefinite frequency.

Try the adverbs quiz!