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Adverbs

The document defines what an adverb is and discusses the different types of adverbs. An adverb modifies or describes a verb, adjective, another adverb, or an entire sentence. It can indicate manner, degree, place, time or other circumstances. There are several types of adverbs including adverbs of manner, degree, place, time, frequency and purpose. The document provides examples to illustrate each type and discusses how adverbs are used in sentences.

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Sharon Velasquez
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11 views

Adverbs

The document defines what an adverb is and discusses the different types of adverbs. An adverb modifies or describes a verb, adjective, another adverb, or an entire sentence. It can indicate manner, degree, place, time or other circumstances. There are several types of adverbs including adverbs of manner, degree, place, time, frequency and purpose. The document provides examples to illustrate each type and discusses how adverbs are used in sentences.

Uploaded by

Sharon Velasquez
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Adverbs

English 4

Mst. Vanessa Weddle


What Is an Adverb?
An adverb is a word that can modify or describe a verb, adjective,
another adverb, or entire sentence. Adverbs can be used to show
manner (how something happens), degree (to what extent), place
(where), and time (when).
Adverbs are usually formed by adding -ly to the end of an adjective
(e.g., “quick” becomes “quickly”), although there are also other
adverbs that don’t have this ending. There are also adverbial phrases,
series of words that play the grammatical role of adverbs.
How are adverbs used in sentences?
Adverbs provide context in a sentence by
describing how, when, where, and to what extent something occurs.
Adverbs can be used to modify verbs, adjectives, and even
other adverbs.
Adverbs can also be used to modify entire sentences by expressing a
viewpoint or making an evaluation. These adverbs (called sentence
adverbs) are typically set off with commas.
Adverbs vs. adjectives
While adverbs can modify verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and entire
sentences, adjectives can only modify nouns and pronouns (e.g.,
“the red door”).
Adverbs are often formed by adding “-ly” to the end of an adjective.
However, adverbs can also be formed from adjectives in other ways,
depending on the ending.

Some adverbs use the same form as


their corresponding adjectives. These
are known as flat adverbs (e.g.,
“straight,” “fast,” “early”). Other adverbs
(e.g., “never”) simply don’t have a
corresponding adjective.
Tip
If you’re unsure whether a word is being used as an adverb or an
adjective, look at the word that it’s modifying. If it’s modifying a noun
or a pronoun, it’s an adjective. If it’s modifying anything else, it’s an
adverb.
For example, in the sentence “Don’t drive fast,” the word “fast” is an
adverb because it’s modifying the verb “drive.”
In the phrase “a fast car,” the word “fast” is an adjective because it’s
describing the noun “car.
Adverbs and linking verbs
Adverbs are sometimes confused with adjectives when they are used
with linking verbs (i.e. a verb that connects the subject of a sentence
with a subject complement that describes it).
While adverbs can be used to describe how an action is done, linking
verbs (e.g., “look,” “feel,” “sound,” “be”) refer to states of being and
therefore take an adjective rather than an adverb.
Adverbs of manner
An adverb of manner describes how an action is performed or how something happens. In most
cases, adverbs of manner occur after the main verb.

If the verb has a direct object (a thing being acted upon), the adverb should be placed before the
verb or at the end of the sentence. It should never be placed between the verb and its object (in the
following examples, “the book” is the object).
Adverbs of degree
Adverbs of degree are used to qualify verbs, adjectives, or adverbs by
expressing extent or degree. Some common adverbs of degree include:
“extremely,” “absolutely,” “slightly,” “quite,” and “enough.”
Adverbs of place
An adverb of place provides information about the location of an
action (e.g., position, distance, and direction). Adverbs of place
typically occur after the main verb of a sentence.

Note
Some words can be used as both
an adverb of place and a preposition.
When the sentence has no object, it’s
considered an adverb (e.g.,
“go inside”). If the sentence has an
object, it’s considered a preposition
(e.g., “go inside the house”)
Adverbs of time
Adverbs of time (e.g., “yesterday,” “today,” “tomorrow”) describe when something happens. They
are typically placed at the end of a sentence.

Adverbs of duration (e.g., “temporarily,” “forever,” “shortly”) are slightly different; they describe the
length of time something happens for.
Adverbs of frequency
Adverbs of frequency describe how often something happens. They can be divided into two categories based
on how specific they are.
Adverbs of indefinite frequency (e.g., “always,” “sometimes,” “never”) give an idea of how often something
occurs, but they don’t give an exact timeframe. Adverbs of indefinite frequency are usually placed before the
main verb.

Adverbs of definite frequency (e.g., “hourly,” “daily,” “weekly”) give a more precise description of how often
something happens. They typically occur at the end of a sentence.
Adverbs of purpose
Adverbs of purpose (also called adverbs of reason) help to
explain why something is the case. Many adverbs of purpose function
as conjunctive adverbs. Other adverbs of purpose usually take the form
of adverbial phrases instead of individual words.

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