Adverbs
An adverb describes a verb. Rememeber a verb is an action or state of being word! There are different types of adverbs.
| Manner | slowly, quietly, carefully, loudly, clearly |
|---|---|
| Time | tonight, early, yesterday, today, last week |
| Place | outside, inside, downstairs, upstairs, here |
| Frequency | never, frequently, sometimes, occasionally |
| Degree | nearly, very, too, a lot, almost |
Adverbs of Manner
Describes how an action happens:
- He bravely drove the big lorry.
- They arrived home safely.
- She walked slowly to the park.
The adverbs of manner mostly end with ly.
Adverbs of Time
Describes when something happens:
- Tonight, they are going to the concert.
- They caught the early bus.
- It snowed this morning.
Adverbs of Place
Describes where something happens:
- He interviewed them next door.
- She is playing outside.
- They are sitting here.
Adverbs of Frequency
Describes how often something happens:
- Sometimes, she misses the bus.
- He always sits on that chair.
- I frequently visit my aunt at her house.
Adverbs of Degree
Describes the degree or the extent to which something happens:
- I have almost finished my home work.
- She was very happy when he got promoted.
- They nearly had a car accident.
Forming an Adverb from an Adjective
Adverbs can be formed from an adjectives by adding ly at the end. Adverbs of manner mostly end with ly.
| Adjectives | Adverb |
|---|---|
| bright | brightly |
| loud | loudly |
| quick | quickly |
| soft | softly |
| playful | playfully |
| sweet | sweetly |
| beautiful | beautifully |
| slow | slowly |
| clear | clearly |
Careful! Some adjectives
also end in ly such as:
- lovely - A lovely day.
- friendly - A friendly person.
The following will help you understand the basic spelling rules on how to form an adverb from an adjective.
Adjectives ending in y
|
Adjectives with a consonant before the y - replace the y with an i and add ly. |
| Adjectives | Adverb |
|---|---|
| happy | happily |
| merry | merrily |
Watch out for some exceptions!
| Adjective | Adverb |
|---|---|
| Dry | Dryly/Drily |
| Shy | Shyly |
| Sly | Slyly |
|
Adjectives with a vowel before the y - add ly at the end. |
| Adjectives | Adverb |
|---|---|
| grey | greyly |
Exception!
Day! replace y with i and add ly at the end
| Adjective | Adverb |
|---|---|
| Day | Daily |
Adjectives ending in e
|
Replace the e with ly |
| Adjectives | Adverb |
|---|---|
| True | Truly |
| Whole | Wholly |
Adjectives ending in ful
|
Just add ly at the end. |
| Adjectives | Adverb |
|---|---|
| Beautiful | Beautifully |
| Helpful | Helpfully |
Adjectives ending in able or ible
|
Replace the e with a y. |
| Adjectives | Adverb |
|---|---|
| Possible | Possibly |
| Capable | Capably |
Adjectives ending in ic
|
Add ally at the end. |
| Adjectives | Adverb |
|---|---|
| Basic | Basically |
| Economic | Economically |
Exception!
Public! add ly at the end
| Adjective | Adverb |
|---|---|
| Public | Publicly |
Where to place an Adverb?
In a sentence an adverb can be placed:
At the Front
- Occasionally, he writes a letter.
- Sometimes, he catches the bus.
In the Middle
- They always sing a song
- He nearly fell off the chair.
At the End
- Her clothes did not fit her last year.
- He walked to school very slowly.