Definition: An adverb is a part of speech that modifies or describes a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. It provides additional information about how, when, where, to what extent, or under what condition an action is performed. Adverbs often end in -ly, but not always.
Adverb = Adjective+ly
Adverb | Modifying | Example |
extremely | adjective | The water was extremely cold. |
quite | adjective | The movie is quite interesting. |
just | verb | He was just leaving. |
almost | verb | She has almost finished. |
very | adverb | She is running very fast. |
too | adverb | You are walking too slowly. |
enough | adverb | You are running fast enough. |
There are three kinds of adverbs – Simple, Interrogative and Relative. The vast majority of adverbs belong to Simple Adverbs
Kinds |
Description |
Example |
Adverb of time |
answer the question “When/How long/ How often” |
now, then, soon, tomorrow, yesterday, today, tonight, again, early, yesterday, never, lately, just, always, recently, during, yet, sometimes, usually, so far |
Adverb of place |
answer the question “Where” |
somewhere, here, there, near, somewhere, outside, ahead, on the top, at some place, inside, upstairs, nowhere, abroad, out, in, above, below, everywhere, up, down, etc. |
Adverbs of manner |
answer the question “How” |
loudly, slowly, correctly, fast, easily, carefully, neatly, quickly, sadly, calmly, politely, kindly, lazily, beautifully, undoubtedly, surprisingly, admiringly, |
Adverb of frequency |
how often the verb occurs |
daily, sometimes, often, seldom, usually, frequently, always, ever, generally, rarely, monthly, yearly, never, hardly normally, twice, weekly. occasionally again |
Adverbs of degree/ quantity |
answer the question “To what degree or extent” |
Negative: not, little, scarcely, hardly, etc.Slight degree: a little slightly, somewhat, rather |
Adverb of Number |
show number of action of the verb |
firstly, secondly, once, yearly, never, twice, lastly, etc. |
Adverb of Cause and Effect |
answer the question, purpose and result |
because, as, as long as, therefore, hence, thus, consequently, so, since |
Interrogative Adverb |
used for asking questions |
when, why, where, how long, how early, how soon etc. |
Relative Adverb |
introduces an adjective clause |
where, when, and why |
Identify adverb from the following sentences.
She always arrives early. He drives carefully. They go everywhere together. She eats slowly. It is terribly hot. She was walking rapidly. The kids love playing together in the sandbox. Please come inside now. His jokes are always very funny. You don’t really care, do you? Jenny ran fast. Let’s go to the party afterwards. Urmi was very sleepy. Go to bed now. This pie is surprisingly good. Please try harder. Marie is always on time. Yesterday, we learned about multiplication. I like to eat ice cream sometimes. Please walk across the street. He swims well. He ran quickly. She spoke softly. James coughed loudly to attract her attention. He plays the flute beautifully. He ate the chocolate cake greedily. He gave us the money generously. She sometimes helps us. He speaks very slowly. She arrived today. Let’s go outside. We ran yesterday. He ran here. He ran barefoot. He ran yesterday. He looked around. I searched it everywhere. I’m going back to school. They built a house nearby. She took the child outside. Here comes the bus. There goes the bell. There it is. Here they are. The child went indoors. He lived and worked abroad. Water always flows downhill. The wind pushed us sideways. She likes me. So far, we have found twelve grammar mistakes. I haven’t been going to the gym lately. We recently bought a new car. The young soldier folded his clothes neatly in a pile at the end of his bunk. I politely opened the door for my grandmother as she stepped out of the car. A fat orange and white cat rested lazily on the sofa. Can I come to the movies too? Aren’t you hungry? You’ve hardly touched your dinner. I’m so excited to see the new James Bond movie! He collapsed and died yesterday. His factory was burned down a few months ago. Last week, we were stuck in the lift for an hour. I rarely eat fast food these days. Tom usually takes his dog for a walk before breakfast. They always go to the same restaurant every Friday. We can stop here for lunch. The schoolboy was knocked over by a school bus. They rushed for their lives when fire broke out in the floor below. The brothers were badly injured in the fight. They had to act fast to save the others floating in the water. At the advanced age of 88, she still sang very well. It was too dark for us to find our way out of the cave. The referee had to stop the match when it began to rain really heavily. Her daughter is quite fat for her age. The accident victim nearly died from his injuries. After all these years, she is still feeling very sad about her father’s death. They were almost fifty when they got married. He hardly ever say something nice to his wife. While overseas, he frequently phoned home. She is not nearly always right although she thinks she is always right. He complained that she never smiled back. We only write to each other very occasionally. Peter seldom reads the Bible. Sometimes he stays late in the office to complete his work. Consequently he denied to come to the party. I eat food twice a day. He saw me once. Krishna was hence neglected by the teachers. She thus opened the door applying little visible force. He, therefore, does not want to talk to me. The teacher is ill and therefore is unable to come to school. Our cat was bitten twice by the same dog. The man usually proposes marriage We are late. She died two years ago. I wrote to him yesterday. Have you seen him before? May I leave now? I will soon return. He will come tomorrow. I have warned him already. I haven’t read anything lately. We have been living here for several years. I searched for him everywhere. They went upstairs. May I come in? She came forward. I decided to go there. You are always welcome. I have gone there only once. We visit them frequently. I often go there. I have seen him only once. Secondly, I can’t afford to buy it. The soldiers fought bravely. Walk carefully. I was terribly upset. He is seriously ill. She was pleasantly surprised. She can speak English well. He is quite strong. She is very beautiful. I am fully prepared. My work is almost finished. This is good enough. You are absolutely right. He is entirely wrong. He was rather busy. He did not work hard, therefore, he failed. Consequently he refused to come. I was not working hard, therefore, I failed.