An adverb is a part of speech (or word class) that’s primarily used to modify a verb, adjective, or other adverbs and can additionally modify prepositional phrases, subordinate clauses, and complete sentences. Put another way, adverbs are content words that provide information about how, when, or where something happens. Adverbs are also called intensifiers because they intensify the meaning of the word or words they are modifying, notes Your Dictionary.
An adverb that modifies an adjective—as in quite sad—or another adverb—as in very carelessly—appears immediately in front of the word it modifies, but one that modifies a verb is generally more flexible: It may appear before or after—as in softly sang or sang softly—or at the beginning of the sentence—Softly she sang to the baby—with the position of an adverb typically affecting the meaning of the sentence. Adverbs can modify a verb or adjective in several ways, by providing information about emphasis, manner, time, place, and frequency.
Adverbs of Emphasis
Adverbs of emphasis are used to give added force or a greater degree of certainty to another word in a sentence or to the sentence as a whole, for example:
- He certainly liked the food.
- She is clearly the frontrunner.
- Naturally, I like my chicken crispy.
Other common adverbs of emphasis include absolutely, definitely, obviously, positively, really, simply, and undoubtedly. These types of adverbs serve to bolster the part of speech they modify.
Adverbs of Manner
Adverbs of manner indicate how something is done. They are usually placed at the end of a sentence or before the main verb, as in:
- Tom drives quickly.
- She slowly opened the door.
- Mary waited for him patiently.
Other examples of adverbs of manner include quietly, fitfully, and carefully.
Adverbs of Time
Adverbs of time tell you when or at what time something is done. Adverbs of time are usually placed at the end of a sentence. They can also be used at the beginning of a sentence followed by a comma.
- The meeting is next week.
- Yesterday, we decided to take a walk.
- I’ve already bought my tickets for the concert.
These adverbs are used with other time expressions, such as days of the week. The most common adverbs of time include yet, already, yesterday, tomorrow, next week (or month or year), last week (or month or year), now, and ago.
Adverbs of Place
Adverbs of place indicate where something is done and usually appear at the end of a sentence, but they can also follow the verb.
- I decided to rest over there.
- She’ll wait for you in the room downstairs.
- Peter walked above me upstairs.
Adverbs of place can be confused with prepositional phrases such as in the doorway or at the shop. Prepositional phrases indicate where something is, but adverbs of place can tell you where something occurs, such as here and everywhere.
Adverbs of Frequency
Adverbs of frequency tell you how often something is repeatedly done. They include usually, sometimes, never, often, and rarely. Adverbs of frequency are often placed directly before the main verb:
- She rarely goes to parties.
- I often read a newspaper.
- He usually gets up at 6 o’clock.
Adverbs of frequency that express infrequency are not used in the negative or question form. Sometimes, adverbs of frequency are placed at the beginning of a sentence:
- Sometimes, I enjoy staying at home instead of going on vacation.
- Often, Peter will telephone his mother before he leaves for work.
Adverbs of frequency follow the verb to be:
- He is sometimes late for work.
- I am often confused by computers.
Adverbs Modifying Adjectives
When adverbs modify an adjective, they are placed before the adjective:
- She is extremely happy.
- They are absolutely sure.
However, do not use very with adjectives to express increased quality of a basic adjective, such as fantastic:
- She is an absolutely fantastic piano player.
- Mark is an absolutely amazing lecturer.
You would not say, «She is very fantastic,» or «Mark is a very amazing lecturer.»
Forming Adverbs From Adjectives
Adverbs are often formed by adding -ly to an adjective, such as:
- Beautiful > beautifully
- Careful > carefully
However, some adjectives don’t change in the adverb form, such as fast and hard. Many common adverbs like just, still, and almost do not end in -ly. Good is probably the most important example. The adverb form of good is well, as in:
- He is good at tennis.
- He plays tennis well.
In the first sentence, good is an adjective that modifies the pronoun he; while in the second, well is an adverb that modifies plays (explains how he plays tennis). Additionally, not all words that end in -ly are adverbs, such as friendly and neighborly, which are both adjectives.
Distinguishing Between Adverbs and Adjectives
Sometimes the same word can be both an adjective and an adverb. To distinguish between them, it is important to look at the context of the word and its function in a sentence.
For instance, in the sentence, «The fast train from London to Cardiff leaves at 3 o’clock,» the word fast modifies and comes before a noun, train, and is, therefore, an attributive adjective. However, in the sentence, «The sprinter took the bend fast,» the word fast modifies the verb took and is, therefore, an adverb.
Interestingly, -ly is not the only suffix that can be added to the end of a word to change its meaning or be used by both adjectives and adverbs. Additionally, -er and -est can combine with adverbs in a much more limited way wherein the comparative form of an adverb is likely to add more or most to the beginning of the adverb phrase rather than adding an -er or -est.
It’s important to refer to context clues when hints like the addition of an -ly or the word most to accompany a word doesn’t tell you whether it is an adjective or adverb. Look to the word that is being emphasized. If the word being emphasized is a noun, you have an adjective; if the word being emphasized is a verb, you have an adverb.
Adverbs in English: rules of education and place in a sentence with tables and translation
An adverb is a part of speech that answers the question «How?» and characterizes a verb, adjective or other adverb. There are different types of adverbs — manner of action (how), place (where), time (when), degree (to what extent), frequency (how often), opinions. Consider the rules for using adverbs in English.
Formation of adverbs in English
How are adverbs formed? By structure, adverbs can be divided into the following groups:
| Simple | Derivatives | Composite | Composite |
| long (long) | slowly | anyhow (in any way) | at once (immediately) |
| enough (enough) | wise (similarly) | sometimes (sometimes) | at last (finally) |
| then (then) | forward | nowhere (nowhere) | so far (so far) |
The most common way to form adverbs is by adding the -ly suffix to the adjective. Such adverbs usually have a similar meaning to them.
| Adjective | Adverb |
| bad | badly (poorly) |
| Beautiful | beautifully (beautiful) |
| carefully | Carefully (attentively) |
| quick | quickly (quickly) |
| quiet | quietly (quiet) |
| soft | gently (soft) |
Consider the spelling change when adding the -ly suffix:
- le changing to ly (gentle — gently)
- y changing to ily (easy — easily)
- ic changing to ically (automatic — automatically)
- ue changing to uly (true — truly)
- ll changing to eye (full — fully)
Other examples of suffixes: -ward (s), -long, -wise
- clockwise
- forward
- headlong
Adverbs are exceptions
Some adverbs can be both adjectives and adverbs in different situations without adding suffixes:
- It was a fast train. The train went fast.
- He returned from a long journey. Will you stay here long?
- The price is very low. The plane flew very low.
- We have very little time. He reads very little.
Other examples of exceptions are hard, high, deep, last, late, near, wide, early, far, straight, right, wrong.
Most common exception: good — well.
Some adverbs have two forms — one without -ly and one with it. These forms have different meanings. Examples: hard / hardly, last / lastly, late / lately, near / nearly, high / highly.
| Adjective | Adverb without -ly | Adverb with -ly |
| He is a hard worker | He works hard | I could hardly understand him (I could hardly understand him) |
| He returned in late autumn (He returned in late autumn) | I went to bed late yesterday (I went to bed late yesterday) | I haven’t seen him lately (I haven’t seen him lately) |
| He is studying the history of the Near East | He lives quite near | It is nearly 5 o’clock (Now almost 5 o’clock) |
| The house is very high | The plane flew very high | It is a highly developed state |
Place and order of adverbs in a sentence
Where is the adverb in English? The position in the sentence depends on the type of adverb (read below), their number and other factors.
| — before adjectives, other adverbs and participles | The task was surprisingly simple.He walked very fast.We are extremely interested in their offer. |
| — usually after verbs | He speaks slowly |
| — at the beginning of a sentence for emphasis | Slowly, he entered the room. Now I understand what you mean |
| — when there are two or more adverbs in a sentence, they go in the following order: manner — place — time | She spoke very well here last time |
| — if the sentence contains a verb of movement (go, come, leave etc.), the adverbs go in this order: place — manner — time | She arrived here by train yesterday |
Types of adverbs in English with lists
The following classification of adverbs is distinguished — the adverbs of the mode of action, time, frequency, place and direction, degree and opinion. Let’s consider all these groups in more detail.
Adverbs of manner
Such adverbs tell us how something is happening: well, badly, slowly, and so on.
- How did John behave? He behaved badly.
- Did you sleep well?
- He came very quickly
We do not use adverbs after linking verbs to be, become, feel, get, look, seem. We use adjectives after them.
- Sue felt happy
- Nobody seemed amused
- I am not sure
Mode adverbs appear before the main verb, after auxiliary verbs, or at the end of a sentence
- They quickly returned
- He was anxiously waiting for their reply
- She smiled kindly
Adverbs of time
List of adverbs of the time: When (when), now (now), then (then, then) before (before, before) after (then, after), afterwards (subsequently), once (once), fair (just now, just), still (still), already / yet (already), yet (yet, yet), since (since), early (early), lately / recently (recently), suddenly (suddenly), soon (soon), long (for a long time), August (ago), today (today), Tomorrow (tomorrow), yesterday (yesterday) etc.
Tense adverbs usually appear at the end of a sentence. They can be placed in the first place for emphasis, in other words, to give the desired stylistic coloring:
- I saw her yesterday
- Still I can’t understand what happened then (still ahead for dramatic coloring)
Some monosyllabic adverbs of the tense (soon, now, then) come before the main verbs and after the auxiliary verbs:
- I now understand what he means
- She will soon come back home
Remarks:
- We say tonight (tonight / night), tomorrow night, last night (not “yesterday night”)
- Already and yet can mean already. At the same time, already is used only in statements, and yet in questions and negations.
- The preposition for can mean “during” and is used with adverbs of time: for a long time, for 10 years.
Adverbs of frequency
They answer the question «How often?» The most common ones are: always (always), generally, normally, normally (usually), frequently, frequently (often), seldom, rarely (rarely), Sometimes (sometimes), from time to time, occasionally (occasionally), never (never).
Where to put such adverbs? Frequency adverbs come after auxiliary verbs, but before the main semantic ones:
- He has never visited us.
- Paul is often barks.
- He Sometimes comes here.
Generally, usually, normally, often, frequently, sometimes can be at the beginning of a sentence to give a stylistic coloring:
- I usually go to work by metro. — Usually, I go to work by metro.
Adverbs of place and direction
List of the main adverbs of place and direction: here (here), there (there, there), Where (where, where), somewhere, anywhere (somewhere, somewhere) nowhere (nowhere, nowhere) elsewhere (somewhere else) far away (far), near (close), inside (inside), outside (outside), above (above, above), below (below, below).
Such adverbs are usually placed at the end of a sentence:
- How long are they going to stay here?
Somewhere, anywhere, nowhere
Source: https://dundeeclub.ru/grammar/narechiya-v-anglijskom-yazyke-s-perevodom-tablitsami-i-primerami-adverbs.html
Formation of adverbs in English with examples
Adverbs in English help to make speech brighter, more emotional and colorful. Sometimes one word is enough to convey the meaning of a sentence or to emphasize what has been said.
By studying the formation of adverbs in English by examples, you can more easily understand the peculiarities of the composition of words, as well as learn the exceptions. Remember that English is the language of exceptions to the rules, so be sure to study not only the basic rules, but also examples with exceptions.
A kind of imaginary tables should always be in your memory, then your speech will be competent and correct.
The basics of the basics: what you need to know without fail
Adverbs (adverbs) are used to indicate a sign or course of action and can answer the following questions:
| When? | He was absent yesterday => | He was absent yesterday. |
| How? (How?) | She will be singing slowly => | She will sing slowly. |
| Where? | It is very cozy indoors => | The room is very cozy. |
| How often? | He visits us only sometimes => | He visits us only occasionally. |
| In what degree? | I saw enough exotic animals so I made some amazing photos => | I’ve seen enough exotic animals, so I took some great photos. |
The adverbs of the English language are also subdivided according to their structure, more precisely, word formation. It is important to remember that an adverb can be:
- Simple (only one root => here, now, well)
- Derivatives (root + suffixes and prefixes => rarely, unfortunately, quickly)
- Complicated (one word has several stems => nowhere, sometimes, downhill)
- A compound (forming an adverb with a phrase that has a single meaning =>see you first/at first, since then/since, so far/while, at least/at least, in wine/ in vain, at length/ detail).
When forming adverbs from adjectives, you need to remember that each type is characterized by its own peculiarities of composition.
Using the suffix -ly
This type of adverb formation occurs most often. Adverbs in English are formed from adjectives as follows: adjective stem (sometimes noun) + -ly =>
Day + ly => daily (daily)
Source: https://speakenglishwell.ru/obrazovanie-narechij-v-anglijskom-yazyke-pravila-i-isklyucheniya/
Adverbs in English
Adverb Is a part of speech that denotes a sign of action.
In other words, an adverb indicates how, where, when, or to what extent something happened:
The guests moved hurriedly into the dining room.
The guests hurriedly went into the dining room.
English adverbs are divided into the following semantic groups:
here — here
there — there
where — where
inside — inside
outside — outside
above — at the top
below — below
somewhere — somewhere, somewhere
anywhere — anywhere, anywhere
nowhere — nowhere, nowhere
and more
now — now
when — when
then — then then
today — today
yesterday — yesterday
tomorrow — tomorrow
before — before, before
lately — recently
recently — recently, recently
once — once, once
and more
much — very
little — little
very — very, very
too — too, very
so — so, to such an extent
enough — enough, enough
hardly — barely, barely
scarcely — barely, with difficulty
nearly — almost
almost — almost, almost
and more
well — good
fast — fast
quickly — quickly, soon
slowly — slowly
quietly — quietly
easily — easy
and more
too — also, too
also — also, besides
either — also, too
else — more, except
only — only, just
even — even
etc.
When are adverbs used in English?
Adverbs can characterize an action:
He is running fast.
He runs fast.
signs:
She is very witty.
She is very witty.
other adverb:
It’s too late.
Too late.
or the whole sentence:
honestlywe did a great job.
Honestly, we did a great job.
In addition, adverbs in English can combine separate sentences (adverbs therefore, then, however, nevertheless, still, yet, besides, moreover, otherwise, else) or a subordinate and main clause as part of a complex (when, where, how, why) :
It was very hard to start my own business. I continued suddenheless and never looked back.
Starting your own business was very difficult. However, I continued and never looked back.
I don’t care why you are late again.
I don’t care why you’re late again.
Adverbs When, Where, why, how can serve as an interrogative word, opening an interrogative sentence:
Where is that boy?
Where is this boy?
When did you come?
When did you come?
In addition, adverbs can reflect the speaker’s personal attitude to the topic of conversation, in which case they are called «viewpoint adverb».
Foolishly, I agreed to help him.
Out of my stupidity, I agreed to help him.
Clearly, he is mistaken.
He’s obviously wrong.
Actually, I share your opinion.
In general, I share your point of view.
Formation of English dialects
Source: https://www.native-english.ru/grammar/english-adverbs
Adverbs in English. Determining the place in sentences
Pre-Intermediate
Setting principle adverbs to a specific place in a sentence is based on two points:
- The adverb is placed either BEFORE or AFTER the verb.
- Adverbs of different categories (mode of action, time, place, etc.) occupy different places in the sentence.
Therefore, there are several possible options for setting each category of adverbs in a sentence.
1. Before the verb
- Adverbs always, often, seldom, ever, never, just, already, yet, usually, generally, sometimes, still, soon, once… But!!! These adverbs are placed AFTER THE VERB TO BE.
- Mode of action adverbs, if the verb is followed by an infinitive.
- All adverbs are placed before have to + infinitive and used to
2. After the verb
- Mode of action adverbs.
- All adverbs are placed after an auxiliary verb, after a modal verb, or after the first verb (if the verb construction is complex).
- The adverb «yet «to mean» yet «.
- The adverb «enough».
3. At the end of the sentence
- The adverb «yet«In the meaning» already «.
- Adverbs before, lately, recently.
- Adverbs too, either.
4. At the beginning or end of a sentence
- Sometimes can stand anywhere.
- Adverbs tomorrow, today, yesterday.
5. additional information
- Adverb enough is placed after an adverb or definition. It can also define a noun and stand both before and after it.
- Adverb too in the meaning «too» is placed before the word that it defines.
- If the adverb of time and the adverb of place are next to each other, then the adverb of place comes first.
- An adverb defining an adjective or other adverb is placed before the word being defined.
Schematically, the principle of the arrangement of adverbs in a sentence can be depicted as follows:
TABLE.
| BEFORE VERB | AFTER VERB | AT THE END OF THE OFFER | AT THE BEGINNING OR END OF THE OFFER |
| always, often, seldom, ever, never, just, already, yet, usually, generally, sometimes, still, soon, once | Mode of action adverbs | «Yet» means «already» | Sometimes it can stand anywhere |
| Everything before have to + infinitive and used to | Everything after an auxiliary verb, after a modal verb, or after the first verb (if the verb construction is complex) | before, lately, recently | tomorrow, today, yesterday |
| Mode of action adverbs, if the verb is followed by an infinitive. | «Yet» means «yet»; enough | too, either | tomorrow, today, yesterday |
In conclusion, we recommend taking the test — choose the correct option:
Source: https://www.learnathome.ru/grammar/the-order-of-adverbs.html
Types of adverbs in English, education, use in a sentence
Groups into which English dialects by way of education: simple, compound, derived and composite.
Simple
These adverbs consist of only one word:
foolishly (stupid),
how (how),
even (even)
Complex
It happened as a result of the merger of two words:
everything (everything),
sometimes (sometimes)
Derivatives
Derivative adverb formation often by adding a suffix -glass to an adjective or noun.
Formed from adjectives Formed from nouns
| slow — slowly (slowly) | month — monthly (monthly) |
| quiet — quietly (calmly) | day — daily (daily) |
| nice — nicely (nice) | year — yearly (annually) |
Rule for adding suffix -ly
If the adjective from which the adverb is formed ends in -ythen -y replaced by -i:
busy — busily (busily, fussy),
easy — easily (easily)
With -ly and no suffix
There are a number of adverbs with and without the -ly suffix that have different meanings:
clear — clearly (clear — obvious)
close — closely (close — carefully),
dear — dearly (expensive — strong),
deep — deeply (deep — strong, deep),
hard — hardly (diligently — hardly)
high — highly (high — very strong, high),
late — lately (late — recently)
near — nearly (close — almost),
pretty — pretily (pretty — pretty, as it should),
right — rightly (straight — right),
wide — widely (wide open — wide).
It is very rare that adverbs are formed by adding suffixes. -most (almost — almost), — (a — the same), -fold (threefold — triple), -ward (s) (eastward — to the East), -wise (clockwise — clockwise).
Composite
Composite adverbs are in two words or words with a preposition:
at least (at least),
by the way (by the way),
too seldom (too seldom).
Types of English adverbs
When classifying each other, adverbs are divided into several discharges (see below).
Adverbs of place:
here (here),
out there (there),
inside (inside),
elsewhere (elsewhere),
far away, etc
Mode of action adverbs:
correctly
fast (fast),
slowly (slowly),
quietly (calmly),
easily, etc
Adverbs of measure and degree:
little (little),
very (very),
enough (enough)
scarcely (barely),
too (too),
nearly (close), etc
Adverbs of time:
now (now),
today (today),
yesterday (yesterday),
tomorrow (tomorrow),
lately (late),
recently
once (once),
ever
always (always),
seldom (rare),
sometimes (sometimes),
already (already),
still (bye),
since (for some time now), etc
Let’s single out a number of adverbs that are not separated into a separate row:
too (also),
else (otherwise),
only (only),
even (even), etc
When and how to use adverbs?
Adverbs characterize the action:
They are walking quickly.
They’re walking fast.
Signs:
She is very cute.
It very cute.
Other adverb:
It’s too late to apologize.
Too late apologize.
Total offer:
honestly, we have to do a lot.
Honestly speakingwe have a lot to do.
When, why, Where are the interrogative word, with which the interrogative sentence always begins:
When did you manage to do it all?
When did you manage to do all this?
Also in English there are adverbs that help the speaker to express their point of view. In English they are called viewpoint adverb.
FoolishlyI went to this club.
Foolishly I went to this club. fairly fairly decent.
She completed this task pretty decent.
How many new words have you learned by reading this article?
- Some more useful articles
- Comparison of adverbs in English
Source: https://englishforeducation.ru/types-of-adverbe-in-english.html
An adverb is a word that defines the meaning of a verb, adjective, other adverb, or noun phrase. Most adverbs are formed by adding the suffix –ly to the adjective.
Rules for the formation of adverbs in English
1. To form an adverb in English from an adjective that ends in — l, you need to add the suffix –ly.
Example: careful-carefully.
2.Adjectives ending in — y, when forming an adverb in English, take the suffix — ily.
Will take: lucky-luckily.
3. The suffix Ble is changed to bly.
Example: responsible-responsibly.
Mode of action adverb
The adverb of the mode of action characterizes the verb. It describes the way in which an action is performed.
Example: She did the work carefully. Carefully characterizes the verb to describe the quality of the action.
Adverb of place or location
The adverb of place indicates where the action takes place.
Example: They live locally. (She lives in this area.)
Adverb of time
The adverb of time indicates when an action is performed or its duration, or how often this action is performed.
Example:
— He did it yesterday. (When) — He did it yesterday. (When)
— They are permanently busy. (Duration) — They are constantly busy. (Duration)
— She never does it. (Frequency) — She never does that. (How often)
Adverb of Degree in English
The degree adverb increases or decreases the effect of the verb.
Example: I completely agree with you. (I totally agree with you.) This increases the effect of the verb, while the adverb `partially` decreases it.
Adverbs characterizing adjectives
An adjective can be defined by an adverb. It usually comes before the adjective, with the exception of the adverb enough, which follows it.
Example:
— That`s really good. (This is really good.)
— It was a terribly difficult time for all of us. (It was a terribly difficult time for all of us.)
— It wasn`t good enough. (It wasn’t good enough.) The word enough follows the adjective.
Adverbs characterizing adverbs
An adverb can define another adverb. As with adjectives, the adverb comes before the adverb it defines, while enough is the exception.
Example:
— She did it really well. (She did it very well.)
— He didn`t come last night, funnily enough. (He didn’t show up last night, which is funny enough.)
Noun adverb
An adverb can characterize a noun to indicate a time or place.
Example:
— The concert tomorrow. (Tomorrow’s concert)
Source: http://www.the-world.ru/narechie
Types of adverbs in English. Types of English adverbs
Adverbs in English are divided into several classes.
Adverbs of time
Adverbs of time in English answer the question «when». Examples: today — today, yesterday — yesterday, now — now, before — before, daily — daily, already — already, since — since (any time), ago — (some time) ago, never — never, etc. .NS.
For example:
I met him yesterday.
I met him yesterday.
I have seen him before.
I saw him before.
We will have to start now.
We’ll have to start now.
Frequency adverbs
Frequency adverbs in English answer the question «how often». Examples: often — often, always — always, once — once, never — never, again — again, seldom — rarely, frequently — often, etc.
For example:
I have seen him only once.
I only saw him one day.
He called again this morning.
He again called this morning.
We must always help each other.
Мы always should help each other.
Adverbs of place
Adverbs of Place in English answer the question «where». Examples: here — here, there — there, up — above, down — below, everywhere — everywhere, out — not here, in — here, etc.
For example:
He looked up.
He looked up.
I searched for him everywhere.
I searched for him everywhere.
he is not in right now.
Him now here no.
Mode of action adverbs
Mode of action adverbs in English answer the questions “how”, “how”. Please note that this class of adverbs includes almost all adverbs ending in –Ly… Examples: quickly — quickly, carefully — carefully, sweetly — cute, clearly — distinct, bravely — brave, beautifully — beautiful, well — good, fast — fast, etc.
For example:
The soldiers fought bravely.
Soldiers bravely fought.
This essay is well written.
This composition good it is written.
She walked slowly.
It slow was going.
Adverbs of degree, measure, quantity
Adverbs of degree, measure, quantity in English answer the questions “how much”, “how much”, “how much”, etc. Examples: very — very, too — too, fully — completely, quite — quite, rather — rather, enough — enough, partly — partially, almost — almost, utterly — excessively, entirely — completely, etc.
For example:
He was very busy.
He was very busy.
I have Almost finished.
Я almost finished.
You are partially right.
You partially are right.
Adverbs of reason and purpose
Adverbs of reason and purpose in English answer the questions «why», «why». Examples: therefore — hence, hence — hence, consequently — as a result, etc.
For example:
follow he refused to go.
As a result, he refused to go.
Therefore they decided to go on strike.
therefore they decided to go on strike.
She is hence unable to solve this math problem.
this impliesthat she cannot solve this math problem.
Relative adverbs
Relative adverbs in English Are adverbs Where, When, whythat are used to connect sentences or parts of sentences. They replace a somewhat formal structure. preposition + which.
Source: http://www.correctenglish.ru/theory/grammar/types-of-adverbs/
10 ways to tell an adjective from an adverb in English
An adjective is easy to recognize in a sentence by how it affects the noun, changing its properties. For example:
«He bought a shirt.» The word shirt is a noun, but it is not clear what kind of shirt it is. All we know is that someone bought a shirt.
«He bought a beautiful shirt.» In this example, the adjective beautiful appears, which changes the noun shirt, which makes it clear which shirt the person bought.
It is not difficult to recognize an adjective in a sentence — it, as a rule, answers the questions “Which one?”, “Which one?”, “Which one?”.
For example:
“The kind woman gave us a tasty cake.” What woman? Kind (kind). What kind of cake? Tasty
«The small boy is playing with a new toy.» The adjectives small (small) and new (new) tell us which boy and what kind of toy we are talking about.
So, the main thing to remember is the questions that the adjective answers in English:
- What is it?
- Which the?
- Which one?
Adverb
If adjectives affect nouns, changing their properties, then the adverb affects verbs, adjectives and other adverbs. You can easily find an adverb in a sentence with the -ly suffix, because most adverbs in English are formed just by adding it to an adjective. It is important to remember that the adverb answers the question «how?» or «how much?» Let’s look at some examples:
«The pair danced gracefully.» (The couple danced gracefully.) The adverb gracefully influences the verb to dance, making it clear exactly how the couple danced.
«That man is very strong.» (That man is very strong.) In this sentence, the adverb very affects the adjective strong and shows how and how strong the man is. Let’s check by asking the question “how much?”: “How strong is he? He is very strong. » (How strong is he? He is very strong.)
«It was an extremely important meeting.» (This was an extremely important meeting.) The adverb extremely changes the adjective important. We ask the question “how much”: “How important was it? Extremely important. » (How important was it? Extremely important.) It is now clear that the meeting was extremely important.
«She smiled amazingly.» (She smiled an amazing smile.) Here the adverb amazingly affects the verb smile, and tells us how the girl smiled.
So, remember the main rule — the adverb most often answers the question «how?» At the same time, it can also answer the questions «when?», «Where?» and why?».
Additional rules
In English, adjectives usually precede the nouns they refer to. However, if the sentence contains one of the following verbs, the adjective will appear after its noun.
- to be
- to feel
- great taste
- to smell
- to sound
- to look
- to appear
- to seem
Consider the following examples:
«The sky is blue.» (The sky is blue.) The adjective blue refers to the noun sky, but follows the verb is in the sentence, which is the form of the verb be.
«Diana looks happy.» (Diana looks happy.) The adjective happy also follows the noun Diana.
«The music sounds loud.» (Music sounds loud.) The adjective loud follows the noun music in the sentence.
«The juice smells great.» (The juice smells great.) Again, we see the noun juice first, followed by the dependent adjective great.
Avoiding common mistakes
There are adjectives and adverbs in English that are difficult to distinguish by spelling. It is even more difficult to understand the difference in their use. Let’s clarify these situations.
1. Is the adjective bad or the adverb badly?
When you want to talk about your feelings or feelings, you should use the adjective bad. So when you feel bad or unwell, you say “I feel bad”. However, if you say “I feel badly,” it means that you feel dull, as if your hands are numb. Compare these examples:
«The horse smells badly.» Here the adverb badly means that the horse has a bad scent, a poor ability to smell in principle.
«The cat smells bad.» Thanks to the adjective bad, the sentence is no longer about scent, but about the fact that the cat is dirty, smells bad and needs bathing.
Note: In English there is also an expression “I feel badly”. It is used when you need to apologize, express regret. Imagine visiting a friend and accidentally breaking his favorite vase. Then you say, “I feel really badly about the vase”.
2. Is the adjective good or the adverb well?
It is easy to remember a simple rule that works in the grammar of the English language — the adjective good should be used with the following verbs denoting feelings and states: feel, look, smell, be. While the adverb well combines with live, do. Compare:
«I do well.» Use the adverb well to say that you are doing well and that you are doing well.
«My grandmother looks good.» The adjective good says that the grandmother looks good, not that the grandmother has good eyesight.
«My cat smells pretty good now.» Again, the adjective good does not mean that the cat has a good scent, but that the cat itself smells good, like after bathing.
Note: In English colloquial speech with verbs of feelings and states, it is allowed to use the adverb well in expressions such as “I feel well”. This is due to the fact that many people confuse the adjective good and the adverb well in conversation. However, when talking about action verbs, you should only use the adverb well. For example:
«He plays football well.» (He plays football well.)
«The whole class did well on the exam.» (The whole class did well on the exam.)
3. Adjective sure or adverb surely?
Source: https://skyeng.ru/articles/10-sposobov-otlichit-prilagatelnoe-ot-narechiya-v-anglijskom
Formation and classification of adverbs | English via Skype at IEnglish online school
We are used to hearing that the adjective decorates and fills our speech. An artist paints a picture with different colors, and a poet or writer, like a brush, decorates his works with adjectives. Our sentences without adjectives would be dry and defective. But what would a language be without an adverb?
Just imagine a speech without such words as: interesting, wonderful, boring, beautiful, tasty, scary, long time ago, late, tomorrow. Without adverbs, we would not be able to answer the simplest questions starting with the words: How? Where? When? Why? How? Where? When? Why? How are you? — Good. When can we see each other? — Tomorrow. Where have you been? — It’s not far here.
Of course, in many ways, and here is the merit of adjectives, since many adverbs are formed from them. In this article we will look at what an adverb is in English, what adverbs are and how they are formed.
Examples of adverbs My little brother eats noisily (little-adjective, noisily-adverb) The weather forecast is almost always right (almost- adverb, always –adverb, right -adjective) The weather forecast is almost always correct
| Adverb (Adverbs, Adverbial Modifiers, Adverbials) Is a part of speech that describes (does not mean!) The action, circumstances, time and place of action. Adverbs can define action, state, quality. The adverb answers the questions: how? how? how much? where? When? In a sentence, an adverb usually performs the function of a circumstance (adverbial modifier) depending on the type of adverb (circumstances of place, time, mode of action, etc.) | |||
| yetfortunatelythere | yet, already fortunately | rapidlycertainlyhardly | in a hurry, of course |
| Learn to distinguish between Adjectives and Adverbs: An adverb describes an action and refers to a verb. Also, an adverb can refer to an adjective or another adverb. An adjective denotes a feature of an object and describes an object or subject of speech, i.e. refers to a noun. | |||
Formation of adverbs
| 1. Adverbs can be formed from adjectives using a suffix –Ly: | |||
| fitscheapfluentslow | perfect cheap run slow | perfectlycheaplyfluentlyslowly | run slowly |
| 2. Some adverbs have the same form as adjectives: He drives a solid car (what car?) He drives solid (how?) He drives fast. | |||
| earlyhighlowfarsolid | early high low distant fast | earlyhighlowfarsolid | early high low far fast |
Types of adverbs
Adverb Type Question What Describes Example Sentences
| Adverbs can be classified according to their meaning and the questions they answer. The main groups of adverbs are presented in the table, and a detailed description of the groups is below. | |||
| Adverbs of mannerMode of action adverbs | How? In which manner? | Verb | You should wash your hands carefully before eating. |
| Adverbs of frequencyFrequency adverbs | How often? How frequently? | All offer | I never read in bed. |
| Adverbs of timeAdverbs of time | When? | Verb |
Source: https://ienglish.ru/articles/grammar/tipy-narechiy
Examples of the most common adverbs in English
Today we will look at the adverb in English:
Adverb (Adverb) Is a part of speech that speaks about a sign or image of an ongoing action
This is essentially the semantic coloring of any language, its life-giving power.
- Speaking about the trait, the adverb works in the same conjunction with the adjective: Robert is quite successful broker. — Robert is a very successful brokerQuite — quite (adverb of measure and degree)
- Expressing the way of action, it is attached to the verb: She walked quickly so tired. — She walked fast, so she was tiredQuickly — fast (adverb mode of action) the importance of adverbs in English speech
The use of adverbs in English
The Adverbs education scheme is varied:
- For most adjectives, it is enough to add the suffix —ly:
- slowly — slowly
- dearly — expensive
- beautifully — wonderful
- lightly — light, etc.
- Some nouns (mostly tense) using —ly form the adverb of the frequency of action:
- day — day
- daily — daily
Features of shaping
Pay attention to these subtleties.
- When converting the noun day to the adverb daily, the letter —y changing to –I
This rule applies to all words ending in -y:- easy — easy
- easily — easy
- If the word ends with –Le, then the letter -E changing to -Y
- terrible — terrible
- terribly — terrible
- simple — simple
- simply — simply
- In some cases, the same word can be both an adjective and an adverb: the adjective does not change its form during transformation, the meaning is either the same or very close:
- bad — bad — bad
- well — good — good
- hard — hard, hard — stubborn, firm
- little — small — little
- long — long — long
- large — large — wide, etc.
- early — early — early
- Some Adverbs have two forms:
- the first — as in p. 3
- the second is obtained by adding –Ly to the original adjective can take on a different meaning:
| Adjective | An adverb in an unchanged form | Adverb with the addition —ly |
| сlose — close | сlose — close | closely — carefully |
| late — late | late — late | lately — recently |
| busy — busy | busy — busy | busily — businesslike |
| short — short | short — sharply | shortly — soon |
| near — close | near — close | nearly — almost |
| high high | high high | highly — very |
If an adverb is indistinguishable in form from an adjective, then it is possible to determine which part of speech in front of us by meaning:
- A long way across the desert is laying before us. — The long journey through the desert lay in front of us.
- Scientists have long collected information about the ancient Incas. — Scientists have been collecting information about the ancient Incas for a long time.
In the first sentence, long is an adjective, in the second, an adverb
Division of adverbs into types according to their structure
- There are four types:
- Simple — not divisible into parts:
- above — above
- hear — here
- bad — bad
- far — far
- now — now
- Derivatives — formed by adding suffixes and prefixes:
- warmly — warm
- indeed — indeed
- downward — downward, downward (-ward — direction of travel suffix)
Source: https://englishfull.ru/grammatika/angliyskie-narechiya.html
According to its structure English dialect can be divided into:
- SimpleEnglish dialectwhich consists of one root.
For example:
- Late — late
- Now — now
- Well — good
- He came late. — He came late.
- I am writing now. — I’m writing now.
- He sings well. — He sings well.
- DerivativeEnglish dialectwhich is formed with suffixes and prefixes.
For example:
- Lately — recently.
- Badly awful.
- Quickly is fast.
- He runs quickly. — He runs fast.
- He was badly wounded. “He was terribly wounded.
- I have read it lately. — I recently read it.
- Difficult English dialectwhich consists of several roots.
For example:
- Everywhere — everywhere.
- Sometimes — sometimes.
- There was blood everywhere. “There was blood everywhere.
- Sometimes they drink too much. — Sometimes they drink too much.
- Composite English adverb, which consists of several words.
For example:
- For ever — forever
- All of a sudden — suddenly
- At first — first
- By all means — anyway
- As far as — how much
- All of a sudden he kissed her. — Suddenly he kissed her.
- At first I buy the most necessary things. — First, I buy the most necessary things.
- It must be done by all means. — It should be done anyway.
- As far as I know he is married. — As far as I know, he is married.
In addition, adverbs in English can be divided into the following groups:
- Adverbs to which they belong adverbs of definite and indefinite time.
For example:
- Never — never.
- Already — already.
- Just — just now.
- Yet — yet.
- Soon — coming soon.
- Since — from some moment.
- I have never been to London. — I’ve never been to London.
- I have already read this book. — I have already read this book.
- I have just broken a cup. — I just broke a cup.
- I have not yet read this novel. — I have not read this novel yet.
Source: https://www.lovelylanguage.ru/grammar/rules/348-adverbs
How is the adverb used in English?
The adverb is used:
The main function of an adverb is to clarify the meaning of a verb.
They were talking loudly. — They are loud talked.
I will come back early. — I’ll be back early.
Adjectives “modify” adverbs such as: so — So, very — very, really — really, very much, etc.
The plot of the movie is very predictable. — The plot of the movie very predictable.
The boy is really smart. — Boy really smart.
Adverbs used with adjectives are also used with other adverbs, complementing their meaning.
He was running very fast. — He was running very fast.
He came to work really late. — He came to work really late.
The meanings of adverbs in English
English adverbs can be divided into several groups according to their meaning (in Russian, the division is about the same).
I need your answer now. — I need your answer Now.
Let’s talk about it tomorrow. — Let’s talk about it tomorrow.
You’ve done well. — You did it good.
The plane is flying low. — The plane is flying low.
Please wait for me outside. — Please wait for me outside.
Source: https://langformula.ru/english-grammar/adverb/
Adverb in English (Adverb)
:
Adverb (Adverb) — a part of speech that denotes a sign or image of an ongoing action. Adverbs in English answer the questions:
- How? (How?)
- Where? (Where?)
- Why? (Why?)
- When? (When?)
- In what manner? (How?)
- To what degree? (In what degree?)
Simple and derived adverbs
Adverbs in English can be simple and derivative. Examples of simple adverbs are:
well, hard, much, quite, enough, always, once, very, often.
The usual way to form derivative adverbs in English is by adding a suffix -glass to nouns or adjectives. These derived adverbs fall into two groups:
1) Coinciding in meaning with the nouns or adjectives from which they are derived:
| quick — fast | quickly — quickly |
| Part — part | partially — partially |
| days — day | daily — daily |
| slow — slow | slowly — slowly |
| easy — light | easily — easily |
2) Not coinciding in meaning with the adjectives from which they are derived:
| shorts — short | shortly — recently |
| hard — solid | hardly — barely |
| near — close | nearly — almost |
| scarce — meager | sparsely — barely, barely |
Adverbs that coincide with other parts of speech
Many adverbs in English in their form completely coincide with other parts of speech and can be defined as adverbs only depending on their role in the sentence.
Adverbs that match adjectives
solid — quick; quickly
long — long, long; for a long time
loud — loud; loud
late — late; late
early — early; early
wide — wide; wide
hard — solid; hard, hard
| They took a fast train. | He rode fast. |
| That was a long way. | She waited long. |
| We heard a loud noise. | The teacher always reads loud enough. |
| We went there by a late train. | We came home late. |
| An early bird catches best worms. | You have come too early. |
| It was a wide road. | She opened her eyes wide, but saw nothing in the darkness. |
| It was a hard nut to crack. | Martin worked hard at his English. |
Note… There are some adjectives in English that end in the suffix -glasswhich should not be mistaken for adverbs, for example:
lovely — cute, nice
Friendly — friendly
manly — courageous
They are usually part of the circumstances of the course of action:
Source: https://am-en.ru/adverb.html
5 types of English adverbs (adverbs) ⋆ fun with Speakingo
An adverb is one of those words that we have heard somewhere, but often do not really remember what it means. In this text we will learn about 5 English adverbs (adverbs) and how to form them correctly in different degrees of comparison.
Let’s start from the very beginning, that is, from what an adverb is.
What is an adverb (adverb)?
An adverb is a part of speech that describes a verb — a word that describes an action. A verb such as run, learn, and so on, we can refine with the adverb. How can I run or study? Happily, slowly, intensely, persistently. This is the adverb.
Already at first glance, you can see a certain ratio — English adverbs end with the letters -ly. Usually.
In grammar, “adverb” is still a very broad category. These are all words that answer the questions how? (how?), in what way? (how?), when? (when?), how often? (how often), where? (where?), to what extent? (To what extent?)
Thus, we can talk about 5 types of English adverbs (adverbs): adverb of time, adverb of place, adverb of manner, adverb of degree, and adverb of frequency.
5 types of English adverbs (adverbs)
Adverbs are words that describe a verb
What is adverb of time?
As the name itself tells us, the adverb of time supplements information on the topic of time, where the verb described by it happens (verb). For example, these will be:
- never (never)
- lately (recently)
- just (just)
- always
- recently (recently, not long ago)
- during (while)
- yet (not yet)
- soon
- sometimes (sometimes)
- usually (usually)
- so far (so far, bye).
Source: https://speakingo.com/ru/angliyskoye-narechiye-adverb/
Adverbs in English sentences. Where do they belong?
Adverbs are words that describe verbs, adjectives, other adverbs, or phrases. They often answer the question «How?» (How?). For example:
She sings beautifully.
She sings beautifully. (How does she sing? Beautifully.)
He runs very Fast.
He runs very fast. (How fast does he run? Very fast.)
I occasionally practice speaking English.
From time to time I practice conversational English. (How often do I practice? From time to time.)
The place occupied by an adverb in an English sentence depends on what type this adverb belongs to. It is in this aspect that we will understand in today’s English lesson.
1. Do not put an adverb between the verb and the object of its action
In the next sentence painted is a verb and the house — an object. carefullyas you might have guessed — this is an adverb.
I Carefully painted the house. = Correctly
I painted the house Carefully. = Correctly
I painted Carefully the house. = Wrong
Here’s another example. In this sentence read Is a verb, a book Is the object of action, and Sometimes — adverb.
I Sometimes read a book before bed. = Correctly
Sometimes I read a book before bed. = Correctly
I read a book before bed Sometimes. = Acceptable, but only in informal situations
I read Sometimes a book before bed. = Wrong
Front position: at the beginning of a sentence
suddenly the phone rank.
Suddenly the phone rang.
fortunately, no one was injured.
Fortunately, no one was hurt.
Maybe I’ll go for a walk.
Maybe I’ll go for a walk.
Mid position: next to the main verb
I always exercise before work.
I always do my exercises before work.
They have Completely forgotten about our appointment.
They completely forgot about our meeting.
He was probably late for the interview.
He was probably late for the interview.
She slowly began to recover from her illness.
She slowly began to recover from her illness.
End position: at the end of a sentence
You speak English well.
You speak English well.
Please sit there.
Please sit here.
They ate dinner quietly.
They dined quietly.
Formation of adverbs in English: rules, exceptions, tables
Adverbs in English are characterized by verbs, adjectives and other adverbs. They answer the question «How?» in the overwhelming majority of cases. How to form an adverb from different parts of speech and are there any unusual ways of their formation?
Adverbs are formed from adjectives using a suffix, also by converting and adding roots and several words.
He makes out documents as soon as possible. — He prepares the paperwork as soon as possible.
she sang beautifully… — She sang beautifully.
My wife is extremely nice. “My wife is extremely sweet.
Adverb groups
By the way of education, there are 4 types of adverbs. It is enough to know a few frequent adjectives and simple adverbs to start using the same-root adverbs.
The main types of education of adverbs of the English language will suggest the best use option.
| Type of adverb | Simple | Difficult | Derivative | Composite |
| Method of education | Without adding the -ly suffix by conversion. | By adding two roots. | By adding the suffix –ly to the adjective. | By composing from words (adverb + adverb or preposition) |
| Examples | well where when here how (now) soon after (after) easy late much (a lot) little (a little) why (why) fast
low |
everywhere inside moreover sometimes always already already
somewhat |
honestly pleasantly Friendly easily suddenly suddenly rarely carefully casually cheerfully happily happily slowly
clumsily (clumsily) |
at first as well as in vain so far since that at once by all means
at least (at least) |
Note:
1) Derived adverbs formed from adjectives with an «l» at the end have a doubled «l».
Usual — usually, occasional — occasionally.
2) Adverbs formed from adjectives in –y change “y” to “i”, and after it add the suffix –ly.
Happy — happily, easy — easily.
3) Adverbs formed from adjectives in –ic end in –ically.
Heroic — heroically, realistic — realistically.
4) Adjectives in –le, forming an adverb, change the letter «e» to «y»: probable (possible) — probably (possible).
5) Exceptions. The adverbs late, fast, hard, early are formed from adjectives by conversion and remain unchanged. The adverb well does not have a single root with the adjective good. Bad is an adjective.
The adverb badly means «very, bad, extremely» and is often used incorrectly even by native speakers, especially in oral speech — hence the confusion.
Also in oral speech (Spoken English), native speakers use a simplified version of adverbs that coincide in form with adjectives:
cheap (cheap), quick (fast), slow (slow), loud (loud) and others.
Characterization of adjectives, verbs and other adverbs using adverbs
Using one sentence as an example, it is easy to understand how adverbs can characterize different parts of speech.
We understood the rules surprisingly well in spite of them to be very difficult. — We understood the rules surprisingly well, despite the fact that they were very difficult.
| The part of speech to which the adverb belongs | Usage example |
| Verb | understood well — understood well |
| Adjective | very difficult — very (how, how much?) complex |
| Adverb | surprisingly well — surprisingly (how well?) |
Special cases
These are cases involving coincidences, exceptions, and unusual ways of forming adverbs.
| Adjectives match adverbs in form. | low friendly daily early early fast straight silly lonely lonely fatherly fatherly)
far (far, far) |
How do native speakers act? Substitution of the word «way» turns the adjective into an adverb. He behaved in a silly way. — He was acting stupid (stupid).
My uncle supports me in a fatherly way. — My uncle supports me in a fatherly way. |
| Adverbs that are formed from nouns by adding the suffix -ly. | part — partly light — lightly (light — light, easy) |
Determining the part of speech can easily be helped by its role in the sentence. This is due to the location: an adjective is always associated with a noun. |
| Adverbs that are formed from participles. | decided — decidedly | task: not to confuse the participle with the past tense verb. |
| A small number of adverbs are formed by the addition of the –ward (s) suffix. | towards (towards, towards) backwards |
This suffix has a limited number of words. Therefore, it is enough to know this small amount and use them. |
| Adverbs that match question words in form. | why where how
when (when) |
Used in a sentence in the function of interrogative words. |
Results
So, for word formation of adverbs in English, there are 4 main ways of obtaining them from other parts of speech, as well as several exceptions for a certain number of adverbs.
It happened historically in the language.
To understand the basics and learn the word formation of adverbs, you must first of all know the frequently used adjectives.
Source: https://www.study.ru/courses/pre-intermediate/obrazovanie-narechiy
Данная статья посвящена наречиям английского языка. Эта тема раскрывает все вопросы, которые могут интересовать человека, изучающего грамматические правила. Мы узнаем, как образовать наречия, сравним их с прилагательными, а также где они стоят в предложении. Кроме этого, пополним словарный запас некоторыми выражениями и научимся работать с degrees of comparison of adverbs. И конечно же, всегда после материла, вы сможете проверить знания на пройденную тему.
Статьи, которые могут быть полезными:
1. Исчисляемые и неисчисляемые существительные.
2. Притяжательный падеж и устойчивые фразы.
3. Подробная таблица времен.
4. Too and enough
5. Степень сравнения прилагательных.
Что такое наречия в английском языке?
Наречия (adverbs) обычно описывают или определяют глаголы, прилагательные, другие наречия или целое предложение.
- Например, the adverbs в следующих предложениях выделены жирным и слова, которые они определяют подчеркнуты:
– I often visit the library. – Я часто посещаю библиотеку.
– It is surprisingly cold today. – Сегодня на удивление холодно.
В первом предложении наречие often определяет глагол visit. Во втором, слово surprisingly описывает прилагательное cold.
- Слова, которые используются для описания наречий, также могут относиться к adverbs:
– My cat eats very slowly. – Мой кот ест очень медленно.
В этом предложении наречие very определяет наречие slowly.
Образование наречий в английском языке
Многие наречия связаны с прилагательными, с помощью словообразования:
[Adjective + суффикс ly = Adverb]
- Cheap – cheaply – дешевый – дешево.
- Slow – slowly – медленный – медленно.
- Quick – quickly – быстрый – быстро.
Правила правописания
- Прилагательные, которые заканчиваются на -ic добавляем -ally:
- Tragic – tragically – трагический – трагически.
- Realistic – realistically – реалистичный – реалистично.
- Ironic – ironically – иронический – иронично.
BUT: public – publicly – публичный – публично.
- Прилагательные, которые заканчиваются на –le нужно изменить “e” на “y”:
- Horrible – horribly – ужасный – ужасно.
- Noble – nobly – благородный – благородно.
- Simple – simply – простой – просто.
- Прилагательные, заканчивающиеся на согласную + -y, мы убираем “y” и добавляем –ily:
- Happy – happily – счастливый – счастливо.
- Easy – easily – легкий – легко.
- Crazy – crazily – сумасшедший – безумно.
- Прилагательные, которые заканчиваются на -e образуют наречие с добавлением -ly не опуская букву ‘e’:
- Rare – rarely – редкий – редко.
- Polite – politely – вежливый – вежливо.
- Ну как обычно существуют исключения:
- True – truly
- Whole – wholly
- Due – dully
- Full – fully
[qsm quiz=59]
Прилагательные на суффикс -ly
Есть ряд прилагательных, заканчивающихся на -ly, которые не имеют соответствующих наречий. Такие adjectives, происходят от существительных, обозначающие:
- People:
- 1) Man – мужчина = manly – мужественный, сильный.
Example:
– A deep, manly voice. - 2) King – король = kingly – королевский.
- Family and personal relations:
- 1) Father – отец = fatherly – отцовский.
- 2) Brother = brotherly; friend = friendly.
- И другие:
Lovely – прекрасный.
Lonely – одинокий.
Silly – глупый.
Ugly – уродливый.
Lively – живой.
- Образуют наречие с помощью конструкции [in a Adj way] или [in a Adj manner]:
– They treated me in a friendly way. – Они относились ко мне по-дружески/дружелюбно.
Запомните следующие словосочетания:
| in a soldierly way | по-воинские |
| in a sickly way | болезненно |
| in a silly way | глупо |
| in a manly way | по-мужски |
| in a womanly way | по-женски |
| in a cowardly way | трусливым образом |
| in a lively way | живо |
| in a lovely way | в прекрасной манере |
| in a motherly way | по-матерински |
| in a fatherly way | по-отцовски |
| in a brotherly way | по-братски |
| in a sisterly way | по-сестрински |
| in a kingly way | по-королевски |
Наречия и прилагательные с одинаковой формой
Существует ряд adjectives / adverbs, которые имеют неизменную форму. Таким образом, это зависит от контекста, является ли слово прилагательным или наречием: Fast, hard, early, late, high, low, right, wrong, straight, daily, monthly and long etc.
- This is hard exercise. – Это упражнение сложное.
- She works hard. – Она работает усердно.
- I saw many high buildings. – Я видела много высоких зданий.
- The plane flew high in the sky. – Самолет летел высоко в небе.
Сравните:
- Walk slow! (Informal English).
- Walk slowly! (Formal English).
Good vs. Well
- Good – прилагательное.
- Well – наречие.
Examples:
- He is a good writer. – Он хороший писатель.
- He writes well. – Он пишет хорошо.
- Иногда well используется как прилагательное, когда говорится о здоровье (health):
- You’re not looking too well. Are you okay? – Ты не очень хорошо выглядишь. Ты в порядке?
Note:
После глаголов look, sound, smell, taste, feel, seem мы используем прилагательное, а не наречие:
- She looks nice /bad /pale/strange.
- It smells sweet /horrible/bad.
Наречия с двумя формами и разными значениями
Некоторые наречия имеют две формы. Первая, которая заканчивается на -ly,
вторая форма остается без изменений: clean(ly), clear(ly) etc.
Эти пары наречий обычно имеют разные значения.
Сравните:
Close or closely?
Close = near (близкий, расположенный недалеко).
– We live close to the church. – Мы живем рядом с церковью.
Closely = carefully (внимательно).
– I was watching the game closely. – Я внимательно следил за игрой.
Второе значение – тесно, близко:
– The two languages are closely related. – Два языка тесно связаны.
Dead or deadly?
Dead = suddenly and completely
– The snow stopped dead. – Снег внезапно остановился.
Deadly = very
– She is deadly serious. – Она очень серьезная.
Deep or deeply?
Deep = a long way down
– I dug deep into the ground. – Я копнул глубоко в землю.
Deeply = very
– I was deeply offended. – Я был очень оскорблен.
Free or freely?
Free = without payment
– Children travel free on buses. – Дети путешествуют бесплатно на автобусах.
Freely = willingly
– She spoke freely about her past. – Она открыто говорила о своем прошлом.
Hard or hardly?
Hard = with a lot of effort
– She worked really hard and passed her exams. – Она усердно работала и сдала экзамены.
Hardly = scarcely/only just
– The telephone line was so bad, I could hardly hear what he was saying. –Телефонная линяя была настолько плохой, что я едва слышал, что он говорил.
High or highly?
High = to/at a high level
– He kicked the ball high over the goal. – Он пнул мяч высоко над воротами.
Highly = very much а также to think/speak highly of something, somebody
– My father is a highly respected dentist. – Мой отец очень уважаемый стоматолог.
– Everyone thinks highly of her behaviour. – Все высоко ценят ее поведение.
Last or Lastly?
Last = after all others
– She got here last. – Она пришла сюда последней.
Lastly = finally
– And lastly, I would like to thank everyone who helped me to open the restaurant. – И наконец, я хочу поблагодарить всех, кто помогал мне открыть ресторан.
Direct or directly?
Direct = without stopping
– ‘Do I have to change trains in Manchester?’ ‘No, you can go direct. – Нужно ли мне пересаживаться на другой поезд в Манчестере? – Нет, можете ехать без пересадок.
Directly = very soon
– I’ll be with him directly. – Я скоро буду вместе с ним.
Late or lately?
Late = after the arranged time
– I stayed up late to watch my favourite film with my boyfriend. – Я задержалась допоздна, чтобы посмотреть мой любимый фильм с моим парнем.
Lately = recently
– I’ve been feeling very well lately. – В последнее время я чувствую себя очень хорошо.
Near or nearly
Near = close
– They live near the university. – Они живут рядом с университетом.
Nearly = almost
– You nearly crashed into the cyclist. – Ты чуть не врезался в велосипедиста.
Pretty or prettily?
Pretty = quite
– I’m pretty sure they’ll accept your invitation. – Я вполне уверен, что они примут твое приглашение.
Prettily = in an attractive way
– She danced prettily. – Она танцевала красиво.
Sharp or sharply?
Sharp = exactly
– The game starts at 5 o’clock sharp. – Игра начинается ровно в пять часов.
Sharply = suddenly and angrily
– ‘Don’t talk to me like that,’ she said sharply – «Не разговаривай со мной так»: она сказала резко.
Short or shortly?
Short = suddenly. Полная фраза stop short (остановиться внезапно или неожиданно)
– I was about to tell the truth but a thought stopped me short. – Я собирался сказать правду, но мысль внезапно остановила меня.
– Cut something short – преждевременно прерывать что-либо:
– He had to cut his speech short when the fire alarm went off. – Ему пришлось прервать свою речь, когда зазвонила пожарная тревога.
Shortly = soon
– Professor will be here shortly. – Профессор скоро будет здесь.
Wide or widely?
Wide = completely also far away from the right point = мимо цели.
– The window was wide opened. – Окно было широко распахнуто.
Widely = to a large extent
– I travel widely in Europe. – Я путешествую много по Европе.
Easy or easily?
Easy = remain calm
– Take it easy, darling. – Успокойся, дорогая.
– Easy does it – Тише едешь, дальше будешь.
Easily = with no difficulty / without doubt / possibly.
– I make friends easily. – Я легко завожу друзей.
– It is easily the best film I’ve seen. – Это, без сомнения, лучший фильм, который я видел.
– This could easily be the answer to your question. – Это может быть ответом на твой вопрос.
Степени сравнения наречий в английском языке
Следует отметить, что многие наречия, такие как sometimes, never, here, there, now, then, first, again, yesterday и daily не образуют сравнительную и превосходную формы.
Наречия, которые используются с окончаниями -er и -est
Наречия также имеют те же сравнительные и превосходные степени, что и прилагательные.
| Положительная форма или Positive form | Сравнительная форма Comparative form |
Превосходная форма Superlative form |
| long | longer | (the) longest |
| near | nearer | (the) nearest |
| straight | straighter | (the) straightest |
Наречия с more и most
Двухсложные или сложные наречия образуются с помощью слов more/most.
| Положительная форма или Positive form | Сравнительная форма Comparative form |
Превосходная форма Superlative form |
| carefully | more carefully | (the) most carefully |
| easily | more easily | (the) most easily |
| softly | more softly | (the) most softly |
Irregular Adverbs/Наречия исключения в английском языке
Неправильные наречия имеют такие же формы, что и неправильные прилагательные.
| Positive form | Comparative form | Superlative form |
| badly | worse | worst |
| far | farther or further | farthest or furthest |
| little | less | least |
| much | more | most |
| well | better | best |
- Примеры со словом badly:
- We played badly in the first half. – Мы плохо играли в первом тайме.
- She was treated much worse than I was. – С ней обращались гораздо хуже, чем со мной.
- The worst affected area. – Наихудший район.
- Примеры со словом far:
- How far is it to the department store? – Как далеко до универмага?
- In the summer the herds move farther north. – Летом стада уходят дальше на север.
- The dogs walked to the farthest edge of the garden. – Собаки подошли к дальнему краю сада.
Место наречия в английском предложении. Order of Adverbs
Наречия обычно стоят после глагола в конце предложения. Однако их можно ставить в начале или середине. Факторы, определяющие этот выбор, могут быть:
– акцент, который говорящий хотел бы сделать;
– ритм предложения;
– сложность предложения с несколькими дополнениями.
- Front position – Начальная позиция.
- Mid position – Средняя позиция. Перед смысловым глаголом или после вспомогательного глагола.
- End position – В конце предложения.
Пример:
| Front | Mid | End |
| Obviously | they will never | see her again. |
Рассмотрим таблицу видов наречий в английском языке
| Adverb of manner – наречия образа действия. | Adverb of manner отвечает на вопрос How? Как? | carefully, fast, easily, loudly, well, quickly etc. |
| Adverbs of place – наречия места. | Where? – где? | here, there, near, away, off, up, in the park etc. |
| Adverbs of time – наречия времени | When? – Когда? | now, today, tomorrow, then, lately etc. |
| Adverbs of degree – наречия степени | How much/to what extent? – Сколько? Насколько?/До какой степени? | only, wholly, hardly, far etc. |
| Adverbs of frequency – наречия частоты | How often? – как часто? | always, ever, never, often, usually etc. |
| Relative adverbs – относительные наречия. | where, why. | where, why. |
| Sentence adverbs – сентенциальное наречие | certainly, probably, possibly etc. | clearly, perhaps. |
Разберем каждый тип отдельно.
Adverbs of frequency – наречия частоты
Мы используем некоторые adverbs, чтобы описать, как часто мы что-то делаем.
| Частота | Пример |
| 100% – always – всегда | I always brush my teeth at night. |
| 90% – usually – обычно | I usually walk to work. |
| 80% – normally/generally – обычно | I normally get good marks. |
| 70% – often/frequently – часто | I often read books. |
| 50% – sometimes – иногда | I sometimes forget my friend’s birthday. |
| 30% -occasionally – изредка, иногда. | I occasionally drink fizzy water. |
| 10% seldom – редко | I seldom add sugar to my tea. |
| 5% rarely/hardly ever – очень редко | I rarely drink beer. |
| 0% never – никогда | I never swim in the river. |
Note:
- Слово often произносится по-разному:
- [ɔfn] –без буквы ‘t’
- [ɔft ən] – с буквой ‘t’
Наречия частоты употребляются перед смысловым глаголом
| Subject + adverb + main verb (подлежащее + наречие + смысловой глагол) |
| He always wants to drink coffee. – Он вечно хочет пить кофе. |
| I often read in bed at night. – Я часто читаю в постели по ночам. |
- Наречие частоты употребляется после глагола to be
| Subject + to be + adverb (подлежащее + глагол to be + наречие) |
| I am normally busy at work. – Я обычно занят на работе. |
| He is always late. – Он всегда опаздывает. |
Когда мы используем вспомогательный глагол (auxiliary verb): has, would / will, should, can, etc., то затем следует наречие и смысловой глагол.
| Subject + Auxiliary verb + Adverb + Main Verb (подлежащее + вспомогательный глагол + наречие + смысловой глагол) |
| I have always lived in Italy. – Я всегда жила в Италии. |
| I can sometimes beat you in a race. – Иногда я могу победить тебя в гонке. |
- Наречия частоты могут также употребляться в начале или в конце предложения, когда хотим что-то выделить или подчеркнуть:
- Sometimes I get up early. – Иногда я встаю рано.
- They only meet occasionally. – Они встречаются лишь изредка.
- Но в начале предложения не могут стоять следующие слова:
Always, seldom, rarely, hardly, ever, never
*Always или Never могут использоваться в начале предложения в повелительном наклонении.
- hardly ever и never употребляются с глаголом в утвердительной форме:
- You never say “thank you”. – Ты никогда не говоришь «спасибо».
- Ever употребляется в вопросительных и отрицательных предложениях:
- Have you ever seen a dolphin? – Ты когда-нибудь видел дельфина?
- I haven’t ever been to Paris. – Я никогда не был в Париже.
- Выражение Used to и модальный глагол have to стоят после наречий частотности:
- You always have to remind them to take of their shoes. – Ты всегда должен напоминать им снимать обувь.
Expressions
А также можно использовать следующие выражения, если хотим быть более конкретными в отношении частотности:
- every day –каждый день;
- once a month – один раз в месяц;
- twice a year – дважды в год;
- four times a day – четыре раза в день;
- daily – ежедневно;
- monthly – ежемесячно;
- weekly – еженедельно;
- annually/every year – ежегодно/каждый год.
I pay for my flat every month = monthly –Я плачу за квартиру каждый месяц.
- I call her daily to make sure she is fine. – Я звоню ей ежедневно, чтобы убедиться, что она в порядке.
Adverbs of time – наречия времени
Adverbs of time отвечает на вопрос When? Когда?
Yesterday, now, later, sooner etc.
Наречия времени могут занимать начальную (если нужно поставить акцент на время) или конечную позицию в предложении.
Пример:
- I will go to the post office tomorrow. – Завтра я пойду на почту.
- Today I will go to the library. – Сегодня я пойду в библиотеку.
Следующие короткие наречия ставятся в середине предложения: Soon, now, then, still, once.
- It is now time to leave. – Пора уходить.
Но также они могут стоять и в других местах:
- Now it’s time to leave.
- It’s time to leave now.
Обратите внимание, что слово sometimes (иногда) относится к типу частотности. Sometime (как-нибудь, когда-нибудь) – наречие времени.
- You must come over and visit me sometime. – Вы должны как-нибудь навестить меня.
- Sometimes I feel like no one understands me. – Иногда мне кажется, что меня никто не понимает.
Adverbs of place – наречия места
Наречия места показывают нам местоположение действия. Они отвечают на следующий вопрос: Where? Где? Home, abroad, around, inside etc.
Наречия места часто ставится после смыслового глагола или в конце предложения.
- После смыслового глагола (main verb):
- She ran home. – Она побежала домой.
- She ran everywhere with her dad. – Она бегала повсюду со своим отцом.
В конце предложения:
- She ran with her dad everywhere.
- Here и there также наречия времени:
- The summer is here. – Лето здесь.
- Take a sit over there. – Присядьте вон там.
- Here и there могут стоять в начале предложения, чтобы сделать акцент:
Если подлежащее является существительным, за here и there следует глагол:
- Here is the summer!
- Here is my brother!
- There went my dog!
Если подлежащее является местоимение, за here и there следует местоимение:
- Here she is!
- Here it is!
- There it is!
- There they are!
Adverbs of degree – наречия меры и степени
Наречия степени отвечает на вопрос How much? To what extent? Сколько? Насколько? /До какой степени?
К наречиям степени относятся такие слова:
| Absolutely | совершенно |
| Just | просто, всего лишь, только |
| Completely | совершенно |
| Totally | полностью |
| Very | очень |
| Extremely | чрезвычайно |
| A lot | много |
| Terribly | ужасно, очень |
| Really | очень |
| Much | часто, очень |
| Awfully | ужасно |
| Quite | довольно |
| Pretty | достаточно |
| Rather | довольно, до некоторой степени |
| A little/a bit | немного, недостаточно |
| Enough | достаточно |
| Too | слишком |
| Slightly | немного, слегка |
Для более детального перевода слов обратитесь к словарю. Так как слова могут иметь разное значение в зависимости от контекста.
Наречия степени обычно ставятся
Перед прилагательным или наречием, которые их определяют:
- He is quite good at Spanish. – Он неплохо владеет испанским языком.
- I am extremely tired. – я очень устала.
Большинство этих наречий могут также стоять перед смысловым глаголом или после вспомогательного глагола.
- I rather like this shirt. – Мне нравится эта рубашка.
- I can’t quite get it. – Я не совсем понимаю это.
Наречия: a lot, totally, completely, absolutely, terribly, awfully, a bit, a little and much могут стоять в середине или в конце предложения.
- The plane was delayed a little. Или The plane was a little delayed.
- The storm completely destroyed the city. Или The storm destroyed the city completely.
Adverbs of manner – наречия образа действия
Наречия образа действия отвечает на вопрос How? Как?
| well – хорошо |
| quickly – быстро |
| softly – тихо, спокойно |
| loudly – громко |
| beautifully – красиво |
| dangerously – опасно |
| secretly – тайно |
| weakly – слабо |
| happily – счастливо |
| sadly – грустно |
| hard – настойчиво / сильно |
| fast – быстро |
| quietly – тихо |
| slowly – медленно |
| roughly – приблизительно / грубо |
| greedily – жадно |
| nicely – хорошо, отлично |
| badly – плохо / сильно |
| hungrily – жадно |
| angrily – сердито |
| thankfully – к счастью |
Наречия образа действия ставятся после дополнения или смыслового глагола
| После смыслового глагола |
| I dance well – я танцую хорошо. |
| I dance slowly – я танцую медленно. |
| I dance beautifully – я танцую красиво. |
| После дополнения |
| I read the book well – я читаю книгу хорошо. |
| I read the book loudly – я читаю книгу громко. |
Наречия образа действия также может стоять в середине предложения:
- He looked angrily at me. – Он посмотрел на меня сердито.
Когда в предложении несколько наречий, то порядок таков:
Manner – place – time.
| manner | place | time | |
| He watched TV | quietly | in his room | until 7.00 |
Однако если есть глагол движения (go, run, leave etc), то наречия места идет рядом с глаголом движения:
| place | manner | time | |
| Ann was rushed | to hospital | suddenly | an hour ago. |
Если в предложении есть наречия частоты, то порядок таков:
| manner | place | frequency | time | |
| My sister walks | impatiently | home | every evening | after work. |
Sentence Adverbs – сентенциальное наречие
Наречие, обозначающее все предложение, в целом ставится в начале, середине или в конце предложения. Но чаще всего в начальной позиции.
| Sentence adverbs |
| Probably – вероятно |
| Possibly – может быть, возможно |
| Certainly – безусловно |
| Clearly – явно, очевидно |
| Luckily – к счастью |
| Of course – конечно |
| Fortunately – к счастью |
| Maybe – возможно, может быть |
| Perhaps – возможно, может быть |
Примеры:
- Luckily, he didn’t crash into the tree. – К счастью, он не врезался в дерево.
- He luckily didn’t crash into the tree.
- He didn’t crash into the tree, luckily.
В отрицательных предложениях наречия possibly, certainly and probably стоят перед вспомогательным глаголом:
- I probably didn’t believe you. – Я, вероятно, не верил тебе.
Наречия обычно не употребляются между дополнением (object) и глаголом (verb).
He likes biscuits very much. (not: he likes very much biscuits).
Вывод
В следующей таблице приведены наиболее часто используемые позиции для пяти различных типов наречий, рассмотренных выше.
| Type of adverb | Most commonly used position in clause |
| Adverbs of frequency | Mid-position |
| Adverbs of time | End-position. *Or at the Front position if we want to put emphasis on the time. |
| Adverbs of degree | Mid-position |
| Adverbs of manner | End-position. |
| Adverbs of place | End-position. |
Сделайте упражнение, которое поможет вам лучше понять разницу между прилагательным и наречием.
Тест по теме
[qsm quiz=68]
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An adverb is a word/a set of words that modifies verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. It tells when, where, and how an action is performed or indicates the quality or degree of the action.
Many adverbs end in —ly but some words which end in —ly (such as friendly) are not adverbs. Many words can be both adverbs and adjectives according to their activity in the sentence.
Example:
- Robin is always hungry for success.
- I love her very much.
- He is running fast.
- Alex works hard.
- He wrote that willingly.
Adverb Clauses and Adverb Phrases are clauses and phrases that modify the verbs, adjectives or other adverbs in the sentence.
Example:
- He ran toward the bus until he was tired. (Adverb Clause)
- He came carrying his box with two hands. (Adverb Phrase)
- We were panicked without any reason. (Adverb Phrase)
Types of Adverbs:
- Conjunctive Adverbs
- Sentence Adverbs
- Adverbs of Time/Frequency (When?)
- Adverbs of Place/Direction (Where?)
- Adverbs of Degree (How Much?)
- Adverbs of Manner (How?)
Conjunctive Adverbs:
A conjunctive adverb connects phrases or independent clauses. It provides transitions between ideas and shows relationships.
Conjunctive adverbs are also called connectors.
Example:
- It rained last night. Nonetheless, the final match has not been canceled.
- We are still confused, however, if the umpires will come.
- Last season there was a great drought; consequently, we could not grow crops.
Sentence Adverbs:
A sentence adverb starts the sentence and modifies the whole sentence.
Example:
- Hopefully, we will win the match.
- Apparently, the sky is getting cloudy.
- Certainly, I did not think of coming here.
Adverbs of Time/Frequency (When?)
Adverbs of time/frequency indicate time or frequency of the action in the sentence. They answer the question ‘when/how frequently is the action performed?’.
Always, never, often, eventually, now, frequently, occasionally, once, forever, seldom, before, Sunday, Monday, 10 AM, 12 PM, etc. are common adverbs of time/frequency.
Example:
- I went to school a little late yesterday.
- He always gets a good result.
- I will leave Monday.
- He smokes occasionally.
Adverbs of Place/Direction (Where?)
Adverbs of place/direction that indicate place/direction of the action in the sentence. They answer the question ‘ where is the action performed?’.
Across, over, under, in, out, through, backward, there, around, here, sideways, upstairs, in the park, in the field, in that place, etc. are some common adverbs of place/direction.
Example:
- I went through the jungle.
- He plays in the field.
- Alex is going to school.
- He is staying at my home.
Adverbs of Degree (How Much?)
Adverbs that express the importance/degree/level of the action in the sentence are called adverbs of degree. They answer the question ‘how much is the action performed?’.
Completely, nearly, entirely, less, mildly, most, thoroughly, somewhat, excessively, much, etc. are common adverbs of degree.
Example:
- She completely forgot about her anniversary.
- I read the newspaper thoroughly.
- I am so excited about the new job.
- Robin hardly studies
Adverbs of Manner (How?)
Adverbs that express the manner/approach/process of the action in the sentence are called adverbs of manner. They answer the question ‘how is the action performed?’.
Beautifully, equally, thankfully, carefully, handily, quickly, coldly, hotly, resentfully, earnestly, nicely, tirelessly, etc. are common adverbs of manner. These adverbs usually end in ly.
Example:
- Let’s divide the prizes equally.
- Please, handle the camera carefully.
- Mike is walking slowly.
- He is running fast.
Adjectives and adverbs can be confusing. Which is which? When and how do we use them? Does it even matter? To answer the last question, yes, it does matter! Knowing which words are adjectives and which are adverbs makes your speech and writing much clearer in English. So let’s have a look at some of the differences.
- What are adjectives and adverbs?
- Regular adverbs in English
- Irregular adjectives and adverbs in English
- The different types of adverbs
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What are adjectives and adverbs?
The difference between adjectives and adverbs is fairly easy: An adjective describes a noun. They answer questions like what kind or how many. For example, red is an adjective and car is a noun. Adjectives usually go before nouns in English so we say a red car. Red is a descriptive adjective, and we’re going to focus on these today.
An adverb usually describes a verb. They answer questions like when, where and how. Quickly is an adverb and run is a verb. Adverbs can go in lots of different places in a sentence, but here we can say he runs quickly. This answers the question, How does he run? We’re going to focus mainly on adverbs that answer the how question, which are adverbs of manner.
This explanation is simple enough – especially for English teachers – but it doesn’t really tell you much in practical terms does it? Because the real question is, how do you know if a certain word should be used as an adjective or an adverb? How do you make adverbs from adjectives? And where do you put them in a sentence?
Regular adverbs in English
It’s easy to spot regular adverbs vs adjectives because they end with –ly, like quickly in the example above. To form these regular adverbs, we add -ly to the end of adjectives. So, serious becomes seriously; slow becomes slowly. A slow tortoise walks slowly. This works with quite a lot of adjectives with just small changes to the rule:
If the adjective ends with a –y, change the –y to an –i then add –ly: happy becomes happily, easy becomes easily.
- He smiled happily!
If the adjective ends in –able, –ible or –le, change the –e to a –y. We see this in words like horrible – horribly, and responsible – responsibly.
- They didn’t act very responsibly.
And if the adjective ends in –ic, add –ally. Basic changes to basically, classic changes to classically. The exception to this is public, which becomes publicly.
- She is a classically trained musician.
Irregular adjectives and adverbs in English
Some adverbs have the same form as adjective. Examples of this are fast and high.
- This is a fast car. He drives fast.
- We saw a lot of high towers. The plane flew high.
We said above that adverbs can be made by adding –ly to the adjective, but not all words that end in –ly are adverbs! Some adjectives also end in -ly, and they have the same form as the adverb. Common words like this are: early, late and daily.
- We ate an early dinner. We finished work early today.
- I read the daily newspaper. I read the newspaper daily.
We also have some adjectives that don’t have an adverb equivalent. For example: friendly, lonely and lovely. Instead of using an adverb, we can say in a … manner. The adjective remains an adjective.
- What a friendly dog! The dog behaves in a friendly manner.
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The different types of adjectives
1. Predicative adjectives
Most adjectives come before nouns. But, sometimes adjectives come after the noun they modify, and after a verb too. This is when we are talking about a sense verb or a verb of appearance, and they are called predicative adjectives. Here they are:
- be
- feel
- taste
- smell
- sound
- look
- appear
- seem
Here are some examples of these verbs:
- London is busy.
- I feel bad about what happened.
- The cake tastes nice.
- The flowers smell sweet.
- That dog sounds unhappy.
- Gemma looks sleepy.
- The sea appears blue in some lights.
- Bob seems angry.
In all of these sentences, the adjective comes after the verb but it describes what the noun is like. English learners often make mistakes like this:
- The cake tastes nicely (this means the cake can taste something – and last time I checked, cakes don’t have mouths).
- The flowers smell sweetly (and this makes it sound like flowers have noses).
The easiest way to remember this is to think about the verb be, which we use a lot with adjectives:
- She is nice.
- The dog is happy.
- The chair is comfortable.
2. Adjective + adverb
So far, we have looked at adverbs modifying verbs, but they can also modify adjectives. Here’s an example:
- The weather is terribly hot today.
Terribly is an adverb and it is modifying the adjective hot. Here are some more examples:
- The girl is quite pretty.
- I am completely exhausted.
3. Adverb + adverb
Adverbs can also modify other adverbs, making what you’re saying more descriptive. For example:
- My dog eats incredibly loudly.
Incredibly, an adverb, modifies the adverb loudly. Some more examples:
- She spoke very quickly.
- He was walking awfully slowly.
4. Adverbs of frequency
There are six main adverbs of frequency in English which tell us how often something happens. Here they are in sentences:
- I always eat cereal for breakfast.
- I usually wake up at 7am.
- I often go to the gym before work.
- I sometimes walk to the office.
- I rarely go to bed later than 11pm.
- I never eat meat.
Other adverbs of frequency you might know are normally, frequently and hardly ever.
5. Adverbs of place
Words and phrases that tell us where something happens are often also adverbs. For example:
- He has lived in the city centre all his life.
- He still lives there now.
- Come here!
- I’ve looked everywhere for him but he’s just disappeared.
5. Adverbs of time
We have already talked about the irregular adverbs early and late. These are examples of adverbs of time; they describe when something happens. Here are some more examples of sentences with adverbs of time:
- I don’t like driving after dark.
- She finished her exam first.
- The TV show is on now and we’re missing it!
6. Adverbs of degree
We have also met some of these adverbs of degree already when we were looking at modifying adjectives and adverbs. Adverbs of degree tell us about the intensity of something. In some of the sentences above we had very, quite and completely. Here are some more examples:
- It’s rather chilly today.
- The play was absolutely terrible.
- I almost forgot to tell you.
7. Adverbs of evaluation
We can use adverbs to show our opinion of something as part of the sentence. Here are some examples:
- Unfortunately, the weather was bad.
- She didn’t want to come to the party, surprisingly.
- Incredibly, no one was hurt in the accident.
The use of adverbs in all of these sentences shows us what the speaker thinks and feels about the situation, and gives us more information about the context. We can infer, for example, in the last sentence, that the accident was quite bad and it’s amazing that no one was hurt.
So, how do you know if something is an adjective or an adverb? Does it describe a noun, or does it describe a verb, adjective or adverb? And, does it end in –ly? It’s probably an adverb. But English wouldn’t be English without a few exceptions, so try to memorise the ones we’ve talked about here, and you’ll be a long way to learning the difference between adjectives and adverbs.
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Laura is a freelance writer and was an ESL teacher for eight years. She was born in the UK and has lived in Australia and Poland, where she writes blogs for Lingoda about everything from grammar to dating English speakers. She’s definitely better at the first one. She loves travelling and that’s the other major topic that she writes on. Laura likes pilates and cycling, but when she’s feeling lazy she can be found curled up watching Netflix. She’s currently learning Polish, and her battle with that mystifying language has given her huge empathy for anyone struggling to learn English. Find out more about her work in her portfolio.