Adverbs

Adverbs of Manner

These adverbs tell how/ describe the verbs.

Most of these adverbs are made by adding -ly to the adjectives.

• Mark spoke clearly.
• Sue danced gracefully.
• They cheered happily.
• The children crossed the road carefully.
• The car skidded dangerously.
• Babies cry loudly when they are hungry.

Adverbs of Place

These adverbs tell where something happens.

• Sandy is studying upstairs.
• Come, let’s eat here.
• Dad is jogging around the field.
• There are balloons flying everywhere!
• Go to bed right now!
• The chairs are over there.

Adverbs of Time

These adverbs tell when or for how long. They can be single words or phrases.

• I’m going to Redang today.
• Go to sleep immediately.
• We will watch the sunrise at dawn.
• The family has not seen him since June.
• Refreshments will be served during the break.
• The team has arrived already.

Adverbs of Frequency

These adverbs tell how often something happens.

• You should exercise daily.
• We usually read after dinner.
• I’ve never seen snow.
• Do you eat here often?
• Lina seldom comes here.
• Mr. Lee travels to China yearly.

Adverbs of Degree

These adverbs tell how much, in what degree or to what extent.

• The weather was quite warm.
• This is very comfortable.
• Tan Leong is tall enough to play basketball.
• It was almost dawn when we arrived at the mountain peak.
• This is too sweet! Could you please add some water?
• The desert is extremely dry.

Position of Adverbs

Adverbs can be placed:

1. before or after verbs or after the object if there is one

• She quietly passed the note.
• She passed the note quietly.

2. before other adverbs

• They cleaned the car rather carelessly.

3. at the beginning or end of sentences

• Quietly, she passed the note.
• Wash your hands thoroughly.

Test yourself: Figure out which one is the adverb in each sentence below and what kind of adverb it is.

1. Kent did his homework carelessly.
2. We start our vacation next week.
3. Farah read the poem in a very clear voice.
4. The accident happened during the afternoon.
5. The man walked very slowly.
6. My cousin arrived yesterday.
7. I left my schoolbag in the car.
8. It stopped raining for a few minutes.
9. Dad goes jogging regularly.
10. We eat our meals in the dining room.