In this lesson we will talk about all kinds of adverbs in English, but initially, you should know what an adverb is. A word which modifies, explains, and clarifies the meaning of a verb, an adjective or another adverb is called adverb.
- He works hard.
- She is so beautiful.
- He runs quickly enough to win the race.
Explanation: In the above first example, the word “hard” is an adverb which modifies the verb “work”, in the second example, the word “so” is an adverb which modifies the adjective “beautiful”, and in the third example, “enough” is an adverb which modifies another adverb “quickly”.
Kinds of Adverbs in English
There are different kinds of adverb expressing different meaning. The following are the most used and common adverbs in English.
- Adverb of Manner
- Adverb of Place
- Adverb of Time
- Adverb of Degree
- Adverb of Frequency
Adverb of Manner
An adverbs of manner is used to tell us how something is done or happens. They answer the question “how?” Adverbs of manner mainly modify verbs. Most of these adverbs end in –ly such as: carefully, slowly, badly, and some of them don’t have –ly ending such as: well, hard, fast etc.
- He Works carefully. (How does he work?)
- They won the match easily. (How did they win the match?)
- Ali Speaks fast. (How does Ali speak?)
Adverbs of Place
An adverb of place is used to tell us the place where something is done or happens. They answer the question “where?”. Adverbs of place mainly modify verbs, and we use these adverbs after the verb or at the end of a sentence.
- Please Put it here. (Where should I put it?)
- Please put the glasses over there. (Where should I put the glasses?)
- Meanwhile raining they all rushed under the tent. (Where did they rush?)
Adverbs of Time
An adverb of time is used to tell us when something is done or happens. Adverbs of time mainly modify verbs. We use adverb of time in the begging or at the end of a sentence. They can answer the question “when?”
- The teacher was absent yesterday. (When the teacher was absent?)
- She came immediately after the call. (When did she come after the call?)
Adverbs of Frequency
An adverb of frequency is used to tell us how often something is done or happens. Adverbs of frequency mainly modify verbs. Words used as adverbs of frequency include again, almost, always, ever, frequently, generally, hardly ever, nearly, always, never, occasionally, often, rarely, seldom, sometimes, twice, usually, etc.
They can answer the question “how often?”
- They go shopping occasionally. (How often do they go shopping?)
- An active student always come on time. (How often does an active student come on time?)
- We hardly eat outside. (How often do we eat outside?)
Adverbs of Degree
An adverb of degree is used to tell us the degree or extent to which something is done or happens. They answer the question “how much?” or “to what degree?”. Adverbs of Degree can modify verbs, adjectives and other adverbs. Words of adverb of degree are almost, much, nearly, quite, really, so, too, very, etc.
- They played very well in the final. (To what degree did they play?)
- The test is so difficult. (To what degree is the test difficult?)