Adverb is a word that modifies a verb, adjective, determiner, clause, preposition, or sentence.

Adverbs can tell you how something is done, for example, speak nicely or work hard. Adverbs can also tell you how much or how many of something you have.

List of Adverbs

Types of Adverb

Adverbs of time, Adverbs of manner, Adverbs of degree, Adverbs of place, Adverbs of frequency

The 5 Basic Types of Adverbs

Adverbs provide a deeper description of a verb within any sentence. There are five basic types of adverbs in the English language, namely that of Manner, Time, Place, Frequency, and Degree.

Here is a brief explanation of the meaning each has, along with example sentences using each type of adverb.

Adverb Examples

An adverb of time provides more information about when a verb takes place. Adverbs of time are usually placed at the beginning or end of a sentence. When it is of particular importance to express the moment something happened we’ll put it at the start of a sentence.

Examples of adverbs of time: never, lately, just, always, recently, during, yet, soon, sometimes, usually, so far

So far, we have found twelve grammar mistakes.

I haven’t been going to the gym lately.

We recently bought a new car.

Adverbs of place illustrate where the verb is happening. It’s usually placed after the main verb or object, or at the end of the sentence. Examples of adverbs of place: here, there, nowhere, everywhere, out, in, above, below, inside, outside, into

We went into the cave, and there were bats everywhere!

One day when my dad wasn’t paying attention to where he was going, he walked into a wall.

There aren’t any Pokémon here, let’s look somewhere else.

Adverbs of manner provide more information about how a verb is done. Adverbs of manner are probably the most common of all adverbs. They’re easy to spot too. Most of them will end in –ly. Examples of adverbs of manner: neatly, slowly, quickly, sadly, calmly, politely, loudly, kindly, lazily

The young soldier folded his clothes neatly in a pile at the end of his bunk.

I politely opened the door for my grandmother as she stepped out of the car.

A fat orange and white cat rested lazily on the sofa.

Adverbs of degree explain the level or intensity of a verb, adjective, or even another adverb. Example of adverbs of degree: almost, quite, nearly, too, enough, just, hardly, simply, so

Can I come to the movies too?

Aren’t you hungry? You’ve hardly touched your dinner.

I’m so excited to see the new James Bond movie!

Adverbs of frequency explain how often the verb occurs. They’re often placed directly before the main verb of a sentence. Examples of adverbs of frequency: never, always, rarely, sometimes, normally, seldom, usually, again

I rarely eat fast food these days.

Tom usually takes his dog for a walk before breakfast.

They always go to the same restaurant every Friday.

A conjunctive adverb is a type of adverb that joins two independent sentences or clauses of any kind. This type of adverb is used to connect two parts into one longer sentence. These parts can be whole sentences that need to be connected into one longer sentence or smaller clauses that need to be connected as well. Adverbs usually modify one verb, but conjunctive adverbs modify entire sentences because they connect larger parts than just one word. Conjunctive adverbs are used to join together parts in order to form a larger thought. This means that the final sentence explains more than the two smaller ones would if they were still divided.

Conjunctive adverbs serve different functions, such as:

addition, comparison, concession, contrast, emphasis, summarize, illustrate a point, or signify time.

Conjunctive adverbs are used to connect ideas, and to form larger thoughts with longer sentences. These sentences are divided by a semicolon (;).

Here are some notable examples:

I wanted to go have ice cream after work; however, my friend wanted something else.

He had studies all day and night; nevertheless, it wasn’t enough to pass the test.

It was never going to work between us; therefore, we decided to go our separate ways.

I had to work the whole weekend; in addition, there was also another contract from a month ago I had to deal with.

If you decide to start a diet you will see the improvement in your life soon; for instance, you’ll have more energy during the day.

She was driving home from her friend’s place; meanwhile, her husband was busy preparing her a surprise.

Usually, an adverb is just one word which modifies or describes, a verb. An adverb clause, on the other hand, is an entire clause which functions as an adverb. This clause is a group of words, or an entire sentence, which modifies a verb. One adverb adds some detail to the verb. An adverb clause adds more detail to the verb and describes precisely. An adverb clause can answer questions like:

How? What? When? Where? How much? And others.

Like any clause, an adverb clause has to have a subject and predicate in order to be complete. An adverb clause can appear in the beginning, middle, or end of the sentence. The adverb clause is always divided by a comma if it’s in the beginning or middle of the sentence.

Since I work from home, I don’t have to eat in restaurants often.

The adverb phrase is in the first sentence. The subject is “I” and the predicate “work,” so the clause is complete. This adverb clause answers the question: where?

Whether you like it or not, you have to pay taxes.

Here the subject is “you” and the predicate is “l(fā)ike it or not.” There are different ways to form an adverb clause. This adverb clause answers the questions: how? and why?

Whales, although they are large, don’t eat anything but plankton.

This adverb phrase is in the middle of the sentence, and it’s divided by commas. The subject is “they” and the predicate is “are large.” This adverb clause answers the question: how? (big are they / do they look)

Because he missed the first bus he ran like his life depended on it.

Since the adverb phrase is at the end of the sentence is does not always need to be divided with a comma. The subject is “he” and the predicate “ran.” This adverb clause answers the questions: how? and why?

I’m going to look for a new job when I get back from my trip.

Here the subject is “I” and the predicate is “get back.” This adverb clause answers the question: when?

Adverb Phrase

An adverb phrase is a group of words that function as an adverb. Unlike the adverb clause, an adverb phrase does not need a subject and predicate. An adverb phrase is two or more words that modify the verb. Adverb phrases are used to describe the verb in more detail than just one adverb would. Since they are composed of more than one word they can answer a different set of questions. Adverb phrases often answer the questions:

How? Where? Why? and When?

These questions need more than one adverb to be answered completely. An adverb phrase can appear anywhere in the sentence, and they don’t need to be divided by commas.

They are, however, mostly at the end of the sentence, and sometimes the beginning.

Because the boss is late the meeting will start later than usual.

This adverb phrase is used to answer the question: when? It is at the end of the sentence and gives more details about why the meeting is not happening when it usually does.

Like in every fairy tale they must kiss before sunset to break the curse.

This adverb phrase also answers the question: when? Here it describes the exact time when something must happen.

Put the flowers on the kitchen table.

This adverb phrase answers the question: where? The person speaking wants the flowers to be put at a specific place.

We used to have a holiday house right by the beach.

Here it is also answering the questions: where? It describes specifically where the house is, and how close to the beach it actually is.

There were so many cars that they were moving frustratingly slowly.

This adverb phrase answered the question: how? It describes how slow the cars were going, and how the person feels about it. They are frustrated because of how slow they are going.

She always completes her tasks without care.

The question answered is: how? It describes how careless the person is when completing her tasks.

To understand better how to do the job she read some books.

This adverb phrase is at the beginning of the sentence and answered the question: why? It describes why the person has to read some books.

He went online and searched all day for more information.

The question answered is: why? Here it describes why the person went online and had to search all day. Because they need more information they need to complete the search.

Adverb vs Adjective

ADJECTIVES describe THINGS

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a beach, a jacuzzi, a cocktail, the weather, an idea, sunglasses, your iPad, your flip-flops

a girl in English class, your upstairs neighbours, Beyoncé, Ryan Gosling, your mother-in-law, Dracula

This jacuzzi is really uncomfortable. Beyoncé is so ambitious. Dracula was an affectionate man. Ryan Gosling is a spiritual person.

Her sunglasses are insane. My upstairs neighbours are really energetic. It’s prohibited to burn tyres on thisbeach. Your iPad is so old-fashioned.

My flip-flops are cute. Your mother-in-law is so upbeat. I met a magical girl in English class. That wasn’t a very good idea.

ADVERBS describe EVERYTHING ELSE

verbs: sing, laugh, complain

adjectives: prohibited, cute, upbeat

Beyoncé sings loudly./Dracula laughed dramatically behind the curtain./I complain about my upstairs neighbours daily./It’s strictly prohibited to burn tyres on this beach. ./My flip-flops are absolutely cute./ Your mother-in-law is incredibly upbeat.

ADVERBS can even describe OTHER ADVERBS

Beyoncé sings really loudly./She can sing incredibly beautifully./In Dracula’s castle, people disappeared surprisingly quickly.

adverb vs adjective

Adverbs of Frequency

What is an adverb of frequency?

Adverb of frequency is a word that tells us how frequently or how often something happens.

I always eat breakfast in the morning, even when I am late for work.

1. List of the most common adverbs of frequency:

always/usually/sometimes/never/occasionally/rarely/seldom/frequently/often/regularly/hardly ever

2. Position in a sentence

a) We usually put the adverbs of frequency in the middle of the sentence, between the subject and the verb, but after auxiliary verbs:

I often go to the beach. He sometimes visits his grandma. They usually drink coffee in the mornings. I hardly ever help my mom in the kitchen.

b) Auxiliary verbs:

He is usually very happy. We are always helping the children at school. I have never done anything bad. She is always cooking pasta.

NOTE: the verbs have, has, and had are auxiliary verbs only when used with past participle:

I have never eaten a snake./She has never tried coconut water./But has, have, and had are normal verbs when they are not used with past participle:

I always have my lunch at school. He seldom has English classes. We often had dinner late at night in college.

c) We can put occasionally, frequently, usually, often and sometimes in the beginning of the sentence in order to make it stronger. However, other adverbs do not sound good in the beginning of the sentence:

Occasionally, I go to the beach. Sometimes he visits his grandma. Usually, they drink coffee in the mornings. Always I go to the beach.