Adverbs

The adverbs and the adjectives in English

Adverbs tell us in what way someone does something. Adverbs can modify verbs (here: drive), adjectives or other adverbs.

Adjectives tell us something about a person or a thing. Adjectives can modify nouns (here: girl) or pronouns (here: she).

Mandy is a careful girl.       Mandy drives carefully.

She is very careful.

Mandy is a careful driver. This sentence is about Mandy, the driver, so use the adjective.

Mandy drives carefully. This sentence is about her way of driving, so use the adverb.

Form

Adjective + -ly

adjective         adverb

dangerous      dangerously

careful             carefully

nice                 nicely

horrible            horribly

easy                easily

electronic       electronically

irregular forms

good                well

fast                   fast

hard                 hard

If the adjective ends in  y, change -y to -i. Then add -ly.

happy -            happily

but: shy -         shyly

If the adjective ends in -ie, the adverb ends in -ly.

Example: terrible - terribly

If the adjective ends in -e, then add -ly.

Example: safe - safely

Tip: Not all words ending in -ly are adverbs.

adjectives ending in -ly: friendly, silly, lonely, ugly

nouns, ending in -ly: ally, bully, Italy, melancholy

verbs, ending in -ly: apply, rely, supply

There is no adverb for an adjective ending in -ly.

Use of adverbs

to modify verbs:  The soccer team played badly last Saturday.

to modify adjectives: It was an extemely bad match.

to modify adverbs: The soccer team played extremely badly last Wednesday.

to modify quantities: There are quite a lot of people here.

to modify sentences: Unfortunately, the flight to Dallas had been cancelled.

Types of adverbs

1) Adverbs of manner

quickly

kindly

2) Adverbs of degree

very

rather

3) Adverbs of frequency

often

sometimes

4) Adverbs of time

now

today

5) Adverbs of place

here

nowhere

How do know whether to use an adjective or an adverb?

John is a careful driver. -> In this sentences we say how John is - careful.

If we want to say that the careful John did not drive the usual way yesterday - we have to use the adverb: John did not drive carefully yesterday.

Here is another example:

I am a slow walker. (How am I? -> slow -> adjective)

I walk slowly. (How do I walk? -> slowly -> adverb)