Adverbs

Adverbs are used to describe all words except nouns. They are useful in giving a deeper meaning of the sentence. Let’s look at the different types of Adverbs.

Adverbs of Time

This one answers the question ‘when’. They are placed at the beginning or end of a sentence. But, when time is important we put it at the beginning.

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

• So far, we have completed five floors. OR       We have completed five floors so far.
• I haven’t been going to the gym lately. OR       Lately, I haven’t been going to the gym.
• We recently bought a new car. OR       Recently we bought a new car.

OR       We bought a new car recently.

Adverbs of Place

These answer the question ‘where’. They are 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 my neighbour drove his car into a tree!
• There aren’t any Pokémon here, let’s look somewhere else.

Adverbs of Manner

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

These answer the question ‘how much’, ie the level or intensity of a verb, adjective, and so on. Some examples are: almost, quite, nearly, too, enough, just, hardly, simply, so

• This coffee is too sweet for me.
• Aren’t you hungry? You’ve hardly touched your food.
• I’m so excited to drive the new car!

Adverbs of Frequency

These answer the question ‘how often’. They’re 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 meat these days.
• Jim usually goes on an after-dinner walk with his wife.
• They always come to the class five minutes before time.