International TEFL InstituteIntroduction to Adverbs
Adverbs are words that modify verbs, that is, they describe verbs. They also show to what degree something has been done. Many adverbs end in -ly. For example:
- Annie walked quietly into the room.
- My house was completely destroyed in the earthquake.
- He blatantly ignored my request.
Sometimes we use adverbs that do not end in -ly and we often refer to these as irregular adverbs. For example:
- I’ve heard enough of your get rich quick schemes!
- Martin screwed the lid on the peanut butter jar tight.
- You’re going to have to drive your car fast to get there on time.
An adverb can also modify other words such as adjectives.
- The whole lesson was extremely boring.
(The adjective is boring) - The stones were hot enough to fry an egg on them.
(The adjective is hot) - The man was completely unaware of the crime.
(The adjective is unaware)
An adverbial can often be a phrase or a group of words that function as an adverb. For example:
- Get down here as quickly as possible.
- We get together twice a week for dinner.
- The children could run around to their heart’s content.
Adverb of Manner, Time and Place
There are different types of adverbs and they do a lot of work. However, in this module we are going to examine just four types of adverbs:
Adverb of Manner
These adverbs concentrate on how something is done. For example:
- Please don’t speak so quickly. I can’t hear what you are saying.
- The man walked hurriedly to the train station.
- The man next door plays his music so loudly. He must be deaf.
Adverb of Time
These adverbs concentrate on when something is done.
- Shall I come round now?
- I saw Martin last week.
- I saw him yesterday.
Adverb of Place
These adverbs concentrate on where something is done.
- Shall we meet here again another time?
- There it is! Can you see it?
- I was walking through the mountains and everywhere I could hear the sound of grazing sheep.
Adverb of Frequency
These adverbs concentrate on how often something is done.
- I usually go to the cinema every week.
- I always catch the train to work.
- Martin plays chess occasionally.
We often use adverbials which generally give more information when we use these kinds of adverbs, such as:
- I go to the cinema about four times a month.
- I catch the train to work most days.
- Martin plays chess a couple of times a year.
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