An adverb is a word/words that modify adjectives, verbs, and other adverbs. It tells where, how and when an action is performed or indicates the quality or degree of the action. They describe clauses, sentences, adjectives, and other adverbs as well.
Their purpose is to answer questions, like when, where and how, and to what degree and in what manner. The English language has adverbs that mostly end with the suffix “-ly (such as friendly).” The function of answering these questions above is the adverbial function. It is not just manifested in single words such as adverbs, but also with adverbial clauses and adverbial phrases.
Example:
- I love her very much.
- John works slow.
- She played that willingly.
The word there was one of the examples in the sentences used above comparison of adverbs. Often it is desirable for an adverb to show not only how something is done, but also to show how it compares.
Types Of Adverbs
Love to use adverbs? Many people don’t, but it’s nice that you do. In case you’ve been wondering, there are five general types of this figure of speech, each of them modifying a verb, adjective, adverb or phrase in its way.
Adverbs of manner. This type of adverb shows how something is done, such as a man “driving carefully” or a song being “passionately sung.” Example words: So, slowly, badly, beautifully, delightfully, loudly, anxiously…
Example sentences
- James had a delightfully sense of humour.
- We waited anxiously by the phone.
Adverbs of degree. This adverb type tells the reader “how much” in what degree or to what extent of properties, states, qualities, conditions and relations of something is done or experience Example words: Almost, fully, rather, quite, too, enough, perfectly…
Example sentences
- I am rather busy.
- Have you had enough (to eat)?
Adverbs of time. It Responds to the question “when?”. This type provides information on the timing and occurrence of an event. Adverbs of time generally are located before the verb or at the end of the sentence.
Examples:
- I already finished my homework
- We went to Paris last year
Conjunctive Adverbs. Some adverbs make it possible to connect sentences. They thus have the role of coordinating conjunctions and modify a whole proposition or a sentence.
Example:
- It rained last night. Nonetheless, the final match has not been cancelled.
- Last season there was a great drought; consequently, we could not grow crops.
Adverbs of place. Respond to the question “where?” Tells about where something happens or where something is. In general, adverbs of place are located after the object of the sentence or after the verb. Example words: Nearby, down, here, everywhere, near, backwards, away, upwards…
Example sentences
- I’ve lived here for about two years.
- I walked back towards the door.
Sentence Adverbs. A sentence adverb starts the sentence and modifies the whole sentence.
Example:
- Hopefully, we will win the match.
- Apparently, The sky is getting cloudy.
Adverbs of affirmation. Adverbs of affirmation serve to support what one says, to affirm something (or on the contrary to minimize an assertion, to express a doubt). Adverbs of affirmation are certainly, certainly, certainly, yes, perhaps, precisely, probably, probably, willingly, really, and so on.
Example:
- I would have gladly joined my friends.
- Adverbs of frequency. This type of adverb shows how often something happens, as in “I usually take the bus around 7″ or “I often lose track of time.”Frequency Adverbs includes: Always, usually, normally, often, sometimes, occasionally, once, seldom, rarely, never e.tc.
Example sentences
- They often go out for dinner.
- I hardly eat junk food.
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