Adverbs

Adverbs are a very broad collection of words that may describe how, where, or when an
action took place. They may also express the viewpoint of the speaker about the action, the
intensity of an adjective or another adverb, or several other functions.

Adverbs in English
What adverbs are and what they are for
Forming adverbs from adjectives
Forming the comparative and the superlative of adverbs
Adverbs of place
Adverbs of time
Adverbs of manner
Adverbs of degree
Adverbs of certainty
Viewpoint and commenting adverbs
Relative adverbs
Interrogative adverbs

Using adverbs in English

Adverbs modify, or tell us more about, other words. Usually adverbs
modify verbs, telling us how, how often, when, or where something was
done. The adverb is placed after the verb it modifies.

Examples

 The bus moved slowly.

 The bears ate greedily.
 The driver drove the car fast.

Sometimes adverbs modify adjectives, making them stronger or weaker.

Examples

 You look absolutely fabulous!

 He is slightly overweight.
 You are very persistent.

Some types of adverbs can modify other adverbs, changing their degree
or precision.
Examples

 She played the violin extremely well.

 You're speaking too quietly.
Forming adverbs from adjectives
In most cases, an adverb is formed by adding -ly to an adjective

Adjecti Adver
ve b

cheap cheapl
y

quick quickl
y

slow slowly

If the adjective ends in -y, replace the y with i and add -ly

Adjecti Adver
ve b

easy easily

angry angril
y

happy happil
 Adjecti Adver
ve b

lucky luckily

If the adjective ends in -able, -ible, or -le, replace the -e with -y.

Adjecti Adver
ve b

probabl probabl
e y

terrible terribly

gentle gently

If the adjective ends in -ic, add -ally. Exception: public -> publicly
 Adjecti Adverb
ve

basic basically

tragic tragically

economi economica
c lly

Some adverbs have the same form as the adjective: early, fast, hard,
high, late, near, straight, & wrong

Examples

 It is a fast car.
 He drives very fast.
 This is a hard exercise.
 He works hard.
 We saw many high buildings.
 The bird flew high in the sky.

Well is the adverb that corresponds to the adjective good.

Examples

 He is a good student.
 He studies well.
 She is a good pianist.
 She plays the piano well.
 They are good swimmers.
 They swim well.

Comparative and superlative

adverbs
With adverbs ending in -ly, you must use more to form the comparative,
and most to form the superlative.

Adver Comparati Superlativ

b ve e

quietly more quietly most quietly

slowly more slowly most slowly

seriousl more most

y seriously seriously

Examples

 The teacher spoke more slowly to help us to understand.

 Could you sing more quietly please?

With short adverbs that do not end in -ly comparative and superlative
forms are identical to adjectives: add -er to form the comparative and -
est to form the superlative. If the adverb ends in e, remove it before
adding the ending.

Adver Comparati Superlati

b ve ve

hard harder hardest

fast faster fastest

late later latest

 Adver Comparati Superlati
b ve ve

Examples

 Jim works harder than his brother.

 Everyone in the race ran fast, but John ran the fastest of all.

Some adverbs have irregular comparative and superlative forms.

Adver Comparativ Superlative

b e

badly worse worst

far farther/ farthest/

further furthest

little less least

well better best

Examples

 The little boy ran farther than his friends.

 You're driving worse today than yesterday !
 He played the best of any player.

Adverbs of place
Adverbs of place tell us where something happens. Adverbs of place are
usually placed after the main verb or after the clause that they modify.
Adverbs of place do not modify adjectives or other adverbs. Some
examples of adverbs of place: here, everywhere, outside, away,
around

Examples

 John looked around but he couldn't see the monkey.

 I searched everywhere I could think of.
 I'm going back to school.
 Come in!
 They built a house nearby.
 She took the child outside.

Here and there

Here and there are common adverbs of place. They give a location
relative to the speaker. With verbs of movement, here means "towards or
with the speaker" and there means "away from, or not with the speaker".

Sentence Meaning

Come here! Come towards me.

The table is in Come with me; we will go see it

here. together.

Put it there. Put it in a place away from me.

The table is in Go in; you can see it by yourself.

there.

Here and there are combined with prepositions to make many common
adverbial phrases.
Examples

 What are you doing up there?

 Come over here and look at what I found!
 The baby is hiding down there under the table.
 I wonder how my driver's license got stuck under here.

Here and there are placed at the beginning of the sentence in

exclamations or when emphasis is needed. They are followed by the verb
if the subject is a noun or by a pronoun if the subject is a pronoun.
Examples

 Here comes the bus!

 There goes the bell!
 There it is!
 Here they are!

Adverbs of place that are also prepositions

Many adverbs of place can also be used as prepositions. When used as
prepositions, they must be followed by a noun.

Word Used as an adverb of place, Used as a preposition

modifying a verb

aroun The marble rolled around in I am wearing a

d my hand. necklace around my neck.

behin Hurry! You are getting Let's hide behind the shed.
d behind.

down Mary fell down. John made his way

carefully down the cliff.

in We decided to drop in on Jake. I dropped the letter in the

 Word Used as an adverb of place, Used as a preposition
modifying a verb

mailbox.

off Let's get off at the next stop. The wind blew the flowers off
the tree.

on We rode on for several more Please put the books on the

hours. table.

over He turned over and went back I think I will hang the
to sleep. picture over my bed.

Adverbs of place ending in -where

Adverbs of place that end in -where express the idea of location without
specifying a specific location or direction.

Examples

 I would like to go somewhere warm for my vacation.

 Is there anywhere I can find a perfect plate of spaghetti around
here?
I have nowhere to go.
I keep running in to Sally everywhere!

Adverbs of place ending in -wards

Adverbs of place that end in -wards express movement in a particular
direction.

Examples
  Cats don't usually walk backwards.
 The ship sailed westwards.
 The balloon drifted upwards.
 We will keep walking homewards until we arrive.

Be careful: Towards is a preposition, not an adverb, so it is always

followed by a noun or a pronoun.
Examples

 He walked towards the car.

 She ran towards me.

Adverbs of place expressing both movement &

location
Some adverbs of place express both movement & location at the same
time.

Examples

 The child went indoors.

 He lived and worked abroad.
 Water always flows downhill.
 The wind pushed us sideways.

Adverbs of time
Adverbs of time tell us when an action happened, but also for how long,
and how often. Adverbs of time are invariable. They are extremely
common in English. Adverbs of time have standard positions in a sentence
depending on what the adverb of time is telling us.

Adverbs that tell us when

Adverbs that tell us when are usually placed at the end of the
sentence.

Examples

 Goldilocks went to the Bears' house yesterday.

 I'm going to tidy my room tomorrow.
 I saw Sally today.
 I will call you later.
 I have to leave now.
 I saw that movie last year.
Putting an adverb that tells us when at the end of a sentence is a neutral
position, but these adverbs can be put in other positions to give a
different emphasis. All adverbs that tell us when can be placed at the
beginning of the sentence to emphasize the time element. Some can also
be put before the main verb in formal writing, while others cannot occupy
that position.
Examples

 Later Goldilocks ate some porridge. (the time is important)

 Goldilocks later ate some porridge. (this is more formal, like a
policeman's report)
 Goldilocks ate some porridge later. (this is neutral, no particular
emphasis)

Adverbs that tell us for how long

Adverbs that tell us for how long are also usually placed at the end of the
sentence.

Examples

 She stayed in the Bears' house all day.

 My mother lived in France for a year.
 I have been going to this school since 1996.

In these adverbial phrases that tell us for how long, for is always followed
by an expression of duration, while since is always followed by an
expression of a point in time.
Examples

 I stayed in Switzerland for three days.

 I am going on vacation for a week.
 I have been riding horses for several years.
 The French monarchy lasted for several centuries.
 I have not seen you since Monday.
 Jim has been working here since 1997.
 There has not been a more exciting discovery since last century.

Adverbs that tell us how often

Adverbs that tell us how often express the frequency of an action. They
are usually placed before the main verb but after auxiliary verbs (such
as be, have, may, & must). The only exception is when the main verb is
"to be", in which case the adverb goes after the main verb.

Examples

I often eat vegetarian food.

  He never drinks milk.
 You must always fasten your seat belt.
 I am seldom late.
 He rarely lies.

Many adverbs that express frequency can also be placed at either the
beginning or the end of the sentence, although some cannot be. When
they are placed in these alternate positions, the meaning of the adverb is
much stronger.

Adverb that can be Stronger position Weaker position

used in two
positions

frequently I visit I frequently visit

France frequently. France.

generally Generally, I don't like I generally don't like

spicy foods. spicy foods.

normally I listen to classical I normally listen to

music normally. classical music.

occasionally I go to the I occasionally go to

opera occasionally. the opera.

often Often, I jog in the I often jog in the

morning. morning.

regularly I come to this I regularly come to

museum regularly. this museum.
 Adverb that can be Stronger position Weaker position
used in two
positions

sometimes I get up very I sometimes get up

early sometimes. very early.

usually I enjoy being with I usually enjoy being

children usually. with children.

Some other adverbs that tell us how often express the exact number of
times an action happens or happened. These adverbs are usually placed
at the end of the sentence.

Examples

 This magazine is published monthly.

 He visits his mother once a week.
 I work five days a week.
 I saw the movie seven times.

Using "yet"
Yet is used in questions and in negative sentences to indicate that
something that has not happened or may not have happened but is
expected to happen. It is placed at the end of the sentence or after not.

Examples

 Have you finished your work yet? (= simple request for information)
 No, not yet. (= simple negative answer)
 They haven't met him yet. (= simple negative statement)
 Haven't you finished yet? (= expressing surprise)

Using "still"
Still expresses continuity. In positive sentences it is placed before the
main verb and after auxiliary verbs such as be, have, might, will. If the
main verb is to be, then place still after it rather than before. In
questions, still goes before the main verb.
Examples

 She is still waiting for you.

 Jim might still want some.
 Do you still work for the BBC?
 Are you still here?
 I am still hungry.

Order of adverbs of time

If you need to use more than one adverb of time in a sentence, use them
in this order:

1: how long 2: how often 3: when

Examples

1 + 2 : I work (1) for five hours (2) every day

2 + 3 : The magazine was published (2) weekly (3) last year.
1 + 3 : I was abroad (1) for two months (3) last year.
1 + 2 + 3 : She worked in a hospital (1) for two days (2) every
week (3) last year.

Adverbs of manner
Adverbs of manner tell us how something happens. They are usually
placed either after the main verb or after the object.

Examples

 He swims well.
 He ran quickly.
 She spoke softly.
 James coughed loudly to attract her attention.
 He plays the flute beautifully. (after the direct object)
 He ate the chocolate cake greedily. (after the direct object)

An adverb of manner cannot be put between a verb and its direct object.
The adverb must be placed either before the verb or at the end of the
clause.
Examples

 He ate greedily the chocolate cake. [incorrect]

 He ate the chocolate cake greedily. [correct]
 He greedily ate the chocolate cake. [correct]
 He gave us generously the money. [incorrect]
  He gave us the money generously. [correct]
 He generously gave us the money. [correct]

If there is a preposition before the verb's object, you can place the adverb
of manner either before the preposition or after the object.
Examples

 The child ran happily towards his mother.

 The child ran towards his mother happily.

Adverbs of manner should always come immediately after verbs which

have no object (intransitive verbs).
Examples

 The town grew quickly after 1997.

 He waited patiently for his mother to arrive.

These common adverbs of manner are almost always placed directly after
the verb: well, badly, hard, & fast
Examples

 He swam well despite being tired.

 The rain fell hard during the storm.

The position of the adverb is important when there is more than one verb
in a sentence. If the adverb is placed before or after the main verb, it
modifies only that verb. If the adverb is placed after a clause, then it
modifies the whole action described by the clause. Notice the difference in
meaning between the following sentences.

Example Meaning

She quickly agreed to re-type the agreement is

the letter. quick

She agreed quickly to re-type the agreement is

the letter. quick
 Example Meaning

She agreed to re-type the the re-typing is

letter quickly. quick

He quietly asked me to leave the request is

the house. quiet

He asked me quietly to leave the request is

the house. quiet

He asked me to leave the the leaving is quiet

house quietly.

Literary usage
Sometimes an adverb of manner is placed before a verb + object to add
emphasis.

Examples

 He gently woke the sleeping woman.

 She angrily slammed the door.

Some writers put an adverb of manner at the beginning of the sentence to

catch our attention and make us curious.
Examples

 Slowly she picked up the knife.

 Roughly he grabbed her arm.

Adverbs of degree
Adverbs of degree tell us about the intensity of something. Adverbs of
degree are usually placed before the adjective, adverb, or verb that they
modify, although there are some exceptions. The words "too", "enough",
"very", and "extremely" are examples of adverbs of degree.

Adverb of Modifyi Example

degree ng

extremely adjective The water was extremely

cold.

quite adjective The movie is quite

interesting.

just verb He was just leaving.

almost verb She has almost finished.

very adverb She is running very fast.

too adverb You are walking too

slowly.

enough adverb You are running fast

enough.
Usage of "enough"
Enough can be used as both an adverb and as a determiner.

Enough as an adverb
Enough as an adverb meaning 'to the necessary degree' goes after the
adjective or adverb that it is modifying, and not before it as other adverbs
do. It can be used both in positive and negative sentences.

Examples

 Is your coffee hot enough?

 This box isn't big enough.
 He didn't work hard enough.
 I got here early enough.

Enough is often followed by "to" + the infinitive.

Examples

 He didn't work hard enough to pass the exam.

 Is your coffee hot enough to drink?
 She's not old enough to get married.
 I got here early enough to sign up.

Enough can also be followed by "for someone" or "for something".

Examples

 The dress was big enough for me.

 She's not experienced enough for this job.
 Is the coffee hot enough for you?
 He didn't work hard enough for a promotion.

Enough as a determiner
Enough as a determiner meaning 'as much/many as necessary' goes
before the noun it modifies. It is used with countable nouns in the plural
and with uncountable nouns.

Examples

 We have enough bread.

 You have enough children.
 They don't have enough food.
 I don't have enough apples.

Usage of "too"
"Too" is always an adverb, but it has two distinct meanings, each with its
own usage patterns.
Too meaning "also"
Too as an adverb meaning "also" goes at the end of the phrase it
modifies.

Examples

 I would like to go swimming too, if you will let me come.

 Can I go to the zoo too?
 Is this gift for me too?
 I'm not going to clean your room too!

Too meaning "excessively"

Too as an adverb meaning "excessively" goes before the adjective or
adverb it modifies. It can be used in both affirmative and negative
sentences.

Examples

 This coffee is too hot.

 He works too hard.
 Isn't she too young?
 I am not too short!

Too is often followed by "to" + the infinitive.

Examples

 The coffee was too hot to drink.

 You're too young to have grandchildren!
 I am not too tired to go out tonight.
 Don't you work too hard to have any free time?

Too can also be followed by "for someone" or "for something".

Examples

 The coffee was too hot for me.

 The dress was too small for her.
 He's not too old for this job.
 Sally's not too slow for our team.

Usage of "very"
Very goes before an adverb or adjective to make it stronger.

Examples

 The girl was very beautiful.

 The house is very expensive.
 He worked very quickly.
  She runs very fast.

If we want to make a negative form of an adjective or adverb, we can add

"not" to the verb, we can use an adjective or adverb of opposite meaning,
or we can use "not very" with the original adjective or adverb. The
meanings of the phrases are not identical. Usually the phrase using "not
very" is less direct, and thus more polite, than the other phrases.
Examples

Original Opposite Opposite Opposite meaning

phrase meaning with meaning with with an opposite
"not" "not very" word

The girl was The girl was The girl was not The girl was ugly.
beautiful. not beautiful. very beautiful.

He worked He did not work He did not work He worked slowly.

quickly. quickly. very quickly.

Difference in meaning between "very" and "too"

There is a big difference in meaning between "too" and "very". "Very"
expresses a fact while "too" suggests there is a problem.

Examples

 He speaks very quickly.

 He speaks too quickly for me to understand.
 It is very hot outside.
 It is too hot outside to go for a walk.

Other adverbs used like "very"

Some common adverbs are used in the same way as "very" to heighten
the degree of adjectives and adverbs.
 Expressing very Expressing strong Expressing
strong feelings feelings somewhat
doubtful feelings

extremely, terribly, especially, particularly, pretty, rather, fairly,

amazingly, uncommonly, unusually, not especially, not
wonderfully, insanely remarkably, quite particularly

The movie was The movie was The movie was fairly
amazingly particularly interesting. interesting.
interesting.

She sang wonderfully She sang unusually well. She sang pretty
well. well.

The lecture was The lecture was quite The lecture was
terribly boring. boring. rather boring.

Inversion with negative adverbs

Normally the subject goes before the verb, however, some negative
adverbs can cause an inversion when placed at the beginning of the
clause. The order is reversed and the verb goes before the subject. This
inversion is only used in writing, not in speaking.
 Adver Normal word order Inversion
b

Never I have never seen such Never have I seen such

courage. courage.

Rarely She rarely left the house. Rarely did she leave the
house.

Not She did not only the cooking Not only did she do the
only but the cleaning as well. cooking, but the cleaning as
well.

Scarce I scarcely closed the door Scarcely did I close the door
ly before he started talking. before he started talking.

Seldo We seldom cross the river Seldom do we cross the river

m after sunset. sunset.

Adverbs of certainty
Adverbs of certainty express how certain we feel about an action or event.
Adverbs of certainty go before the main verb unless the main verb is 'to
be', in which case the adverb of certainty goes after.

Examples

 He definitely left the house this morning.

 He surely won't forget.
 He is probably in the park.
  He is certainly a smart man.

If there is an auxiliary verb, the adverb of certainty goes between the

auxiliary and the main verb.
Examples

 He has certainly forgotten the meeting.

 He will probably remember tomorrow.
 He is definitely running late.

Sometimes these adverbs of certainty can be placed at the beginning of

the sentence.
Examples

 Undoubtedly, Winston Churchill was a great politician.

 Certainly, I will be there.
 Probably, he has forgotten the meeting.

When the adverb of certainty surely is placed at the beginning of the

sentence, it means the speaker thinks something is true, but is looking for
confirmation.
Examples

 Surely you've got a bicycle.

 Surely you're not going to wear that to the party.

Viewpoint and commenting

adverbs
There are some adverbs and adverbial expressions which tell us about the
speaker's viewpoint or opinion about an action, or make some comment
on the action. These adverbs are different from other adverbs because
they do not tell us how an action occurred. Commenting and viewpoint
adverbs modify entire clauses rather than single verbs, adverbs, or
adjectives. There is no real distinction between commenting adverbs and
viewpoint adverbs, except in their sentence placement. Many adverbs
that can be used as viewpoint adverbs can also be used as commenting
adverbs. However, in some cases, an adverb is far more common as one
or the other.

Sentence placement
Viewpoint adverbs are placed at the beginning, or more rarely, at the end
of the sentence. They are usually separated from the rest of the sentence
by a comma. Commenting adverbs are placed before the main verb
unless the verb "to be" is used, in which case placement can be either
before or after the verb. In some cases, commenting adverbs placed
before the main verb will also be separated from the rest of the sentence
by commas, although in most cases they will not be. In the examples
below, viewpoint and commenting adverbs are shown in the correct
sentence placements. When a sentence placement is unusual, stilted, or
too formal for spoken language, it is marked with an asterisk.

Viewpoint At the start Before the main At the end of a

or of a verb sentence
commenti sentence
ng adverb

clearly Clearly, he He clearly doesn't He doesn't know

doesn't know know what he is what he is
what he is doing. doing, clearly.
doing.

obviously Obviously, You You are acting

you are are obviously acting silly, obviously.
acting silly. silly

personally Personally, I'd personally rather I'd rather go by

I'd rather go go by train. train, personally.
by train.

presumably Presumably He presumably didn He didn't have

, he didn't 't have time to go to time to go to the
have time to the post office. post
go to the office, presumabl
post office. y.

seriously Seriously, I I seriously can't give I can't give this

Viewpoint At the start Before the main At the end of a
or of a verb sentence
commenti sentence
ng adverb

can't give this speech. speech, seriously.

this speech.

surely Surely you You surely tried to You tried to get

tried to get get here on time. here on
here on time. time, surely.

technically Technically, We technically cann We cannot fly to

we cannot fly ot fly to Mars and Mars and
to Mars and back. back, technically.
back.

undoubtedl Undoubtedl He undoubtedly has He has a good

y y, he has a a good reason not to reason not to
good reason come. come, undoubted
not to come. ly.

bravely Bravely, I I bravely kept on *I kept on

kept on walking. walking, bravely.
walking.

carelessly Carelessly, She carelessly threw *She threw her

she threw her book into the book into the
her book into
Viewpoint At the start Before the main At the end of a
or of a verb sentence
commenti sentence
ng adverb

the pond. pond. pond, carelessly.

certainly Certainly yo You certainly should You should be

u should be be there. / You there, certainly.
there. should certainlybe
there.

cleverly Cleverly, Sally cleverly hid the *Sally hid the

Sally hid the jellybeans. jellybeans, cleverl
jellybeans. y.

definitely *Definitely, You defintely are sm *You are

you are art. / You smart, definitely.
smart. are definitely smart.

foolishly Foolishly, They foolishly cried They cried

they cried out. out, foolishly.
out.

generously Generously, He generously dona *He donated the

he donated ted the money. money, generousl
the money. y.
Viewpoint At the start Before the main At the end of a
or of a verb sentence
commenti sentence
ng adverb

stupidly Stupidly, They stupidly played *They played in

they played in the street. the
in the street. street, stupidly.

obviously Obviously, We We are

we are lost. are obviously lost. / lost, obviously.
*We obviously are lo
st.

kindly Kindly, she She kindly fed the She fed the cat
fed the cat cat first. first, kindly.
first.

luckily Luckily, you You luckily got here You got here on
got here on on time. time, luckily.
time.

fortunately Fortunately We fortunately foun We found the

, we found d the boat. boat,fortunately.
the boat.

naturally Naturally, You naturally cannot You cannot be in

you cannot be in the circus now. the circus
be in the
Viewpoint At the start Before the main At the end of a
or of a verb sentence
commenti sentence
ng adverb

circus now. now, naturally.

wisely Wisely, she She wisely stayed She stayed home

stayed home home to take a nap. to take a
to take a nap, wisely.
nap.

confidential Confidentia I never gave him

ly lly, I never the
gave him the envelope, confide
envelope. ntially.

theoreticall Theoreticall We We could send

y y, we could could theoretically s astronauts to
send end astronauts to Mars, theoreticall
astronauts to Mars. / y.
Mars. We theoretically co
uld send astronauts
to Mars.

truthfully Truthfully, I I truthfully don't like I don't like

don't like chocolate much. chocolate
chocolate much, truthfully.
much.
Viewpoint At the start Before the main At the end of a
or of a verb sentence
commenti sentence
ng adverb

disappointi Disappointi She disappointingly She got fourth

ngly ngly, she got fourth place. place, disappointi
got fourth ngly.
place.

thoughtfull Thoughtfull I thoughtfully turne I turned

y y, I turned d away. away, thoughtfull
away. y.

simply *Simply, I I simply don't want

don't want to to come.
come.

unbelievabl Unbelievabl She unbelievably sh She showed up

y y, she owed up late again. late
showed up again, unbelievab
late again. ly.

unfortunate Unfortunat There There is no more

ly ely, there is is unfortunately no room, unfortunat
no more more room. / ely.
room. There unfortunately
is no more room.
Relative adverbs
The relative adverbs where, when & why can be used to join sentences or
clauses. They replace the more formal structure of preposition +
which used to introduce a relative clause.

Formal structure, preposition More common stucture using a

+ which relative adverb

That's the restaurant in which we That's the restaurant where we

met for the first time. met for the first time.

That picture was taken in the That picture was taken in the
park at whichI used to play. park where I used to play.

I remember the day on which we I remember the day when we first

first met. met.

There was a very hot summer the There was a very hot summer the
year in which he was born. year when he was born.

Tell me the reason for Tell me (the reason) why you came
which you came home late. home late.

Do you want to know the reason Do you want to know (the

for which he is angry with Sally? reason) whyhe is angry with Sally?
Interrogative adverbs
The interrogative adverbs why, where, how, & when are placed at the
beginning of a question. These questions can be answered with a
sentence or a prepositional phrase. After an interrogative adverb in a
question, you must invert the subject and verb so that the verb comes
first.

Examples

 Why are you so late? There was a lot of traffic.

 Where is my passport? In the drawer.
 How are you? I'm fine.
 When does the train arrive? At 11:15.

Uses of how
How can be used to form questions in four different ways. How can be
used by itself to mean "in what way".

Examples

 How did you make this sauce?

 How do you start the car?
 How can I get to your house?

How can be used with adjectives to ask about the degree of an attribute.
Examples

 How tall are you?

 How old is your house?
 How angry is mother?

How can be used with much and many to ask about quantity. Much is
used with uncountable nouns and many is used with countable nouns.
Examples

 How many people are coming to the party?

 How much flour do I need?
 How much are these tomatoes?

How can be used with other adverbs to ask about the frequency or degree
of an action.
Examples

 How quickly can you read this?

 How often do you go to London?
 How loudly does your brother scream?
How to tell the difference between
adverbs and adjectives in English
The difference between adjectives and adverbs in the English language,
how to use them, and how to identify them.

Adjectives and adverbs can be confusing if you are learning English, even
at an advanced level. So, learning the difference between the two will
boost your knowledge of English grammar and help you avoid some
common errors.

Adverbs and adjectives explained

Adjectives and adverbs are word classes or parts of speech. They are both
key parts of English grammar and add description to sentences. The
difference between them is what they describe.

Adjectives
Describe nouns or pronouns (people, places, or things). They never
describe other adjectives or verbs. For example:

“Mr. Smith is a happy man”

Adverbs
Describe verbs (actions or states of being) and other non-nouns or
pronouns.

“Mr. Smith ran fast”

The difference between adverbs and

adjectives
To tell the difference between these two words you need to look at the
role it plays in the sentence and what it is describing. Is it a thing, person,
occurrence, or action?
Adjective example
 “The dog is fast”

“Fast” is an adjective because it is describing a noun (dog).

Adverb example
 “The dog runs fast”

“Fast” is an adverb because it is describing a verb (runs).

Adverbs rules
Adverbs are very simple – they almost always describe verbs. They also
describe adjectives or other adverbs, but much less often.

To form an adverb you often just add the suffix -ly to the adjective. For
example:

 slow – slowly

 quick – quickly

 careful – carefully

 nice – nicely

Adverbs can also be formed from nouns by adding only –y. For example:

 wind – windy

 sun – sunny

 rain – rainy

Not all adverbs follow these rules, some don’t follow any pattern and
simply have to be learned. For example:

 good – well

 fast – fast
Pro tip: You can say “good job!” and “well done” but not
“very well weather.” The correct phrase is “very good weather.”

Adjective rules
Adjectives modify or give extra detail about a noun in a sentence. They
allow you to express deeper meaning or add feeling. For example:

 “We had a conversation”

This sentence has no adjective, so it’s hard to interpret what kind of

conversation happened. Adding an adjective can show what kind of
conversation it was. For example:

“We had an angry conversation”

Adding the adjective “angry” massively changes the meaning of this

sentence. It gives much more context about the kind of conversation and
allows the reader or listener to understand how the conversation went.

Adjectives also give clarity and can answer questions like “which” or
“what kind of”, for example:

“Our cat is very old”

The adjective “old” tells the reader or listener what kind of cat is being
described. Most of the time you would order an adjective to follow a noun
in a sentence, like the example above, but not always. For example:

“The red car drove past 10 minutes ago”

The adjective “red” (colours can also be nouns or verbs) indicates which
car drove past.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between adjectives and adverbs?
Adjectives and adverbs have different functions in sentences. The
difference between them is that adjectives describe nouns (people,
places, or things), and adverbs describe verbs (actions or states of being).
How are most adjectives changed into adverbs?
Most adjectives are changed into adverbs by simply adding the suffix “ly”
at the end of the word. For example, the adjective “bad” becomes the
adverb “badly”, “slow” becomes “slowly”, and “loud” becomes “loudly”.
There are also many exceptions to this rule, for example, the adjective
“good” becomes the adverb “well”.
What are adjectives and adverbs?
Adjectives and adverbs are two different types of word classes or types of
speech. Other examples include nouns, pronouns, and verbs. Adjectives
are used to describe nouns and pronouns and adverbs are used to
describe verbs.
Is “quickly” an adverb or an adjective?
“Quickly” is an adverb as it would be used in a sentence to describe a
verb. For example, “She walked quickly”. “Quickly” gives the reader
extra information in this sentence and describes the way in which she was
walking.