Adverbs are flexible words that modify verbs, adjectives, other adverbs, and even whole sentences.
They give us more information about when (time), where (place), how (manner), how often (frequency), or to what extent (degree) something happens.
When: We went for a run earlier.
Where: The taxi is outside.
How: He works hard.
How often: I always get up at around 7am.
To what extent: She really likes pizza.
Beyond these core functions, adverbs can also be used to express probability, duration, emphasis, and more (yes, adverbs really are that versatile).
The most common pattern adverbs take is the -ly ending (e.g., careful → carefully / quick → quickly), but many others don’t follow this pattern (e.g., fast, hard, well, here, always).
Common Adverbs
| When? | Where? | How? | How Often? | To What Extent? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| yesterday | here | well | always | a little |
| recently | nearby | easily | usually | fairly |
| already | there | quickly | often | quite |
| still | inside | slowly | frequently | really |
| now | outside | gently | regularly | very |
| immediately | back | carefully | sometimes | rather |
| earlier | everywhere | quietly | occasionally | extremely |
| soon | anywhere | beautifully | rarely | completely |
| tonight | abroad | badly | seldom | so |
| tomorrow | nowhere | hard | never | too |
Remember: Adverbs tell us more about verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. If we want to describe a noun, we always use adjectives.
Adverbs in Use
- Recently, I started learning guitar.
- She moved abroad after graduation.
- He speaks fluently in three languages.
- I usually walk to work.
- I feel so tired today.
- It will probably rain this afternoon.
- When does the shop close?
- We walked continuously for three hours on our hike today.
- Fortunately, there were no delays at the airport.
* Adverbs
- Recently, I started learning guitar.
Types of Adverbs
All adverbs modify other words, but they provide different types of information. We can classify them into types based on what kind of information they provide.
1) Adverbs of Time
Time adverbs indicate when something happens:
- I’ll call you back later.
- I recently started a new job.
- I’m free today if you want to catch up.
Time Adverb Examples: yesterday / today / tonight / tomorrow / now / recently / previously / early / later / soon / still / already / nowadays / immediately / first / then / next / finally / afterwards / before / after / while
2) Adverbs of Place
Place adverbs tell us where something happens:
- The dog is still outside.
- I have looked everywhere for my keys, and I still can’t find them.
- Step forward, please.
Place Adverb Examples: here / there / outside / inside / nearby / back / everywhere / anywhere / abroad / nowhere / somewhere / up / down / away / forward / backward / sideways
3) Adverbs of Manner
Manner adverbs tell us how something is done:
- Our English teacher speaks slowly and clearly.
- Humpty Dumpty accidentally fell off the wall.
- Mark sang so badly on karaoke, but he still managed to win over the crowd.
Manner Adverb Examples: quickly / slowly / carefully / gently / quietly / loudly / softly / clearly / gracefully / efficiently / easily / badly / beautifully / well / expertly / poorly / perfectly / terribly / skilfully / deliberately / accidentally / reluctantly / purposely / unknowingly / unintentionally
4) Adverbs of Frequency
Frequency adverbs tell us how often something happens. We can organise them by how likely something is to happen, from never (0%) to always (100%):
Let’s see how this works in practice with some example sentences:
- I always check my phone when I wake up.
- We usually get a takeaway on Fridays if we have the money.
- I never drink coffee after 6 PM.
Frequency Adverb Examples: always / usually / often / sometimes / occasionally / rarely / never / frequently / regularly / constantly / repeatedly / hardly / ever / seldom
5) Adverbs of Degree
Degree adverbs tell us to what extent or how much something happens:
- I’m really hungry.
- Tom Hardy is a very talented actor.
- Jalapeños are quite mild compared to other chillies.
Degree Adverb Examples: extremely / incredibly / very / really / quite / rather / fairly / somewhat / slightly / barely / hardly / completely / totally / absolutely / perfectly / entirely / almost / nearly / too / so / enough
6) Adverbs of Probability
Probability adverbs tell us how likely something is to happen:
- This traffic jam is definitely going to make us late.
- It’s potentially going to snow next week.
- The new IKEA supposedly opens next Monday.
Probability Adverb Examples: definitely / certainly / absolutely / undoubtedly / assuredly / obviously / clearly / plainly / evidently / surely / probably / likely / presumably / possibly / perhaps / maybe / potentially / supposedly / apparently / allegedly / reportedly / purportedly
7) Adverbs of Duration
Duration adverbs tell us how long something lasts:
- It was raining constantly this morning.
- The road is temporarily closed because of road works.
- I didn’t see the wet paint sign, and now my jacket is permanently stained.
Duration Adverb Examples: momentarily / briefly / temporarily / steadily / continuously / constantly / permanently / forever / indefinitely / eternally
8) Focusing Adverbs
Focusing adverbs emphasise or limit the scope of what they modify:
- Nick mainly works from home.
- She only wants a small piece of cake.
- The library is exclusively for university students.
Focusing Adverb Examples: only / just / merely / simply / exclusively / even / especially / particularly / specifically / also / mainly / mostly / primarily / chiefly / basically
9) Linking (Conjunctive) Adverbs
Linking adverbs connect sentences or clauses to show how ideas are related. They can indicate cause and result, contrast, addition, sequence, or give examples/clarification.
- He lost his keys; hence, he was stuck outside. (cause/result)
- The movie ‘The Irishman’ received great reviews; however, I didn’t enjoy it. (contrast)
- Julius Caesar was a Roman general and politician; moreover, he was an author. (addition)
- We rented some electric scooters to explore the city, then we went for lunch. (sequence)
- Certain apps make learning languages more digestible; for example, Duolingo. (example)
Linking Adverb Examples:
Cause / Result: therefore / thus / hence / accordingly / so
Contrast: however / nevertheless / nonetheless / still / yet
Addition: also / moreover / furthermore / besides / likewise
Sequence: then / next / afterwards / meanwhile / finally
Example / Clarification: for example / namely / indeed / specifically / actually / that is
What Adverbs Modify
Adverbs Modifying Verbs
Adverbs most commonly modify verbs.
When verbs describe actions or states, adverbs tell us more about those actions or states, specifically when, where, how, how often, or to what extent they occur.
Consider this sentence where the verb is not modified by an adverb:
- Juliet speaks German.
This sentence provides us with basic information. We know the action (speaking) and the object of that action (German language). We understand that Juliet can speak German, but we don’t know anything else about her German language abilities.
Now, let’s add an adverb to that same sentence:
- Juliet speaks German fluently.
Here, the manner adverb fluently modifies the verb speaks and tells us how well Juliet speaks German. Put simply, the verb tells us what she can do (speak German), and the adverb tells us how well she can do it (fluently).
Adverbs work with verbs to relay various types of information.
- When something happens (time adverbs):
> The test starts now.- Where something happens (place adverbs):
> He’s studying upstairs.- How something happens (manner adverbs):
> She plays the piano beautifully.- How often something happens (frequency adverbs):
> My parents rarely drink alcohol.- To what extent something happens (degree adverbs):
> I completely understand.
Adverbs Modifying Adjectives
When adverbs modify adjectives, they usually indicate the degree or extent to which the adjective applies to the noun.
Consider this sentence containing the adjective hot:
- This soup is hot.
This sentence tells us about the temperature of the soup, but we don’t know exactly how hot it is or what, if any, implications this has for the speaker.
Now, consider the same sentence with the adverb too:
- This soup is too hot.
Here, the degree adverb too modifies the adjective hot. It tells us not just that the soup is hot, but that it exceeds an acceptable level of heat and presumably the speaker is unable to eat it due to the excessive temperature.
Degree adverbs such as too, very, quite, and really are the most common type used with adjectives. However, other adverb types can also modify adjectives to provide different kinds of information.
For example:
- My soup is already cold. (time adverb)
- This soup is simply delicious. (focusing adverb)
- The soup here is always delicious. (frequency adverb)
Placement Note: Adverbs that modify adjectives are typically placed directly before the adjective.
For example: very hot / quite tall / fairly warm / extremely tired / absolutely fascinating / slightly sweet / perfectly clear / incredibly detailed / rather challenging / too bitter
– Flat Adverbs
A flat adverb is an adverb that takes the same form as its corresponding adjective.
Consider the word quick, which is not a flat adverb:
- He is a quick runner. (adjective quick describes the noun runner)
- He runs quickly. (adverb quickly modifies the verb runs)
Here, the -ly ending on quickly clearly signals that this word is functioning as an adverb to modify the verb runs.
Now compare this with fast, which is a flat adverb:
- He is a fast runner. (adjective fast describes the noun runner)
- He runs fast. (adverb fast modifies the verb runs)
Here, the word fast is functioning as both an adjective and an adverb using exactly the same form. In the first sentence, fast is an adjective because it describes the noun runner. In the second sentence, fast is an adverb because it modifies the verb runs.
As such, we can’t always rely on adverbs having -ly endings to identify them. The key to differentiating between flat adverbs and adjectives is identifying what is being modified in the sentence.
- If a word is modifying a noun, then it is serving as an adjective.
- If a word is modifying a verb, adjective, or adverb, then it is serving as an adverb.
Here are some common flat adverbs shown in both their adjective and adverb functions:
Adjectives vs. Flat Adverbs
| Adjective / Adverb | As Adjective (Modifying Nouns) | As Flat Adverb |
|---|---|---|
| fast | – Our new apartment has fast internet. | – He always eats fast. |
| hard | – Tending an allotment is hard work. | – She works hard. |
| early | – I prefer early appointments. | – I like to arrive early for appointments. |
| late | – He missed the late train home. | – He tends to arrive late. |
| high | – Athletes need to maintain a high level of fitness. | – Cats can jump high. |
| straight | – Draw a straight line on the paper. | – Walk straight to the end of this street. |
| wrong | – That was the wrong number. | – He dialled the number wrong. |
Adverbs Modifying Adverbs
When adverbs modify other adverbs, the first adverb provides additional information about the second adverb.
Most often, the modifying adverb is a degree adverb, which tells us the extent or intensity of the second adverb. (e.g., very quickly / quite slowly / extremely well / rather badly / almost never).
Consider this sentence:
| Subject | Verb | Adverb |
|---|---|---|
| Tim | arrived | late. |
Here, the time adverb late modifies the verb arrived and tells us that Tim didn’t arrive on time.
Now, let’s consider the same sentence with an additional adverb:
| Subject | Verb | Adverb 1 | Adverb 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tim | arrived | very | late. |
Here, we have an adverb + adverb construction. The first adverb (very) modifies the second adverb (late), and late modifies the verb arrived. The extra adverb tells us the degree of lateness. It shows not just that Tim was late, but how late he was.
Placement Note: When an adverb modifies another adverb, it is typically placed directly before the adverb it modifies.
Adverbs Modifying Whole Sentences
Some adverbs can modify entire sentences. When adverbs do this, we call them sentence adverbs.
Examples: obviously / clearly / certainly / evidently / probably / possibly / actually / unfortunately / luckily / hopefully / surprisingly / honestly / frankly / admittedly / ultimately / thankfully
Adverbs that modify whole sentences typically provide context or a perspective from which the sentence should be understood.
Consider these sentences:
- You have to wear a seatbelt.
- Legally, you have to wear a seatbelt.
The first sentence states a general requirement. However, in the second sentence, the adverb legally modifies the statement ‘you have to wear a seatbelt’. The statement is framed specifically as a legal obligation.
Sentence adverbs often give an insight into a speaker’s attitude, opinion, judgment or level of certainty towards a situation.
- Thankfully, no one was hurt in the accident.
- Sadly, the wildfire destroyed thousands of acres of forest.
- Apparently, they live abroad now.
- Definitely, it’s going to rain today.
It might be helpful to think of sentence adverbs as the speaker providing you with a lens through which to understand the information in the whole sentence.
Placement Note: Sentence adverbs most commonly appear at the beginning of the sentence followed by a comma. However, they can also appear mid-sentence, set off by commas on both sides.
For instance:
- Unfortunately, the concert was cancelled.
- The concert, unfortunately, was cancelled.
Adverbial Phrases
Up to now, we have mainly been using single-word adverbs (e.g., quickly, always, here).
Adverbs can also be made up of more than one word. We call these adverbial phrases.
Adverbial phrases work the same way as single-word adverbs: they modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. The difference is simply that they use multiple words to do the job.
Adverbial Phrases: Types and Examples
| Adverb Type | Single-Word Adverb | Adverbial Phrase |
|---|---|---|
| Time | yesterday | last weekend |
| Place | outside | on your right |
| Manner | accidentally | by accident |
| Frequency | often | every ten minutes |
| Degree | greatly | a great deal |
| Probability | probably | there’s a good chance |
| Duration | temporarily | for an entire month |
| Focusing | particularly | in particular |
| Linking | moreover | what’s more |
Examples:
- Time: We went camping last weekend.
- Place: Walk down the hallway and the bathroom is on your right.
- Manner: Humpty Dumpty fell off the wall by accident.
- Frequency: The bus comes every ten minutes.
- Degree: Her Spanish has improved a great deal since moving to Madrid.
- Probability: There’s a good chance it’s going to rain today.
- Duration: The library will be closed for an entire month due to renovations.
- Focusing: Luke loves ancient history, in particular Roman history.
- Linking: Shakespeare wrote 37 plays during his lifetime, and what’s more, he invented over 1,700 words we still use today.
Adverb Degrees of Comparison
Like adjectives, adverbs have three forms: absolute (e.g., fluently), comparative (e.g., more fluently), and superlative (e.g., most fluently).
These forms let us compare how actions are performed.
Absolute Adverbs
Absolute adverbs are the standard form that we’ve been using throughout this page. They describe actions without making any comparison.
Example:
- She speaks French fluently.
The adverb fluently tells us how she speaks French, without comparing her to anyone else.
Comparative Adverbs
Comparative adverbs compare how two people or things perform an action.
Example:
- She speaks French more fluently than her brother.
The adverb more fluently compares her French-speaking ability to her brother’s.
Note: As with comparative adjectives, we often use the word than to connect the two things being compared.
Superlative Adverbs
Superlative adverbs identify who or what performs an action to the greatest or least degree within a group.
Example:
- Out of the whole family, she speaks French the most fluently.
Here, the most fluently shows that her French-speaking ability exceeds everyone else’s in the family.
Note: We typically use the before superlative adverbs.
Forming Comparative and Superlative Adverbs
When we change an absolute adverb into its comparative or superlative form, the rules we follow depend on the type of adverb.
– Most Adverbs (ending in -ly)
Most adverbs, particularly those ending in -ly, use more for the comparative and most for the superlative:
| Absolute | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| carefully | more carefully | most carefully |
| quietly | more quietly | most quietly |
| efficiently | more efficiently | most efficiently |
Example:
- He drives carefully, his wife drives more carefully, but their daughter drives the most carefully of all.
– Flat Adverbs
Flat adverbs share the same form as their adjective counterparts (e.g., fast, hard, early). These add -er for the comparative and -est for the superlative:
| Absolute | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| fast | faster | fastest |
| hard | harder | hardest |
| early | earlier | earliest |
Example:
- I wake up early, my sister wakes up earlier, but my dad wakes up the earliest.
– Irregular Adverbs
Some common adverbs have completely unique comparative and superlative forms:
| Absolute | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| well | better | best |
| badly | worse | worst |
| far | further/farther | furthest/farthest |
| little | less | least |
Example:
- I sing badly, my brother sings worse, but my dad sings the worst of all of us.