An adverb phrase is simply a group of two or more words that function as an adverb in a

sentence. An adverb can modify a verb, adjective or another adverb, an adverb phrase of more
than one word can further describe a verb, adverb, or adjective.

Adverb phrases: types and meanings

An adverb phrase can consist of one adverb or an adverb plus other words before
it (premodification) or after it (postmodification). Adverb phrases have many
different meanings.

In the examples the adverb phrases are in bold. The other words that modify the
adverb are underlined.

example type used to give information about

We walked very carefully across the floor. manner how something happens

Here is where I was born.

place where something happens
That’s it. Right there.

Dad got home very late. time when something happens

This pill will take away the pain temporarily. duration how long something happens

They almost never invite people to their house

frequency how often something happens
these days.

A:

Want some sugar in your coffee?

focusing something specific
B:

Only half a spoon, please.

how much or to what degree

That dog behaves incredibly stupidly! degree
something happens
 example type used to give information about

The train will probably be late. certainty or how certain or necessary someth
It doesn’t necessarily mean that. necessity is

Unfortunately for me, I can’t speak Italian. evaluative the speaker’s opinion of somethi

Personally, I don’t see why the party has to the speaker’s perspective or
viewpoint
start so early. reaction

It rained very heavily this summer. Therefore, relationships between clauses an

linking
many of the vegetables were very small. sentences

See also:

Adverb phrases typically answer the questions how, where, why or when something was done:
Consider the following sentences:

 I parked the car here.

 I parked the car right here.
 I parked the car right here under the bridge.

The sentence contains the adverb "here" to describe where the car was parked. The third
sentence contains the adverb phrase "right here," which emphasizes where the car was parked
and employs a phrase instead of a single adverb.
The final sentence of the group contains a longer, more informative adverbial phrase. Note that
"right here under the bridge" is a prepositional phrase that uses the preposition "under" and the
object "bridge." In this case, the prepositional phrase functions as an adverb in the sentence.
Since it modifies the verb to describe location, it is both a prepositional phrase and an adverbial
phrase.

Adverb Phrases Show How,

Where, Why, When
A simple adverb phrase usually contains an adverb and at least one other word before or after
it, though a prepositional phrase or infinitive phrase can also act as an adverbial.
Adverb Phrases Describing How
 Surprisingly well
 In total silence
 Often under duress
 Very carefully
 Quite easily
Adverb Phrases Describing Where
 Near the edge
 Through the looking glass
 Over the rainbow
 By the mailbox
 Around the sun
Adverb Phrases Describing Why
 To understand better
 For her happily ever after
 For pity's sake
 To make the most of it
 To end discrimination
Adverb Phrases Describing When
 As quickly as possible
 Any time
 Yesterday afternoon
 After a few minutes
 Never at midnight

Adverb Phrase in a Sentence

Adverb phrases can be used in any position in a sentence. Consider these adverb phrase
examples so you'll know what you're looking for:
 Bob nodded like a bobblehead.
 Meet me at the mall later this evening.
 Without thinking, he turned down the road.
 They must kiss before sunset to break the spell.
 She went online for more information.
 In the forest, many creatures snarl and growl.
 I will not do that, never in a million years!
 Dad spoke softly to calm her fears.
 They have a house right by the ocean.
 She slammed the door in a huff.
 We will reconvene earlier than usual.
 Truly happy, I gave him my answer.
 She took some time off for a much-needed vacation.
 At every turn, problems blocked his path.
 I saw a lot of trash beside the highway.
 He decided to join a gym to get in shape.
  The dog came in for his bath, incredibly reluctantly.
 We strolled through the gardens very slowly.
 He made his decision as quickly as possible.
 Put the flowers by the birdbath.
 Jose always arrives sooner than the other students.
 She flew the plane through the fog calmly and skillfully.
 So as not to disturb anyone, Michelle tiptoed to bed.
 The seamstress mended the hem with needle and thread.
 Sometimes I don't clean under the bed.
 He performed the tasks without care.
 Come closer to get a better look.
 Take this medication as often as needed.
 The oath was recited somewhat hesitantly.
 Mary needs to drive her new car much more carefully.
 To see the view, Harry climbed to the peak.
 The mystery books were placed next to the crime dramas.
 The line was moving frustratingly slowly.
 The parade coursed around the town square.
 She runs five miles every day.
 The children opened their presents with delight.
 This product is available in all places.
 She responded very rudely.
 You need to wash your hands better than that.
 He stood on this very spot and lied to me.

Adverb Phrases vs. Adverb Clauses

It is important to remember that a phrase is a group of words that does not contain a subject and
a verb. When you look at the adverb phrase examples above, you'll see that "right here under
the bridge" does not contain a verb, so it is just a long phrase.
An adverb clause, on the other hand, is a group of words that does contain a subject and a verb.
That group of words modifies a verb, adverb or adjective in the sentence, just as an adverb
phrase does. For example:
 I parked the car where I could easily find it later.

Position Of Adverbs In English

Sentences
#1 – DO NOT PLACE AN ADVERB BETWEEN
A VERB AND ITS OBJECT.
In the following sentence, painted is the verb, and the house is the
object. Carefully is the adverb.
 I carefully painted the house. = Correct
 I painted the house carefully. = Correct
 I painted carefully the house. = Incorrect
Here’s another example. In this sentence, read is the verb, a book is the object,
and sometimes is the adverb.
 I sometimes read a book before bed. = Correct
 Sometimes I read a book before bed. = Correct
 I read a book before bed sometimes. = OK, but informal
 I read sometimes a book before bed. = Incorrect

#2 – THERE ARE THREE NORMAL

POSITIONS FOR ADVERBS.
FRONT POSITION: AT THE BEGINNING OF A
CLAUSE
 Suddenly the phone rang.
 Fortunately, nobody was injured.
 Maybe I’ll go for a walk.
MID-POSITION: NEXT TO THE MAIN VERB
 I always exercise before work.
 They have completely forgotten about our appointment.
 He was probably late for the interview.
 She slowly began to recover from her illness.
END-POSITION: AT THE END OF A CLAUSE
 You speak English well.
 Please sit there.
 They ate dinner quietly.

3 – THE POSITION OF ADVERBS DEPENDS

ON THEIR TYPE. SOME ADVERBS CAN GO
IN VARIOUS POSITIONS.
ADVERBS OF MANNER
Ex) quickly, slowly, easily, happily, well,* badly, seriously

 Mid-position gives less emphasis to the adverb:

 He quickly corrected his mistake.
 She easily passed the test.
 We happily accepted the invitation.
 End-position gives more emphasis to the adverb:
 He corrected his mistake quickly.
 She passed the test easily.
 We accepted the invitation happily.
* Adverbs of manner not ending in -ly (like well, hard, and fast) can only appear in
the end position:
 They dance well.
 He’s working hard.
 She runs fast.
3 – THE POSITION OF ADVERBS DEPENDS
ON THEIR TYPE. SOME ADVERBS CAN GO
IN VARIOUS POSITIONS.
ADVERBS OF MANNER
Ex) quickly, slowly, easily, happily, well,* badly, seriously

 Mid-position gives less emphasis to the adverb:

 He quickly corrected his mistake.
 She easily passed the test.
 We happily accepted the invitation.
 End-position gives more emphasis to the adverb:
 He corrected his mistake quickly.
 She passed the test easily.
 We accepted the invitation happily.
* Adverbs of manner not ending in -ly (like well, hard, and fast) can only appear in
the end position:
 They dance well.
 He’s working hard.
 She runs fast.

ADVERBS OF TIME & FREQUENCY

Definite frequency: Ex) daily,* weekly,* every year, last week
Front-position or end-position (more common).
 I study English every day.
 Every day, I study English.
 We went to Australia last year.
 Last year we went to Australia.
The single-word adverbs of frequency cannot go in the front-position:

 I speak with my mother daily.

 Let’s meet weekly to share updates on the project.
Indefinite frequency: Ex) often, usually, frequently, occasionally, sometimes, rarely,
always, never, finally, eventually, soon
Always and never go in the mid-position, before the verb:
 I always wake up early.
 We never imagined this would be so hard.
 The others can go in various positions:

 Usually I take the bus to work.

 I usually take the bus to work.
 Soon you’ll be finished with school.
 You’ll soon be finished with school.
 You’ll be finished with school soon.
 We occasionally drink wine.
 Occasionally we drink wine.
 We drink wine occasionally.
 We drink occasionally wine. = Incorrect!
Remember never to put an adverb in between the verb and its object.

ADVERBS OF PLACE
Ex) downstairs, outside, nearby, south/southward, towards, backwards,
everywhere

Usually go in end-position or mid-position immediately after the verb:

 The children are playing outside.
 The glass shattered and the pieces flew everywhere.
 They drove south/southward on the highway.
 He walked towards the police station.

CONNECTING & COMMENTING ADVERBS

Connecting adverbs show the relationship between events or ideas: Ex) however,
anyway, then, next, similarly, additionally, furthermore, otherwise
Commenting adverbs show us the speaker’s attitude or opinion about the sentence:
Ex) fortunately, surprisingly, stupidly, personally, honestly
Both of these usually go in the front-position…
 First I went to the bank. Then I went to the post office.
 The test will be difficult. However, the students are well prepared.
 He doesn’t have a job. Furthermore, he’s not interested in finding one.
 I dropped my wallet on the street. Surprisingly, an honest person found it and gave
it back to me.
 They showed me all the products available. Honestly, I didn’t like any of them.
…although for some of them other positions are possible:

 They showed me all the products available. I didn’t like any of them, honestly.
 They showed me all the products available. I honestly didn’t like any of them.
 ADVERBS OF CERTAINTY
Ex) definitely, certainly, clearly, obviously, probably, maybe, perhaps

Maybe and perhaps usually go in the front-position:

 Maybe we’ll go out to eat tonight.
 Perhaps I should explain further.
Other adverbs of certainty usually go in the mid-position:
 We’ll probably go out to eat tonight.
 I should definitely explain further.
 He clearly made a mistake.
 That’s certainly not the case.

EMPHASIZING ADVERBS
Ex) very, really, extremely, terribly, quite, pretty, almost

These words usually go in the mid-position, immediately before the word that they
emphasize.
 We’re very tired.
 Their new house is really impressive.
 He plays the piano extremely badly.
 This lesson is pretty easy to understand.
 The employees are terribly underpaid.
 It’s quite generous of you to let me stay at your house.
 We almost got lost in the city.