ADVERBS

Some adverbs are unrelated to other words, e.g. always, soon, very, perhaps, indeed; some are
related to nouns e.g. bodily, purposely, daily, etc. But most adverbs are formed from adjectives
with the suffix –ly: frank - frankly, usual - usually, etc.
Adverbs have two typical functions:
(A) as adverbial (modifying a verb or a whole clause)
He always (adverbial of time) drives carefully (adverbial of manner).
(B) as modifier of a) adjectives, b) adverbs, c) a number of other constructions:
a) He is an extremely careful driver.
b) He drives extremely carefully.
c) He lives in a house just outside the town.
A less common function is
(C) as complement of a preposition
I haven’t been here before now.

THE ADVERB USED AS A MODIFIER

• THE ADVERB MODIFIES AN ADJECTIVE

The adverb, in general, precedes the adjective:
He’s rather tall for a ten year old.
It’s extremely good of you to do this for me.
One adverb, enough, is placed after its adjective:
This just isn’t good enough!
The adverbs too, and how are exceptional. When they modify an adjective in a noun phrase,
the indefinite article is placed after the adjective:
He’s too good an actor to forget his lines.
How strange a feeling it was! <formal>
But with mass and plural nouns, where no indefinite article is present, these adverbs cannot
premodify the adjective. Instead, ‘how’ (in exclamations) is replaced by ‘what’:
What strange ideas you have! (not *How strange ideas you have!)

• THE ADVERB MODIFIES AN ADVERB

An adverb may premodify another adverb:
You seem to be smoking rather heavily these days.
As with adjectives, the only postmodifying adverb is enough:
Oddly enough, nothing valuable was stolen.

The adverb may modify an adverbial phrase:

He was madly in love with her.

• THE ADVERB MODIFIES A PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE

His parents are dead against his hitchhiking.
He threw it right through the window.

• THE ADVERB MODIFIES A DETERMINER, PRONOUN OR NUMERAL

He has hardly any friends.
Nearly everybody came to his party.
Over two hundred deaths were reported after the shipwreck.

The indefinite article can be premodified when ‘a’ = ‘one’:

My parents will stay for about a week.
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 • THE ADVERB MODIFIES A NOUN PHRASE
A few degree words can modify noun phrases. They include quite, rather, such, and what (in
exclamations). The noun phrase is normally indefinite, and the adverb precedes any
determiners:
The place was in rather a mess. <informal>
He told such a funny story.
funny stories.
What a fool he is!

• THE ADVERB MODIFIES A NOUN

Some adverbs denoting place or time postmodify nouns:
his journey home the meeting yesterday the day before
the sentence below the years ahead
In some phrases the adverb can also be used as a premodifier:
the statement above the above statement
our neighbour upstairs our upstairs neighbour

• THE ADVERB AS A COMPLEMENT OF A PREPOSITION

Some place and time adverbs act as complements of prepositions. The place adverbs, ‘here’
and ‘there’ occur for example with: around, down, from, in, near, out (of), over, round,
through, up. Others are restricted to follow from: above, abroad, below, downstairs, indoors,
inside, outside, within, without
I don’t know anybody around here. <informal>
He shouted at me from downstairs.
[over here, near there, from abroad, from behind, etc]
Examples of time adverbs which most commonly function as complement of prepositions:
I haven’t eaten since yesterday.
They didn’t mention their engagement till (a long time) afterwards.
After today, there will be no more concerts until December.
I’m saving the chocolates you gave me for later.
[since recently, till then, from now, for ever, etc]

❑ THE ADVERB AND OTHER WORD CLASSES

CONJUNCT ADVERB AND CONJUNCTION

A few adverbs functioning as conjuncts, such as ‘so’ and ‘yet’, resemble coordinators. These
adverbs cannot be transposed with their clause in front of the preceding clause. Thus, the order
of the following two clauses (with the conjunct adverb ‘so’ in the second clause) is fixed:
Oxford and Cambridge have a large income of their own. So they are not in quite the
same position as other universities.
If we reverse the order of the clauses, the relationship between the two clauses is changed, and
‘so’ must now refer to some preceding clause:
So they are not in quite the same position as other universities. Oxford and Cambridge
have a large income of their own.
However, the conjunct adverbs differ from coordinators in that they can be preceded by a
coordinator:
Oxford and Cambridge have a large income of their own, (and) so they are not in quite the
same position as other universities.
I want to leave, and yet I feel obliged to stay.

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 ADVERB AND PREPOSITION
There are various combinations of verbs plus particles (either a preposition or an adverb).
Since a preposition is normally followed by its complement (NP), the particle is an adverb if
the verb is intransitive:
Don’t look back in anger.
The boys were fooling around.
When a noun phrase follows the particle, the particle may still be an adverb. The particle in the
phrasal verb in [1] is an adverb because it can be transposed to follow the noun object, as in
[1a]:
They turned on the light. [1]
They turned the light on. [1a]
He turned down their proposal.
He turned their proposal down.
When the object is a pronoun, it is always placed before the adverb.
Please turn it on.
In contrast, ‘against’ in [2] is a preposition, part of the prepositional verb ‘go against’, because
its position is fixed, as we see from [2a]:
I don’t intend to go against my principles. [2]
* I don’t intend to go my principles against. [2a]
Thus with a verb + preposition, the preposition is placed before its object. We can’t put the
object between a verb and a preposition.
I’ve come into money. (* I’ve come money into)
I came into it when my father died. (* I came it into………)
In the case of some intransitive phrasal verbs, the second word can be a preposition if the
second thing involved needs to be mentioned, or can be an adverb if the second thing involved
is clear from the context.
…a puppy who had lagged behind the others. (prep)
After a while, I see he is deliberately lagging behind. (adv)
The same for some transitive phrasal verbs; the second word can be a preposition if the third
thing involved needs to be mentioned, or can be an adverb if the third thing involved is clear
from the context.
Rudolph showed them around the theatre.
Come on, I’ll show you around.

CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN ADJECTIVE AND ADVERB

A correspondence often exists between constructions containing adjectives and constructions

containing the corresponding adverbs. The simplest illustration is with adverbs equivalent to
prepositional phrases containing a noun phrase with the corresponding adjective as
premodifier:

He liked Mary to a considerable extent. He liked Mary considerably.

She explained the process in a brilliant manner. She explained the process brilliantly.
From the political point of view, it is a bad decision. Politically, it is a bad decision.

Here are some other examples of adjective-adverb correspondences:

Adjective: He’s a careful driver. Adverb: He drives carefully.
a heavy sleeper somebody who sleeps heavily
a former student somebody who was formerly a student
a faithful friend a friend who acts faithfully
a true scholar She is truly a scholar.

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The term ‘ADVERB’ refers to different kinds of words with quite different functions. The
popular definition of adverbs as words that ‘modify a verb, an adjective or another adverb’ is
neither accurate nor very helpful. Whereas it is relatively easy to define and describe what a
noun or an adjective is, we can only usefully define and describe different categories of adverb.
It is sometimes helpful to think of adverb as a ‘dustbin’ term – all the types of word that don’t
fit neatly into other categories such as noun, adjective, verb, preposition are lumped together as
adverbs.
The following is a useful way of dividing adverbs:

Categories Example
➢ Adverbs of Time
❖ Time – When soon, yesterday, lately, now
❖ Time Frequency often, never, repeatedly
❖ Time Duration overnight, long, permanently
➢ Adverbs of Manner carefully, silently, vividly, slowly
➢ Adverbs of Place around, downstairs, somewhere, here
➢ Adverbs of Degree almost, completely, very, extremely, rather
➢ Focusing Adverbs especially, mainly, even, also, only, particularly
➢ Comment adverbs obviously, frankly, stupidly, apparently
➢ Viewpoint adverbs logically, technically, morally
➢ Linking adverbs consequently, furthermore, however
➢ Adverbs of quantity a lot, a little, much

Many types of adverbs can be seen in the following text spoken by a family therapist who is
being interviewed about jealousy.

John: So was jealousy a bit of a problem amongst you and your brothers?
Robin: Absolutely (1-attitude marker). Jealous squabbles were always (2-frequency) bursting
out between us, and our parents could never (3 frequency) find a way of handling it
successfully (4-manner). ‘We can’t understand why they’re all so (5-degree) jealous,’ they’d
say to people. ‘We try to be fair.’ And they were. But because jealousy frightened and worried
them so (6-degree) much (7-quantity), we never got the chance of being properly (8-degree)
jealous, finishing it, going through it, and letting the feeling find its normal, natural place in
our personalities. Still, I’ve learned from this, and nowadays (9-time), when families I see
complain of jealousy in their children despite the fact that they always (10-frequency) cut the
cake equally (11-manner) with a ruler and give everyone penicillin when only (12-focusing)
one child has a sore throat, I know what to do. I usually (13-frequency) tell them that, though
they are such a nice, successful family in many ways, they’re obviously (14-attitude marker)
not very good at being jealous and need more practice before they come to see me next time.

❑ WHERE DO ADVERBS COME IN SENTENCES?

The rules which govern the position of adverbs in sentences are complex. They take into
account what kind of meaning the adverb expresses and what information the speaker or writer
wishes to highlight. Some adverbs are an intrinsic part of phrases (e.g. adverbs of manner, of
degree, of quantity and some focusing adverbs), and their position is relatively inflexible.
Other adverbs (e.g. attitude markers/comment adverbs, adverbs of time and place and adverbs
of frequency) may refer to whole clauses or to larger parts of clauses and their position is more
flexible).

The following provides only a general overview of sentence position. Examples are taken from
the text above.

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Before a whole clause: and nowadays, when families…..complain…
Before the verb: We never got the chance
Before the main verb and
after an auxiliary verb: could never find a way
At the end of a clause: a way of handling it successfully
Before adverbials: Cut the cake equally with a ruler
Before an adjective: properly jealous; very good
Before an adverb: jealousy frightened and worried them so much

Although there is considerable flexibility in the position of some adverbs, and although you
will come across examples that contradict this, a good rule of thumb is that we do not put
adverbs between verbs and their direct objects or between verbs and non-finite or that-clauses:
*She made quickly the lunch.
*He volunteered obsequiously to help.
Particularly in formal written language, some people disapprove of placing an adverb between
the particle and verb in a ‘full’ infinitive form (i.e. splitting infinitives).
(*) I want you to carefully open the door
I want you to open the door carefully.

There are three main positions for adverbs which modify a verb or a whole clause:
Front-position = before the subject Finally he could stand the noise no longer.
Mid-position = between the subject and verb, He usually plays better than this.
or immediately after ‘be’ as a main verb, She’s usually here by 10.00.
and after auxiliary verbs (between two aux. verbs) I have never understood her.
I have just been looking for you.
End-position = after the verb He spoke clearly.

Many adverbs can go in all these three positions:

Now Susan is very happy.
Susan is now very happy.
Susan is very happy now.
and some others can go in both mid-and end position:
He quickly got dressed. He got dressed quickly.

What goes where?

❖ Most types of adverbs can go in front- position.

In particular:
Type of adverb Function Example
Linking adverbs e.g. …to make immediately clear I don’t know whether we did the
similarly, besides, the logical relation to the right thing. Anyway, it doesn’t
then, next, anyway previous sentence matter now.
Time and place adverbs …to show a contrast with, Tomorrow they’ve got a very
e.g. tomorrow or expansion on a previous important meeting.
reference to time or place
Comment and viewpoint …to highlight the speaker’s She has just heard that her sister
adverbs e.g. presumably, attitude to what they are is ill.
financially about to say Presumably, she will want to go
home.
Adverb particles are often fronted when giving instructions to small children.
Off we go!
Down you come!
Another reason for fronting adverbs is for emphasis.
Now you tell me! (=Why didn’t you tell me before?)
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 ❖ The following types of adverb usually go in mid-position:
o Focusing adverbs (She doesn’t even talk to me any more.)
o Adverbs of indefinite frequency;
o Degree adverbs
o Comment adverbs;
o Some adverbs of manner.

Focusing adverbs can also go in other places in a clause, directly before the words they modify.
Only you could do a thing like that.
He always wears a coat, even in summer.
Too and as well are focusing adverbs that usually go in end position. Either goes in end
position after not.
End-position is also possible for many of the degree adverbs:
He completely ignored my request. ~ He ignored my request completely.
Note that degree adverbs in mid-position can come, for positive or negative emphasis, before
the operator:
I simply don’t believe what she said.

In American English, mid-position adverbs are often put before auxiliary verbs and
‘be’, even when the verb is not emphasised. Compare:
He probably has arrived by now. (US normal, GB emphatic)
He has probably arrived by now. (GB normal)
As an extreme example, here are four sentences in a journalistic style taken from an American
newspaper article on crime in Britain. The most normal British equivalents are given in
brackets.
- ‘Britain long has been known as a land of law and order.
(GB Britain has long been known…)
- ‘…but it probably will lead to vote…’
(GB…but it will probably lead…’)
- ‘…the Labour Party often has criticized police actions.’
(GB…the Labour Party has often criticized…)
- ‘…he ultimately was responsible for the treatment…’
(GB…he was ultimately responsible…)

❖ In end-position, we usually put an adverb after an object or complement if there is one:

He studied the problem briefly. (not *He studied briefly the problem.)
However, if an object or complement is very long, then we often put an adverb between the
verb and its object or complement. This is particularly common in journalism:
We considered briefly the long-term solution to the problem.
When there is more than one adverb in end-position, the usual order in written English is
adverb of manner, place and then time. (However, if one adverb is much longer than another
then it is usually placed last.
Adverbs of manner (quietly, hard, softly), place (denoting location and direction) (here,
around), time (today, already, eventually, before, soon) and definite frequency (daily, weekly)
most often go in end position.
He drove off angrily. (manner)
The children are playing upstairs. (place)
I’m leaving now. (time)
When a comment or linking verb comes in end position, it is usually last, a kind of
afterthought.
Someone handed in the money in at the police station, incredibly.

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TYPES OF ADVERBS
❑ TIME ADVERBS
Time adverbs can be divided into three classes according to their meaning:
Adverbs denoting: Time-when (tomorrow, now, recently, again, then, once…)
Time frequency (weekly, ever, normally, always, sometimes…)
Time duration (since, temporarily…)
Time -when indicating a definite point or period in time:
I need to see her now.
What’s the matter with you today, Annie?
I’ll drop by sometime.
They’re still teenagers.
There are a number of adverbs of time (relative time) like just, already, afterwards, soon,
currently, presently, since, recently which are used to provide information about the time of an
action or event in relation to some other point of time (often ‘now’).
He’s currently working in Namibia.
I’ll be there soon.
I just saw him.
I’ll explain later.
YET AND STILL
a. We use yet for something that is expected.
Have you replied to the letter yet? ~ No, not yet.
I got up late. I haven’t had breakfast yet.
Yet comes at the end of a question or negative statement.
Note: We can use yet in mid-position, but it is a little formal.
We have not yet reached a decision on the matter.
b. We use still for something going on longer than expected. In positive statements and
questions it goes in mid position.
I got up late. I’m still having breakfast.
In negative statements still comes after the subject.
The child still hasn’t learned to read.
This is more emphatic than The child hasn’t learned to read yet.
Note: Still can go after a negative auxiliary when we express surprise. Compare these
sentences: I still don’t feel well. (=I still feel ill.)
You don’t still feel sick, do you? (=I am surprised that you still feel sick.)
c. We use already for something happening sooner than expected. We use it mainly in
mid-position in positive statements and questions.
I got up early. I’ve already had breakfast.
Already in end-position has more emphasis.
Good heavens! It’s lunch time already.
I know already.
Note: Already can go after the subject and before a stressed auxiliary.
I already have typed the report, I tell you.

Adverbs of time, which indicate a definite point or period in time or a definite frequency,
usually go in front or end position, but not in mid position:
I went to the movies yesterday. or Yesterday I went to the movies.
However, the adverbs daily, hourly, monthly, weekly etc. only go in end position.

❑ ADVERBS OF DURATION
They indicate how long something lasts or takes. (duration of an event or state)
Eg: long, permanently, briefly, indefinitely, overnight, temporarily
I haven’t been in England long.
She glanced briefly at him.
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 ❑ ADVERBS OF FREQUENCY
We use adverbs of frequency to indicate ‘how often’ we do things or how often things happen.
Examples: always, usually, often, sometimes, occasionally, seldom, rarely, never, repeatedly,
normally, regularly, frequently, a lot, constantly, weekly, yearly, hardly ever, occasionally,
ever, etc.
John normally/often smokes more than a packet a day.
We were constantly/regularly being criticised.
I’ve told you repeatedly not to tip your chair back.
Sue’s never at home these days.
He blinked a lot.
The men didn’t talk much to each other.
I go there occasionally.
Rarely did she see him after they broke up.

Some adverbs of indefinite frequency, which say in an indefinite way how often something
happens, usually go in mid position. These include hardly ever, often, rarely, regularly,
seldom, and also never and always:
She regularly comes home after midnight.
Other adverbs of indefinite frequency, such as normally, frequently, occasionally, sometimes,
and usually, can also go in front or end position:
I normally (=mid) avoid this attitude, but sometimes (=front) I have to adopt it.
I go there occasionally.
Sometimes her attitude is rather off-putting.
Always, ever, rarely, seldom and never cannot normally go in these positions.
However, ‘always’ and ‘never’ can begin imperative clauses.
Never ask her about her marriage.
In formal, literary English, adverbs of indefinite frequency which have a negative meaning can
go in front position. The subject must come after an auxiliary verb or a main verb ‘be’ in
sentences like this:
Never had we been treated like that before. (not Never we had been treated….)
Not once was he willing to help the others. (not Not once he was…)
Other adverbs like this include hardly ever, rarely, seldom, etc.
Never have I been so taken aback.
Seldom is that pop group out of the news.
If there is no auxiliary verb, we use ‘do’:
Rarely did she see him after they broke up.

We place adverbs of frequency ‘immediately before the main verb’. This rule of thumb
describes most cases where the verb phrase is a one-word form (eg goes, spoke) or where it
comprises one auxiliary verb and a main verb (eg has spoken, don’t believe).
She never speaks.
They don’t always believe what I say.
If there are two auxiliary verbs before a main verb (has been speaking, would have eaten), we
generally place the adverb of frequency between the two auxiliary verbs.
They would often have eaten before we arrived.
When we use one-word forms (am, is, are, was, were), we usually place adverbs of frequency
immediately before the complement.
I was always the best student.
Is she often ill?

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 ❑ ADVERBS OF MANNER
Adverbs of manner give more information about the way in which an event or action takes
place (how something is done).
Eg: abruptly, clearly, differently, nicely, peacefully, systematically, willingly, sensibly
He hit me hard!
He nodded and smiled warmly.
He drove off angrily.
They can usually provide one-word answers to questions beginning How…
How did she approach them? – Warily.
Adverbs of manner can also indicate the circumstances in which something is done, rather than
how it is done. For example, in the sentence ‘He spoke to me privately’ ‘privately’ means
‘when no one else was present’ rather than ‘in a private way’.
Similarly: legally, publicly, full-time, deliberately, involuntarily, personally

The most common place to use adverbs of manner is at the end of a clause.
After a verb: You spoke convincingly.
After an object: You described everything convincingly.
After an adverbial: You described everything to the board convincingly.
However, we can vary the position of adverbs of manner according to what we want to
emphasise.
Before a subject: Carefully, she put it on the shelf.
Before a verb: She carefully put it on the shelf.
Between an object and an adverbial: She put it carefully on the shelf.
We also use adverbs of manner immediately before past participles.
The new roof was carefully lifted into position.
We generally avoid placing these adverbs between a verb and its object (not an absolute rule,
though).
*She extracted surreptitiously the key.

Note that an adverb of manner can also modify an adjective

The dog lay peacefully asleep.

ADVERBS OF PLACE
They are used to give information about place, to indicate position. Eg:
…overhead, abroad, ashore, away, downstairs, downtown, midway, nearby, there, westward,
upwind…
No birds or animals came near.
I thought I’d seen you somewhere.
Nowhere have I seen such insolence.
Position: at the end of a clause.
Come and sit here.
Initial position is also possible, especially in literary writing and if the adverb is not the main
focus of the message.
Adverbs of direction (movement) come before adverbs of position.
The children are running around upstairs.
The common adverbs of place, such as ‘in’ and ‘up’, which are used as adverbs and as
prepositions are sometimes called adverb particles. The following words are used as adverbs to
indicate position, and can also be used as prepositions:
aboard, above, behind, below, beside, beyond, down, near, off, opposite, outside, over,
alongside, close by, in, in between, inside, up

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 ❑ ADVERBS OF DEGREE
They have a heightening or lowering effect on some part of the sentence.
E.g.: strongly, absolutely, completely, tremendously, definitely, totally, radically, deeply,
entirely, utterly, somewhat, really (‘real’ in informal AmE), slightly, simply, pretty, nearly,
hardly, scarcely, more, most, almost, less, half, so, a bit, fairly, quite, rather, too, very
(much)…
I had almost forgotten about the trip.
It’s not so bad.
Not so loud!
Degree adverbs can be used before adjectives, verbs, or other adverbs to give information
about the extent or degree of something. Compare:
They’re happy. and They’re extremely happy.
I hate travelling by bus. and I really hate travelling by bus.
He agreed somewhat reluctantly.
He’s always late. and He’s almost always late.

They can hardly ignore our views.

We thoroughly disapprove of their methods.
He completely ignored my request.

VERY AND TOO: Before an adjective or another adverb we use ‘very’ when we mean ‘to a high
degree’, and ‘too’ when we mean ‘more than enough’ or ‘more than is wanted or needed’.
Compare:
The weather was very hot in Majorca. Perfect for swimming. (not …too hot…) and
It’s too hot to stay in this room – let’s find somewhere cooler. (not …very hot…)
However, in informal spoken English, particularly in negative sentences, we can sometimes
use ‘too’ to mean roughly the same as ‘very’:
I’m not too/ very bothered about who wins.
It’s not too/very warm today, is it?

VERY AND VERY MUCH: We don’t use ‘very’ before verbs, but we can use ‘very much’ before
some verbs to emphasize how we feel about things:
I very much agree with the decision.
Verbs like this include agree, doubt, fear, hope, like, want; and also admire, appreciate, enjoy,
and regret. We can use ‘very much’ or ‘much’ (but not ‘very’) before the last four verbs.
We (very) much enjoyed having you stay with us.
We can use ‘very’ but not ‘(very) much’ before participle adjectives:
She was very disturbed to hear the news. (not *She was very much disturbed…)
It’s very disappointing. (not * It’s very much disappointing)
However, we use ‘(very) much’ but not ‘very’ before a past participle which is part of a
passive: The new by-pass was (very) much needed.
‘Much’ can be used in negative clauses, and in reported questions after ‘how’.
These definitions do not help much.
She had observed how much they disliked her.

EXTREMELY, VERY, etc.; ABSOLUTELY, COMPLETELY, etc.

We usually use ‘extremely’, ‘very’, etc. with gradable adjectives to say that a thing or person
has more or less of a particular quality. Ungradable adjectives themselves imply ‘to a large
degree’ and are seldom used with these adverbs. Instead, we can use adverbs such as
‘absolutely’, ‘totally’, ‘completely’, etc. with ungradable adjectives. Here are more adverbs
like these and adjectives which commonly follow them:

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+ gradable adjectives + ungradable adjectives
extremely…effective, difficult, hard absolutely…clear, necessary, sure, true
dreadfully…angry, disappointed, sorry simply…awful, enormous, terrible
hugely…entertaining, ambitious, enjoyable utterly…exhausted, unbearable
She was extremely rich.

Other adverbs used with gradable adjectives are:

deeply, fairly, immensely, pretty, rather, really, reasonably, slightly, very
Other adverbs used with ungradable adjectives are:
completely, totally, entirely, pretty, really

QUITE: ‘Quite’ has two meanings: to a particular degree, but not ‘very’ (=’fairly’); and
to a large degree, or ‘very much’ (=’completely’). Compare:
I was quite satisfied with the result. (= ‘fairly’) and
No, you’re quite wrong! (= ‘completely’)
When ‘quite’ is used with ungradable adjectives it means ‘completely’:
‘Travis isn’t coming until tomorrow.’ ‘ Are you quite certain?’

A group of adverbs of degree are called emphasizing adverbs. These are formed from
emphasizing adjectives.
absolutely just positively really truly
completely outright purely simply utterly
entirely perfectly quite totally
I just know I’m going to be late.
I absolutely agree.
I simply adore that movie.
• Adverb - adjective combinations are common to give emphasis. Here are some
examples:
absolutely ridiculous totally wrong downright rude plain stupid
thoroughly ashamed dead right utterly defenceless
• Adverb-verb combinations are also quite common. For example:
I quite/totally agree.
I quite/fully understand.
I would much/greatly appreciate it.

In negative sentences, adverbs generally come before ‘not’ if they emphasise the negative:
I don’t really like her. (mild dislike)
I really don’t like her. (strong dislike)

Adverbs of quantity: a lot, a bit, a little, much

We generally use ‘a little’ only in affirmative statements and ‘much’ in negative or question
forms. We can use ‘a lot’ in affirmative and negative statements and in questions: She cried a
lot /a little.
She doesn’t eat much /a lot.
Do they complain about the service much/ a lot?

We generally place adverbs of degree immediately before the word they modify, eg very old
(adjective), terribly quickly (adverb), really like (verb).
When the verb phrase contains a modal verb (eg can, may, might, should) we can use the
adverb before the modal verb or before the main verb according to which word it qualifies.
Before the modal verb: You really must look at the garden.
Before the main verb: You must really look at the garden.
We usually place adverbs of degree immediately before the main verb when auxiliaries are
used to form the tense: I have quite enjoyed the holiday.
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 ❑ FOCUSING ADVERBS
We sometimes use an adverb to focus on a particular word or phrase.
He always wears a coat, even in summer.
I don’t like alcohol, especially beer.
Focusing adverbs can refer to single words, which may belong to any word class, or to phrases
or longer stretches of language.
Pronoun: She invited even me.
Verb phrase: I also want to leave.
Clause: She left only what she didn’t need.
We use focusing adverbs:
▪ To single out information focusing on a particular word or phrase. (eg (e)specially,
even, particularly, specifically).
▪ To express some kind of restriction (eg just, merely, only, purely).
▪ To refer back to something (eg also, either, too).
She doesn’t even talk to me any more.
I’m particularly interested in religion.
Similarly: chiefly, mainly, mostly, notably, primarily

Some focusing adverbs can be used to emphasize that only one particular thing is involved in
what you are saying: This is solely a matter of money.
Similarly: alone, exclusively, just, only, purely, simply

ONLY AND EVEN: In rather formal or careful English we put ‘only’ and ‘even’ before the word
or phrase we want to focus on.
I knew only one of the other guests.
But in informal English we have:
I only knew one of the other guests. (We stress the word we want to focus on: one)
Note: ‘only’ can be an adjective. Saturday is the only day I can go shopping.
We use ‘only’ and ‘even’ in two main positions:
- Before the subject they focus on: Even the experts don’t know the answer.
Only you would do a silly thing like that.
- Before the verb: I only like the green ones.
I even think that the red ones are ugly.
Different positions may change what the sentence means. Compare:
My mother has only brought some food. (=She hasn’t brought anything else)
Only my mother has brought some food. (=my mother and nobody else)
Even Sue can speak French. (=you might not expect her to)
Sue can even speak French. (=in addition to everything else she can do)
Even the doorman was smiling as they left.
The doorman was even smiling as they left.
The doorman was smiling even as they left.
We use ‘even’ to indicate that something is unexpected or surprising, or that it reaches an
unexpected or surprising degree or extreme.
Everyone is lying to me – even you.
We use ‘only’ to express some kind of restriction.
I was only asking you a simple question
(i.e. I was asking you a simple question and doing no more than this.)
In official written English, e.g. on notices, ‘only’ comes after the word or phrase it focuses on.
Waiting limited to 30 minutes only.
We use ‘also’ to draw attention to the fact that we are adding information about something.
You have to teach the positive form of verbs and also the question form.
When we use ‘alone’ to mean ‘only’, it comes after a noun:
It isn’t possible to become a great artist by hard work alone. (=other things are needed)

12
 ❑ COMMENT ADVERBS
We use comment adverbs/ attitude markers to interpret the events we describe or to convey our attitude
towards them. They usually refer to a whole clause or longer stretch of speech or writing. Clearly we’ll
want you to sign a contract: They called the doctor several times, apparently.
You naturally want to get recognition for what you achieve.
There are a small number of adverbs which are often followed by ‘enough’ when used to indicate your
opinion of what you are talking about: curiously, funnily, interestingly, oddly, strangely
Funnily enough, old people seem to love bingo.

Most adverbs which can be comment adverbs can also function as adverbs of manner.
I stupidly forgot to greet her. (=It was stupid of me)
The man stared stupidly. (= in a stupid manner, adv of manner)
They’ll be here, hopefully, by 5 o’clock. (comment adverb)
The dog wagged her tail hopefully. (adverb of manner)
Some people disapprove of the use of hopefully as an attitude marker.

Some comment adverbs… Examples

indicate how likely we think apparently, certainly, clearly, definitely, obviously,
something is presumably, probably, undoubtedly
indicate our attitude to or astonishingly, frankly, generally, honestly,
opinion of what is said interestingly (enough), luckily, naturally, personally, sadly,
seriously, surprisingly, unbelievably
show our judgement of bravely, carelessly, foolishly, generously, kindly, rightly,
someone’s actions stupidly, wisely, wrongly

The position of attitude markers is very flexible. For example, we can place them:
▪ at the beginning of a clause: Obviously no one is going to blame you.
▪ at the end of a clause: They called the doctor several times, apparently.
▪ before a complement: She’s obviously a born teacher.
▪ between a subject and verb: You naturally want to get recognition for what you achieve.
Most common comment adverbs can occur at the front, middle, or end of a sentence:
Personally, I’d be surprised if Simon is guilty.
He led me to a room that had obviously been built later than the rest of the house.
The book was based on his experience in China, apparently.

❑ VIEWPOINT ADVERBS
We use these adverbs to make it clear from what point of view we are speaking:
Financially, things are a bit difficult at the moment.
The brothers may be alike physically, but they have very different personalities.
It would have been politically damaging for him to retreat.
Other examples include: biologically, chemically, environmentally, ideologically, logically, morally,
politically, technically, visually, spiritually…
‘Speaking’ is sometimes added to these adverbs. For example, ‘technically speaking’ can be used to
mean ‘from a technical point of view’.
He’s not a doctor technically speaking.
Note: A viewpoint adverb can also modify an adjective.
The scheme is economically beneficial but environmentally disastrous.

❑ LINKING ADVERBS
Linking adverbs serve to make immediately clear the logical relation to the previous sentence:
moreover, besides, then, next, anyway, however, rather, yet, still, though, nonetheless,
therefore, thus …
Position: beginning of clause
It isn’t giving any detailed information. Therefore, it isn’t necessary.
Her accent isn’t perfect. But still, it’s a marvellous performance.
I worked until five o’clock. Then I went home.
Mid-position is often possible in a more formal style: I then went home.

13
COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS

Gradable adjectives and adverbs have degrees of comparison. There are three types of
comparison:
❖ To a higher degree
❖ To the same degree
❖ To a lower degree

The three types of comparison are expressed by these means:

❖ Comparison to a higher degree is expressed by the inflected forms in ‘–er’ and ‘–est’,
or their periphrastic equivalents with ‘more’ and ‘most’.
Comparative Superlative
Adjectives tall taller tallest
beautiful more beautiful most beautiful
clever cleverer/more clever cleverest/most clever
Adverbs soon sooner soonest
easily more easily most easily

He was much older than I remembered him. (=comparative adjective)

Fashion is more powerful than any tyrant.
I wish we could meet more often. (=comparative adverb)

❖ Comparison to the same degree is expressed by as / so….as:

Nothing is as simple as it seems.
A man is as old as he feels but never as important.
I never found a companion that was so companiable as solitude. (H. D. Thoreau)
Neither are anything like as intelligent as I am.
This is nothing like as cold as it is in January.

We can use ‘as’ in idiomatic phrases: as light as a feather, as hard as iron

In the pattern: as + adj + as + adj can be: as beautiful as beautiful can be

In a negative statement we can use either ‘as’ or ‘so’:

Some motels are not as comfortable / not so comfortable as a good hotel. (adj)
Granddad doesn’t get about so easily as he used to. (adv)
In attributive position as + adjective goes before a /an.
This isn’t as comfortable a hotel as the last one we stayed in.
Despite his disability, he tried to lead as normal a life as possible
‘Such’ replaces ‘so’ in a phrase with a/an.
This isn’t such a comfortable hotel as the last one we stayed in.
The second part of a comparative (as/ than + phrase or clause) or superlative structure can be
left out when the meaning is given by what comes before or is clear without it.
You can get there faster by car, but the train is more comfortable.
(=…more comfortable than going by car.)
I like everybody who works here, but you are the nicest of all.
Look – which of these do you think is the best?
I liked the last hotel we stayed in. This one isn’t so comfortable.
It’s more difficult to find your way in the dark.
I shouldn’t talk so much about myself if there were anybody else whom I knew as well.
(H. D. Thoreau)
Note that this is not possible when the meaning is not given by what comes before.
Love is the most important thing in the world.
(not Love is the most important in the world.)

14
 ❖ Comparison to a lower degree is expressed by less and least:
We can also talk about inequality by focusing on the lower end of the scale, using ‘less’ (than)
or ‘least’.
This problem is less difficult than the previous one. (adj)
This is the least difficult problem of all. (adj)
We go out less often these days. (adv)
He drove far less carefully than he should have. (adverb)

We can use ‘less’ and ‘the least’ with all adjectives and adverbs, regardless of the number of
syllables in the words.
I was less free in my last job.
Let’s pick the least complicated solution.
However, we often avoid using less, particularly in speech and more informal writing.
We tend to use not as/so…as instead.
He isn’t as/ so keen as he used to be.

Some adjectives have a comparative or superlative meaning so they are rarely used with –er/-
est or more/less /most/least. These include complete, equal, favourite, ideal, unique
An exception: ‘All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.’
(George Orwell: Animal Farm)

❑ The endings -er, -est are generally used with:

1) Adjectives consisting of one syllable:

great greater greatest
Exceptions are adjectives in -ed (pleased, bored) and the adjectives real, right, wrong:
The film made the story seem more real.
Some one-syllable adjectives of abstract meaning take either er/est or more/most, e.g.: clear,
free, keen, safe, sure, true, wise
I wish I felt surer/more sure about what I’m doing.
2) Adjectives consisting of two syllables and ending in an unstressed vowel, syllabic /l/, or
‘r’, eg:
-y: funny (funnier, funniest) friendly, lively, happy, easy, pretty, noisy, etc
-ow: hollow, narrow, shallow, etc
-le: feeble, gentle, noble, simple, etc
-er : clever, etc
Some common two-syllable adjectives, for example common, clever, frosty, happy, able,
handsome, polite can have either type of comparison:
common commoner commonest
more common most common
Are you feeling happier/ more happy?

❑ More/most are used with

1) Adjectives consisting of three ore more syllables:
interesting more interesting most interesting
Adjectives with the negative –un prefix, such as unhappy and untidy, are exceptions:
unhappier unhappiest
untidier untidiest
Some compound adjectives like good-looking or well-known have two possible comparatives
and superlatives.
good-looking better-looking best-looking
more good-looking most good-looking
well-known better-known best-known
more well-known most well-known
15
 2) Adjectives ending in –ing, -ed (participle adjectives), -ful, -less:
wounded more wounded most wounded
Similarly: useful, careful, helpless, useless, ashamed, confused, annoyed, damaged, needed,
willing, tiring, freezing, smiling, boring,
Today’s lecture was even more boring than usual.
I’m getting more and more tired.
Some others: afraid, cautious, certain, modern, correct, eager, famous, foolish, frequent,
mature, normal, recent, formal, exact, etc.

3) Adjectives that are not gradable, eg dead, male, royal:

I feel more dead than I did yesterday.

4) We also sometimes choose to use ‘more’ and ‘most’ with one-syllable adjectives.
To make a specific contrast with ‘less’: A: Did she say it was less cold in the north of the
country?
B: No. She said it was more cold.
‘One-off’ individual choices: Don’t blame me if you feel more ill when you’ve
eaten all that!

5) Two –syllable adjectives that have ‘typical’ adjective endings such as

–al, -ant, -ard, -ate, -ect, -ed, -en, -ent, -ful, -id, -ite, -ive, -less,- ous, -some, eg:
awkward, candid, careful, careless, crucial, finite, gifted, gorgeous, loathsome, mental,
spacious, recent
The most crucial thing is to arrive in good time.

More and most have other uses in which they are not equivalent to the comparison inflections.
When we compare two descriptions/qualities (saying that one is more suitable or accurate than
another), we use ‘more’; comparatives with –er are not possible:
He is more than happy about it.
He’s more lazy than stupid. (not * He’s lazier than stupid)
I was more sad than angry.
Here are two other ways of saying the same thing:
I was not so much angry as sad.
I was sad rather than angry.
‘Most’ may have an intensifying meaning, as in ‘Della is a most efficient publisher.’
In rather formal English ‘most’ can mean ‘very’. Compare ‘the most’ and ‘a most’:
Superlative: It’s the most exclusive store in New York.
Degree: It’s a most exclusive store. (= very exclusive)
Thank you very much indeed. That is most kind of you. (not …That is kindest you.)

• A small group of highly frequent adjectives have irregular comparative and superlative
forms:
good better best
bad worse worst
far further/farther furthest/farthest
old elder eldest
Older and oldest are the standard forms. We use elder and eldest only to talk about family
relationships, and only normally before a noun:
My elder brother is an engineer.
Note that before a than-construction, we always use older:
My brother is older than I am.
Not * My brother is elder than me.
We use farther and farthest usually to refer only to distance. Further and furthest can also have
abstract meaning (eg I don’t want to discuss this any further).
16
Adverbs have the same general rules of comparison as adjectives. Most comparative and
superlative adverbs are made with more and most.
Could you talk more quietly?
Adverbs that are identical in form with adjectives, and a few others, have comparatives and
superlatives with –er and –est. The most common are: early, late, hard, long, soon, fast, near,
high, low, etc. and in informal English easy, slow, loud and quick.
Can’t you drive any faster?
You should have come earlier.
Talk louder. (informal)
We’ve all got terrible voices, but I sing worst of all.
Note that adverbs of two syllables ending in –ly (formed from adjectives: promptly, quickly,
thinly) do not follow the rule of adjectives that end in –y (eg funny). They use more or less:
quickly more quickly most quickly
He started to work even more hurriedly.
She stood up the most promptly.
As with adjectives, there is a small group of adverbs with irregular comparison:
well better best
badly worse worst
little less least
much more most
far further/farther furthest/farthest
You know best.
There are plenty of cases where we don’t need or can’t use ‘the’ with superlatives:
▪ In the expressions try your best/hardest; do your best we have to use a possessive
adjective (my, his etc) instead of ‘the’:
She tried her hardest.
▪ When the specific instance belongs to a small, finite class of things that is implied or
understood:
Science and spelling were easiest.
▪ In expressions where we infer the…est thing (to do) is…
It’s safest to leave before the rush hour.
▪ In superlative expressions with defining relative clauses:
Give it to the children who are oldest.
▪ Where the superlative form is an adverb of manner:
Susie writes most clearly.
‘The’ is sometimes dropped before superlative adverbs and superlative adjectives in
predicative position in an informal style.
Who can run (the) fastest? (adv)
Which of the boys is (the) strongest? (adj)
We can omit ‘the’ when the superlative isn’t followed by a noun or that-clause (ie a defining
expression).
I think that this dictionary is (the) best.
But: This dictionary is the best I could find. (not This dictionary is best I could find.)
She was the quickest of all the staff.
‘The’ is not used with superlatives in predicative position or with superlative adverbs, when we
compare the same person or thing in different situations.
Compare:
He’s nicest when he’s had a few drinks. (not He’s the nicest when…)
I’ve got a lot of friends, but he’s (the) nicest.
She works hardest when she’s doing something for her family.
(not She works the hardest when …- a woman’s work is being compared in different
situations)
She works (the) hardest; her husband doesn’t know what work is.
(A woman is being compared with a man – ‘the’ is possible.)
17
 ➢ We generally use ‘in’ to relate a superlative item to its ‘class’.
The largest city in South America.
We need to be aware, however, that we use ‘of’ to relate a superlative item to other items in its
‘class’:
The largest of all South American cities.
Or before plurals, and before singular quantifiers like lot and bunch:
She’s the fastest player of them all.
He’s the best of the lot.

➢ Comparatives of adjectives and adverbs, whether inflectional or periphrastic,

can be modified by intensifiers (submodifiers):
much easier somewhat shorter a good deal easier
much more difficult a lot more difficult
Similarly, superlatives can be modified by intensifiers:
the youngest candidate ever
by far the best solution

You can use ‘no’ to say emphatically that something has no more of a quality than something
else or than it had before:
Some species of dinosaur were no bigger than a chicken.
The alternative route was no quicker.
‘Any’ is used for emphasis in front of comparatives in negative clauses, questions, and
conditional clauses:
He wasn’t any taller than Jane. = He was no taller than Jane.
Is that any clearer?
If it will make you any happier, I’ll give up.
Deni didn’t want to express it any more strongly.

WAYS OF INTENSIFYING AND ‘DOWNTONING’ COMPARATIVE FORMS

We use a range of words and expressions before comparative forms to make them seem
stronger or weaker. Those marked with an asterisk are used mainly in spoken and informal
contexts.
far* considerably slightly
much by far barely (any)
(quite) a lot* a little hardly (any)
a great deal a bit * scarcely (any)
The project has been a great deal less successful than we had hoped. (adj)
I feel a bit happier now than when I last spoke to you.
There are far worse dangers
The man with no experience is justified in asking for a higher wage; the work is much harder
when you don’t know what you’re doing.
Come on. Try a bit harder. (adv)
We can also use a number of expressions after comparative forms, particularly in spoken and
informal contexts: by miles, by far, by a long way, by a long chalk.
Hong Kong is more humid than New York by far.

Comparative meaning ‘relatively’, ‘more than average’

Comparatives can also suggest ideas like ‘relatively’, ‘more than average’. Used in this way,
comparatives make a less clear and narrow selection than superlatives. Compare:
They put on two classes – one for the cleverer students and one for the slower learners.
The cleverest students were two girls from York.
Comparatives are often used like this in advertising to make things sound less definite.
less expensive clothes for the fuller figure
(Compare cheap clothes for fat women)
18
WAYS OF EMPHASISING SUPERLATIVE FORMS
We use a range of words and expressions before the superlative form of adjectives to make them seem
stronger. We generally don’t use them before the superlative form of adverbs:
* She ran altogether the fastest.
simply, easily, altogether, quite, by far and away
She’s easily the best candidate.
It was simply the most wonderful performance I ever heard.
It was just about the nicest holiday I could have imagined.
We offer easily the best value/ by far the best value.
We can also use a number of expressions after superlative forms, particularly in spoken and informal
contexts: by miles, by far, by a long way, by a long chalk.
We’ve just played our worst match this season by a long way.
That’s is the most absurd answer by far.
Note the special use of ‘very’ to emphasise superlatives and first, next and last.
This is your very last chance.
You’re the very first person I’ve spoken to today.

SPECIAL PATTERNS WITH COMPARATIVE:

Double comparatives to say that something is changing
…er and…er
more and more…
We use these patterns with and to express a continuing increase, or to emphasise the speed or
inevitability of a process. We often use the expression get…-er and …-er.
The traffic’s getting worse and worse:
The plant grew taller and taller.
We’re going more and more slowly.
The world is changing more and more quickly.
We sometimes compare things in terms of exact measurements. In this case we generally specify the
quantity immediately before the comparative form.
It’s thirty percent/ twenty times bigger.
She can walk three times further than you.
It was ten times more difficult than I expected.
When we use a fraction on its own, we generally don’t use a comparative form. Instead we use as +
adjective.
It’s half as big.
She’s twice as lively as her sister. (not …twice livelier…)

The…the…
We use this pattern with ‘the’ and a comparative to say that a change in one thing goes with a change in
another:
Word order: THE+ COMPARATIVE EXPRESSION + SUBJECT + VERB
The better the joke (is), the louder the laugh (is)
The older you get, the more difficult it becomes to find a job.
The further you travel, the more you pay.
The more we discuss this, the less I understand it.
The longer I carried the box, the heavier it became.
A short form of this structure is used in the expression The more the merrier, and in sentences ending
the better (The sooner the better).
‘How do you like your coffee?’ ‘The stronger the better’.

All/any/none the +comparative

This structure can be used when we say why something is or should be ‘more…’
Her accident made it all the more important to get home fast.
He explained it all carefully, but I was still none the wiser.
Sunday mornings were nice. I enjoyed them all the more because Sue used to come round to
breakfast.
Note that this structure is used only to express abstract ideas. We would not say for example, Those
pills have made him all the slimmer.
19
 The man with no experience is justified in asking for a higher wage, the work is much harder
when you don’t know what you’re doing.

Essentially, sentence adverbs are adverbs or adverbial phrases that comment on a whole
sentence or part of a sentence:

By and large, they are separated from the rest of the sentence by a comma. Generally
speaking, they go at the beginning of the sentence. However, some can go at the end,
apparently. Moreover, we can certainly put some in the middle.
Sentence adverbs have a number of uses including organising information, commenting, giving
examples, changing the subject, rephrasing and summarising:
Firstly, we use them to show how the sentence fits in with the rest of the text. Alternatively,
we may use them to express our attitude to what we are about to say. In other words, we use
them to comment on what we think or feel. On the whole, they make it easier to understand
what is going on. Funnily enough, the two sentence adverbials that students of English get
most confused about are ‘On the contrary’ and ‘On the other hand’.

In negative sentences, adverbs generally come before ‘not' if they emphasise the negative:
I certainly do not agree.
I don’t really like her. (mild dislike)
I really don’t like her. (strong dislike)

EXERCISES ON ‘THE ADVERB’

I. Underline the correct option in italics.

1. He slapped him friendly/in a friendly way on the back.

2. Does that flight go direct/directly or is there a stopover?
3. Many of the senior staff are right/rightly concerned about their pensions.
4. There's been a lot of talk about European integration late/lately.
5. Our new cellphone fits easy/easily into the average-sized pocket.
6. The path leads straight/straightly to the front door.
7. Healthy/Healthwise, stress is probably the most serious problem facing people today.
8. Animals are now able to wander free/freely throughout the game reserve.
9. In late spring the gulls nest high/highly on the cliff face.
10. The remains of the Spanish galleon lie deep/deeply under the ocean.
11. The minister will begin by giving a statement. After/Afterwards, you will be able to put
your questions to him directly.
12. Jackson came pretty close/closely to winning that last race.
13. You'll never get better if you don't eat - you've hard/hardly touched your dinner!
14. In the Denver play-offs the Miami team did real/good well.
15. Some of these kids drive their cars far too fast/fastly.

II. Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence. You
must use between three and six words, including the word given in bold. This word
must not be altered in any way. The exercise begins with an example (0).
0. Karen did really well in the test. highly
Karen .........was highly successful. … in the test.
1. The car started to accelerate as we turned the corner. go
As we turned the corner the car …………………………………………………………
2. She really didn't expect to win so much money. quite
Winning so much money came ........................................................................... surprise.
20
 3. Evolution is slower during periods of climatic stability. happens
Evolution ....... ……………………………………….during periods of climatic stability.
4. We didn't get there in time to hear the overture. soon
We wanted to hear the overture but we didn't get ……………………………………….
5. More or less three-quarters of our students are fee-paying these days. roughly
These days ............................................................................................ our students pay
fees.
6. In the USA only a few people have heard of our products. entirely
Our products are ..........………………………………………………….. in the USA.
7. She gave such a moving performance that we were virtually in tears. so
She performed ................................................................. we were virtually in tears.
8. Mr. Skidmore had a deeper involvement than any of the other directors. most
Of all the directors, Mr. Skidmore was ............................................................................
9. In terms of politics, I felt most of the participants were biased. politically
In my opinion most of the participants .............................................................................
10. I couldn't have made my answers to the questionnaire any more honest than I did. As
I answered the questionnaire ............................................................ ……… I could.

III. Tick all those adverbs which can complete the sentences and cross (X) those that cannot.
In one case none of the adverbs will fit.
1. Clarice ….. opened the door to the secret compartment. A slowly B last week C
probably
2. We don't ……. know the identity of the masked stranger. A still B really C
certainly
3. You can …. see the coast from this point. A definitely B just C as
well
4. Our next door neighbours go there….. A as well B hardly ever C a lot
5. .......... the boss gives me a hard time. A Every day B Daily C
Sometimes
6. I get the feeling you haven't …… understood my point. A entirely B really C
probably
7. The public don't …… respond in the ways advertisers expect them to.
A sometimes B any longer C always
8. I haven't been to the cinema ......... A yet B often C very often
9. Alarming signs of radiation leakage have been ......reported around the power station.
A often B this week C always
10. .......... have I been subjected to such outrageous demands.
A Never B Rarely C Frequently
11. I'm afraid the bank does not ……. permit such large overdrafts.
A generally B any longer C any more
12. The patient …… reacts to any kind of bright light. A badly B immediately C
usually
13. He plays the saxophone …… A too B quite rarely C never
14. The data from those sensors isn't .......... reliable. A absolutely B sometimes C
always
15 She treats her children …… A carefully B well C
badly

IV. If necessary, improve these sentences by putting an adverb in a more likely position. If no
improvement is needed, put a tick.
1. We together walked to the end of the garden. We walked together to the end of the
garden.
2. So far in my new job I have mainly had to deal with complaints.
3. I just have bought a new car.
21
 4. He speaks fluently five languages.
5. Jenny has been appointed recently Professor of Nursing.
6. I was totally unprepared for the news.
7. It was now time for me to make my speech.
8. He had been to London never before.
9. Susan became soon bored with the new toys.
10. John frequently was away from home in his new job.
11. They are at home these days hardly ever.
12. I could never understand why he got so annoyed.
13. We had been already given three leaving presents.
14. Being alone brought her usually a sense of peace.
15. Although he's 60, he still enjoys playing football.

V. Rewrite these sentences putting the words and phrases in brackets in the best order. Note
that none of these sentences are emphatic. The exercise begins with an example.

0. Mv parents (allowed/hardly ever) us to (late/on weekdays/stay up).

…..My parents hardly ever allowed us to stay up late on the weekdays. ….
1. Taking advantage of a gap between the players, Owen kicked the ball (into the net/just
before half time/skillfully).
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2. Foxes (often/be seen/can) scavenging (on the streets of London/at night).
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3. David (well/behaves/quite) when he is at home but he (at school/causes trouble/often).
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4. The post (arrive/sometimes/on time/doesn't) in this part of the city.
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5. Jennifer (immediately/didn't/recognise) the man waving (at the end of the show/ frantically
/ from the balcony). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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6. We (unable/are/usually) to offer refunds on the spot, but we will examine
(thoroughly/before the end of the week/your claim). -----------------------------------------------
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7. These children (never/have/given/been/probably) the opportunities we all take for granted.
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8. Access to the internet (no longer/is) available (on weekday mornings/free of charge/at our
libraries). --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9. Such losses (have/would/normally/avoided/been) by the use of back-up devices.
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10. Many of the old masters had assistants who would prepare the oil pigments (each
morning/by hand/in their studios).
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VI. Write very, very much, or (very) much if both much and very much are possible.
1. She's not sleeping well because she's …………… worried about work.
2. You could try phoning him, but I ………………. doubt that he'll be at home.
3. Her handling of the meeting was ……………….. admired by her colleagues.
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 4. The team captain was ………………. criticised for the quality of his leadership.
5. Out of the shop walked three …………. satisfied customers.
6. Although the patient …………. wants to leave hospital, we can't let her go yet.
7. I ……………… appreciate the opportunity to talk to you.
8. Palmer had a ……………… encouraging first set, but played poorly after that.
9. He would …………… like to be able to control what every American sees on TV.
10. Holidays in Italy have been …………… favoured by British politicians recently.
11. We've ……………… enjoyed having you stay with us.
12. It was …………….. tempting to go swimming, but I knew the water would be very cold.

VII. Put even, only or alone in the most appropriate place in each sentence. (C)
1. When he died, ..even.. his political enemies ………… agreed that he was a good man.
2. I didn't expect her to do anything, but when I came down ………… Ella had tidied up and
made tea.
3. 30, 000 cases of measles were reported during ……….. September …………..
4. He asked for lots of volunteers, but …………. Alice …………… put up her hand.
5. …………… my brother ………….. enjoyed the film, and he doesn't really like westerns.
6. It is often said that ………… money ……….. can't bring you happiness.
7. …………….. the machine could ………… analyse its chemical constituents - it couldn't
say if the rock was valuable.
8. ……………. the tickets ………….. would be more than I could afford. I certainly couldn't
pay the hotel bills, too.

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