Adverbs

ENGLISH

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Adverbs
An adverb is a part of speech. It is any word that modifies any other part of
language: verbs, adjectives (including numbers), clauses, sentences and other adverbs,
except for nouns; modifiers of nouns are primarily determiners and adjectives.

Adverbs typically answer such questions as how? when?, where?, To what extent?, In
what kind or how often? This function is called the adverbial function, and is realized
not just by single words (i.e., adverbs) but by adverbial phrases and adverbial
clauses. Adverbs also describe adjectives, verbs, and other adverbs.

Structure of an Adverb
 An adverb as an adverbial may be a sentence element in its own right.
Example: They treated her well. (SUBJECT + VERB + OBJECT + ADVERBIAL)

 Alternatively, an adverb may be contained within a sentence element.

Example: An extremely small child entered the room. (SUBJECT + ADVERBIAL +
OBJECT +VERB)

Types of Adverbs
Manner Place Frequency Time Degree Purpose

How Where With, of At what How much Why

Already
Silently Outside Always
Ago Enough
Calmly Inside Often Accidentally
Before Hardly
Obediently In Between Usually However
Soon Extremely
Swiftly In the garden Occasionally So that
Lately Barely
Hurriedly By the object Seldom Because
Tomorrow Almost
Carelessly Below Hardly Since
Tonight Absolutely
Foolishly Off Normally Because of
Then
Powerfully Towards Sometimes
Now

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Points to Remember
 An adverb of manner will explain how an action is carried out. Very often adverbs
of manner are adjectives with -ly added to the end, but this is certainly not
always the case

 Notice how the adjectives are formed by adding -ly to the adjectives bad, correct
and quick, although there is a slight spelling change when forming an adverb with
the adjective easy

 An adverb of place, sometimes called spatial adverbs, will help explain where an
action happens

 Notice that here and there are often used at the beginning of a sentence to express
emphasis or in exclamation

 Many times, adverbs of place can be used as prepositions as well

 Adverbs of frequency are used to express time or how often something

occurs. Adverbs of frequency can be split two main groups

 Adverbs of purpose, sometimes called adverbs of reason, help to describe why

something happened.

 Adverbs of purpose are used to connect sentences

 They can come in the form of individual words – so, since, thus, because – but.

Positioning of Adverbs
The positions of adverbs are not a fi xed or set thing. However, there are some
rules that help us decide where an adverb should be positioned. The rules will be
different depending on whether the adverb is acting to modify an adjective or another
adverb, a verb or what type of adverb it is.

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With Verb
 Front– Before the subject
Example: I will read a book (The action is supposed to happen now)
 Mid—Between the subject and verb
Example: I often read books (The action happens now and then)
 End– After verb/object
Example: I read books (The action happens regularly)

With Manner or Place

Structure: Subject + Verb + Adverb + Object
 Manner
Example—She spoke gently. (adverb : gently)
 Place
Example—He lived here. (adverb : here)

With Adjective
Structure: Subject + Verb + Adverb+ Adjective + Object
Example:
1) She gave him a really affectionate look. (adv + adj)
2) We quite often study English. (adv + adj)

Memory Tip
As mentioned, if the adverb is of definite time, it will be placed at the end of the
sentence.

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Order of Adverbs
Ordering of adverbs becomes necessary when there are many different types of
adverbs together in a sentence.

Consider this sentence:

I run (verb) quickly (manner) down the road (place) every morning (frequency) before
school (time) because (purpose) I might miss the bus.

While it is good to remember the order of adverbs, there is always a flexibility with
language, and we have already mentioned that adverbs of time and frequency can be
placed at the start of a sentence to change the emphasis. So, bottom line: think of the
order of adverbs as more of a guideline than a rule that can’t be broken.

Rules and usage of adverbs

Rule #1:
Avoid using negative words (not, never, etc) if you have already used a negative adverb
in the clause. (A clause can not have more than one negative word)
Examples:
1) He barely has nothing to eat. (Incorrect)
2) He barely has anything to eat. (Correct)
3) He had nothing to eat. (Correct)
A) I hardly do not know anyone in this city. (Incorrect)

Point to Remember
Question: What are negative adverbs ???
Answer: Hardly, Barely, Rarely, Scarcely, No sooner, Seldom, Never are the negative adverbs.

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Rule #2:
If a sentence begins with an adverb, “inverted form” is used.
Examples: 1. Seldom she goes to her uncle’s home. —WRONG
2. Seldom does she go to her uncle’s home. —CORRECT
A. Hardly he had entered the class than the students stood up. —
WRONG
B. Hardly had he entered the class when the students stood up. —
CORRECT

Point to Remember
Question: What is “inverted form”?
Answer: Inverted form means “putting helping verb before the subject”
Structure of an inverted form “Helping verb + Subject + Main verb”

Rule #3:
Use of expression “Seldom or ever” is incorrect.
Instead of it, use “seldom or never” OR “seldom if ever”
Examples: 1. Aman seldom or ever goes to gym. WRONG
2. Aman seldom or never goes to gym. CORRECT
3. Aman seldom if ever goes to gym. CORRECT

Rule #4:
Do not use a preposition before an adverb. (Use of a preposition before adverb is
incorrect)
Examples: 1. In most humbly, I rest my case. WRONG
2. Most humbly, I rest my case. CORRECT
A. Ravi deals the situation with firmly and boldly. WRONG
B. Ravi deals the situation firmly and boldly. CORRECT

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Exception (Alternate method)

We can correct the above sentence without removing the given preposition if we
change the adverb into its noun.

Example: Ravi deals the situation with fi rmness and boldness. CORRECT

Rule #4: Hard vs Hardly

Hard: Hard is used as an adjective and adverb both.
As an adjective “Hard” means “difficult or uneasy”
As an adverb “Hard” means “with great efforts or heavily”
Hardly: Hardly is used as an adverb that means “almost no” (negative)
Examples
1. He will get success this year if he works hardly. (Incorrect)
He will get success this year if he works hard. (Correct)
2. He is new to this city, He hard knows anybody here. (Incorrect)
He is new to this city, He hardly knows anybody here. (Correct)

Rule #5: Late Vs Lately

Late : Late is used as an adjective and adverb both.
As an adjective “late” means “delayed”
As an adverb “late” means “near the end or dead”
Lately : lately is used as an adverb that means “recently”
Examples
1. Rohit was punished because he came late. (Correct)
2. We all went together to watch the lately released movie of Tom Holland. (Correct)

Rule #6: Fast vs Fastly

Fast: Hard is used as an adjective and adverb both.
As an adjective “Fast” means “moving at great speed or ”
As an adverb “Fast” means “quickly or firmly”

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Fastly: Fastly is grammatically incorrect to use. There is no such word in English

grammar.
Examples
1. Run fastly or you will miss the train. (Incorrect)
Run fast or you will miss the train. (Correct)

Rule #7: Adjectives often confused as Adverbs

Not all words ending with “-ly” are “adverbs” some can be adjectives. Below is the concept
“How a word turns into an “adjective” and how it becomes an “adverb”

1. If we add suffix “-ly” in a noun. It becomes an “Adjective”

Examples:

 “Man” is noun so “Manly” will be an adjective.

Similarly “Cost” is a noun hence “Costly” will be an adjective.

On the other hand

2. If we add suffix ‘-ly” in an adjective. It becomes an “Adverb”

 “Smart “is an adjective so “Smartly” will be an adverb.

Similarly “Perfect” is an adjective hence “Perfectly” will be an adverb.

Below is the list of few words that are very confusing in the above mention aspect. A student
needs to note them as they are usually asked out of this concept.

NOUN ADJECTIVE ADVERB

Coward Cowardly In a cowardly manner

Niggard Niggardly In a niggardly manner

Scholar Scholarly In a scholarly manner

Miser Miserly In a miserly manner

Man Manly In a manly manner OR Manfully

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Sample Sentences

 A soldier is never trained to fight cowardly. (Incorrect)

A soldier is never trained to fight in a cowardly manner. (Correct)

 I have never seen BAT fighting manly. (Incorrect)

I have never seen BAT fighting in a manly manner (Correct)
I have never seen BAT fighting manfully (Correct)

 We all know that Nitya Kant is a miserly person. (Correct)

We all know that Nitya kant is a miser person. (Incorrect)

Additional Information
Q. What is BAT?
Ans. Pakistan's Special Services Group (SSG) forms the core of BAT, which conducts cross-border operations
and raids across the LoC. BAT teams include commandos from the Pakistan Army and terrorists (who can be
disowned when caught).

Rule #8: Adverb “as”

A) Adverb “as” should be used to introduce predicative of the following verbs-

‘regard, describe, define, treat, view, know’

For example:
 I regard him my brother. (Incorrect)
I regard him as my brother. (Correct)
 Science has been defined the study of nature. (Incorrect)
Science has been defined as the study of nature. (Correct)

B) Adverb “as” should be avoided to introduce predicative of the following verbs-

‘name, elect, think, consider, call, appoint, make, choose’

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For example:

 The teacher called him as stupid. (Incorrect)

The teacher called him stupid. (Correct)

 The principal appointed him as peon. (Incorrect)

The principal appointed him peon. (Correct)

 Narendra Modi will be elected as the PM of India again. (Incorrect)

Narendra Modi will be elected the PM of India again. (Correct)

Let’s Practice
Directions: There are 13 sample questions based on the concepts of ADVERBS.

You will be given a sentence divided in three parts A, B, C. Find out which part
has an error and mark it as your answer. If you find the sentence to be
grammatically correct then mark 'No error' (D) as your answer.

Question 2: Rima acted (A)/ accordingly to her (B)/ mother's instructions (C)/ No
error (D)

Correct Answer: '(B)'.

Key Points

 Part B uses the incorrect adverb form 'accordingly'.

 An adverb refers to the adjective/verb and gives more information about it.

 Here, the word 'accordingly' refers to the verb 'acted'

 So, the correct word here will be an adjective— 'according'.

 e.g. Act according to his wishes. OR These are his wishes; act accordingly.

Correct sentence is: Rima acted according to her mother's instructions.

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Question 2. He didn't eat the sweet (A) / because it (B) / tasted sourly. (C) / No error
(D)

Correct Answer: '(C)'.

Key Points

 The error lies in Part (C) of the sentence.

 Adjectives are usually placed before the nouns they modify, but when used with
linking verbs, such as forms of to be or “sense” verbs, they are placed after the verb.

 “Sense” verbs, such as look, seem, appear, taste, sound, feel, or smell, also
demand a verb + adjective word order.

 Example: The cookies smell awesome!

 In this sentence, we need an adjective after the sense verb 'tasted.'

 Therefore, the use of 'sourly' in Part (C) of the sentence should be replaced
with 'sour' to make it grammatically correct.

 Therefore, the correct answer is '(C)'.

Correct sentence: He didn't eat the sweet because it tasted sour.

Question 3. Monika was reprimanded (A) by her sister for (B) coming lately
at home. (C) No Error (D).

Correct Answer: “C”

Key Points

 The given sentence is grammatically incorrect.

 Here, 'late at home' should be used instead of 'lately at home'.

 Both the word 'Late' and 'Lately' might seem similar but are different in meaning.

 Late is both an adverb and an adjective. It means the opposite of early.

 Example: The program started late.

 Lately is also an adverb it means 'recently'.

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 Example: He’s been studying hard lately.

 Therefore, as per the points mentioned above, we find that the correct answer
is Option 1.

Correct Sentence: Monika was reprimanded by her sister Hansa for coming late at
home

Question 4. Misfortune when faced (A) bravely and manly, (B) it becomes less
troublesome. (C) No Error (D)

Correct Answer: “C”

Key Points

 In the sentence, the error lies in the use of the adjectives 'bravely and manly.'

 Here, the word 'bravely' is an adverb and is correct in its form. However, the word
'manly' is not correctly used.

 Manly refers to an adjective, however, the sentence requires an adverb to be

used along with bravery. The correct adverb is “manfully”

Correct sentence: Misfortune when faced bravely, and manfully becomes less
troublesome.

Question 5. You must speak polite (A)/ in an interview (B)/ or a group discussion. (C)/
No error (D)

Correct Answer: A

Key Points

 An adverb is a word that describes a verb, an adjective, another adverb or even

a whole sentence.

 On the other hand, an adjective is a word that describes a noun or a pronoun.

 The given sentence tells us how to speak in an interview or a group discussion.

 The word 'polite' is an adjective.

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 To describe the verb 'speak', we must use an appropriate adverb.

 Thus, the adjective 'polite' must be replaced with the adverb 'politely' to make the
sentence grammatically correct.

Correct sentence: You must speak politely in an interview or a group discussion.

Question 6. As the people were generally nice, / (A) he seldom or ever had/ (B) any
trouble with them. / (C) No error /(D)

Correct Answer: B

Key Points

 The error lies in Part (b) of the sentence.

 The use of 'seldom or ever' is wrong.

 'Ever' is not used with 'seldom'.

 Example: He seldom or never drinks.

 Therefore, 'seldom or ever' in Part (b) of the sentence should be replaced

with 'seldom or never' to make it grammatically correct.

 Therefore, the correct answer is '(b)'.

Correct sentence: As the people were generally nice, he seldom or never had any
trouble with them.

Question 7. I really feel badly /(A) about what happened /(B) to you last night. /(C) No
error/(D)

Correct Answer: A

Key Points

 The error lies in Part (a) of the sentence.

 'Badly' is an adverb.

 'Feel' is the verb of sensation.

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 Therefore, an adjective is used after the verb of sensation and not an adverb.

 Hence, the use of 'badly' in Part (a) of the sentence should be replaced
with 'bad' to make it grammatically correct.

 Therefore, the correct answer is '(a)'.

Correct sentence: I really feel bad about what happened to you last night.

Question 8. She ran so fastly (A) / that she was able to catch (B) / the running
bus. (C) / No error (D)

Correct Answer: A

Key Points

 The error lies in Part A of the sentence.

 Generally, 'ly' is added to adjectives to form adverbs.

 Fast is both an adjective and an adverb, hence 'ly' is not required.

 Example: She ran very fast.

 Therefore, the use of 'fastly' in Part A of the sentence should be replaced

with 'fast.'

 Hence, the correct answer is '(A).'

The Correct Sentence: She ran so fast that she was able to catch the running bus.

Question 9. The teacher (A)/ for bade me (B)/ not to go. (C)/ No error (D)

Correct Answer 'C'.

Key Points

 The given above sentence is grammatically incorrect.

 Here, 'to go' will be used instead of 'not to go'.

 As a general rule, the Adverb 'not' shouldn't be used with words having a negative
meaning like (never, forbid, seldom, scarcely, etc.)

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Examples:

a. Tina seldom visits not a temple (Incorrect)

b. Tina seldom visits the temple. (Correct)

c. God forbids that something bad should not happen. (Incorrect)

d. God forbids that something bad should happen. (Correct)

 Here, forbade and not use together in the given sentence that is incorrect.

Correct sentence: The teacher forbade me to go.

Question 10. They quickly walked (A)/to catch (B)/the train. (C)/No error

Correct Answer 'A'

Key Points

 The given above sentence is grammatically incorrect.

 Here, 'walked quickly' will be used instead of 'quickly walked'.

 As a general rule, Adverbs of manner, place, and time are usually placed after
the verb or object.

 Example:

a. Reena does her carefully work. (Incorrect)

b. Reena does her work carefully . (Correct)

 Here, quickly is before the verb in the given sentence that is incorrect.

Correct sentence: They walked quickly to catch the train.

Question 11. It was a great day, (A) / and this visit made (B) / it quitely memorable.
(C) / No error (D)

Correct Answer “C”.

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Key Points

 An adverb is a word or phrase that modifies or qualifies an adjective, verb, or

other adverb or a word group, expressing a relation of place, time,
circumstance, manner, etc.

 'Quitely' is an obsolete form of the adverb 'quite' which means wholly or to a

considerable extent.

 Example:

 The haunted village was quite near to the railway station.

 Hence 'quitely' will be replaced by 'quite'.

The correct sentence is: It was a great day, and this visit made it quite memorable.

Question 12. No sooner they had/(A) completed the work,/(B) than they demanded the
wages./(C) No Err

Correct Answer: A

Key Points

 The error is in part A, as we know when the sentence starts with the adverb No
sooner, we need to use inversion.

 The sentence structure should be Adverb + Helping verb + Sub + main verb (Had
+ S + V3 or Did + S + V1).

 So, had(helping verb) come before They(subject).

 Hence, part A is the correct answer.

The correct sentence is: No sooner had they completed the work, than they
demanded the wages.

Question 13. Neither I knew (A)/ what happened to (B)/ him nor did I care. (C)/ No error
(D)

Correct Answer is 'A'.

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Key Points

 If a sentence begins with 'seldom, neither, hardly, never, often, rarely, barely,
etc.', the inversion form of the sentence is used.

 In the inversion form of the sentence, the auxiliary verb is used before the
subject.

 Examples,

a. Seldom do I call him nowadays.

b. Hardly did I know anybody when I came to this city.

 According to the rule and examples that are given above, 'neither did I know' will
be used instead of 'neither I knew' in part A of the sentence.

Correct Sentence: Neither did I know what happened to him nor did I care.

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