Adverb - Uses of Adverbs

Uses of Adverbs

Adverbs are words like slowly, yesterday, now, soon, and suddenly. An adverb usually modifies a verb or a verb phrase. It provides information about the manner, place, time, frequency, certainty, or other circumstances of the activity denoted by the verb or verb phrase.

Examples:

1. She walked slowly. (Here the adverb slowly shows the manner in which she walked.)

2. The kids are playing together. (Here the adverb together provides information about how the kids are playing.)

Adverbs can also modify adjectives and other adverbs.

1. You are quite right. (Here the adverb quite modifies the adjective right.)

2. She spoke quite loudly. (Here the adverb quite modifies another adverb – loudly.)

In English, adverbs of manner (answering the question how?) are often formed by adding -ly to adjectives. Other languages often have similar methods for deriving adverbs from adjectives (French, for example, uses the suffix -ment), or else use the same form for both adjectives and adverbs. Some examples are listed under Adverbs in specific languages below.

Where the meaning permits, adverbs may undergo comparison, taking comparative and superlative forms. In English this is usually done by adding more and most before the adverb (more slowly, most slowly), although there are a few adverbs that take inflected forms, such as well, for which better and best are used.

For more information about the use of adverbs in English, see English grammar: Adverbs. For use in other languages, see Adverbs in specific languages below, and the articles on individual languages and their grammars.