Adverb - Definition, Types, Use & Examples, Worksheet

Adverbs: The Versatile Words that Add Flair to Your Language

📘 Table of Contents

• 1. Introduction
• 2. What Are Adverbs?
• 3. Types of Adverbs
• 4. Formation of Adverbs
• 5. Functions of Adverbs
• 6. List of Commonly Used Adverbs
• 7. Conclusion
• 8. Adverb Worksheet/Exercise
• 9. FAQs

Definition :

A word which gives more information about a verb, adjective, another adverb, clause or whole sentence is called as an "Adverb".

e.g. beautifully, now, away, very, generally, etc.

1. Introduction

Adverbs are the versatile chameleons of language, capable of transforming our sentences with a touch of flair. These words are like magic dust, adding details, intensity, and clarity to our descriptions. Whether we're talking about actions, adjectives, or other adverbs, adverbs have got our back!

Here, we'll explore the world of adverbs, their functions, types, and how they can make your language sparkle.

2. What Are Adverbs?

Adverbs are like the seasoning of language – they enhance the flavors of our sentences. These special words modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, providing more information about how, when, where, and to what extent something happened. Adverbs are the dynamic storytellers that help us paint vivid pictures with words.

It provides information like How? When? Where? How Much? How often? the action happens.

For example:

• John drives the car slowly.
• John drives the car daily.
• John parks the car there.
• John drives the car very Fast.
• John drives the car always on Sundays.

Here you can see that the sentence is "John drives the car"

• When you ask How? The answer is slowly. "Slowly" is an adverb which is giving more information about the verb "drive".

Similarly, for When? daily, Where? there, How much fast? very & How often? always 

• "Daily"- The adverb "Daily" gives more information about the verb "drive". 
• "There" - The adverb "There" gives more information about the verb "park".
• "Very"- The adverb "Very" gives more information about the Adjective "Fast".
• "Always" - The Adverb "Always" gives more information about "on Sundays".

"Daily", "There", "Very" and "Always" are also adverbs.

Most of the adverbs end with "ly" but it is not necessary.

For example: Continuously, Silently, Happily, Fast, Here, There, Sometimes, Often, etc.

3. Types of Adverbs

Adverbs come in different forms, each with a specific purpose in our language. Let's explore the various types:

1. Adverbs of Time:

These adverbs express when an action occurred. Examples include "now," "later," "soon," and "yesterday."

2. Adverbs of Place:

These adverbs indicate where an action took place. Examples include "here," "there," "everywhere," and "somewhere."

3. Adverbs of Manner:

These adverbs describe how an action was performed. Examples include "quickly," "carefully," "happily," and "efficiently."

4. Adverbs of Degree:

These adverbs show the intensity or degree of an action. Examples include "very," "extremely," "quite," and "almost."

5. Adverbs of Frequency:

These adverbs tell us how often an action occurs. Examples include "always," "often," "sometimes," and "rarely."

Sr. No.	Adverb Type	Usage & Common Adverbs	Example Sentence
1	Adverbs of Manner	Describe how an action is done. Examples: quickly, slowly, carefully, badly, well, easily, loudly, quietly	She sings beautifully.
2	Adverbs of Time	Tell when or how often an action happens. Examples: now, then, yesterday, today, soon, always, never, often, lately	He will arrive tomorrow.
3	Adverbs of Place	Indicate where an action happens. Examples: here, there, everywhere, nearby, above, below, outside, inside	They live nearby.
4	Adverbs of Degree	Express intensity or degree of action, adjective, or adverb. Examples: very, too, almost, quite, nearly, just, enough, almost	The water is very cold.
5	Adverbs of Frequency	Indicate how often an action occurs. Examples: always, usually, often, sometimes, rarely, never, frequently	She always comes early.
6	Interrogative Adverbs	Used to ask questions about time, place, reason, or manner. Examples: when, where, why, how	When will you arrive?
7	Relative Adverbs	Introduce relative clauses referring to time, place, or reason. Examples: when, where, why	I remember the day when we met.
8	Adverbs of Probability	Express the likelihood or certainty of an event. Examples: probably, possibly, certainly, definitely, maybe	She will probably come.
9	Adverbs of Affirmation	Express agreement or confirmation. Examples: yes, certainly, definitely, surely, indeed	Certainly, I will help you.
10	Adverbs of Negation	Express denial or negation. Examples: not, never, hardly, scarcely, no	He is never late.
11	Adverbs of Purpose	Indicate the reason or purpose of an action. Examples: therefore, thus, hence, so	She studies hard to succeed.

4. Formation of Adverbs:

Let's see how can we from adverbs from adjectives.

1. Simply add "ly" to the adjective

For example: Kind-Kindly, Polite-politely, etc.

2. When the adjective ends with "y", remove "y" and add "i" then add "ly"

For example: Happy- Happily, Angry- Angrily, etc.

3. Other adverbs

For example: Simple-Simply, Whole-Wholly, Careful-Carefully, etc.

5. Functions of Adverbs

Adverbs wear many hats in our sentences, and they serve various functions:

1. Modifying Verbs:

• Adverbs modify verbs, telling us how an action was performed.

For example:

1. She sings beautifully.
2. He sings happily.
3. I drive the car carefully.

2. Modifying Adjectives:

• Adverbs can also modify adjectives, providing more detail or intensity.

For example :

1. He is extremely talented.
2. He is very intelligent.
3. We were extremely happy.

3. Modifying Other Adverbs:

• Adverbs can even modify other adverbs, emphasizing the degree of an action.

For example :

1. She danced very gracefully.
2. He answered very politely.
3. The team played quite badly.

4. Modifying clause or sentence

• Adverbs can even modify clauses or entire sentences.

For example:

1. Usually, We go for movies on weekends.
2. Fortunately, John saved the puppy from falling into the river.

5. Expressing Time:

• Adverbs tell us when something happened or for how long.

For example :

1. We will meet tomorrow.
2. I was playing football yesterday.

6. Showing Place:

• Adverbs indicate where an action took place.

For example :

1. They searched everywhere.

7. Demonstrating Manner:

• Adverbs describe how an action is performed.

For example :

1. She spoke softly.

6. List of commonly used Adverbs

1. List of Commonly Used Adverbs of Time

Sr. No.	Adverb	Usage	Example
1	Now	Indicates the present moment	He is studying now.
2	Today	Refers to the current day	I have a meeting today.
3	Tomorrow	Refers to the day after today	We will go shopping tomorrow.
4	Yesterday	Refers to the previous day	I met her yesterday.
5	Later	Indicates future time	I will call you later.
6	Soon	Refers to something happening shortly	He will arrive soon.
7	Already	Refers to something completed	I have already eaten.
8	Still	Indicates continuity	She is still sleeping.
9	Just	Indicates recent time	I just finished my homework.
10	Then	Refers to a past/future point	We had lunch then went out.
11	Afterwards	Refers to a time later	We went to dinner afterwards.
12	Eventually	Indicates something happening in the end	He eventually agreed.
13	Lately	Refers to recent time	She has been tired lately.
14	Recently	Refers to a short time ago	He joined the course recently.
15	Tonight	Refers to the present night	We are going out tonight.
16	Immediately	Indicates urgency	Leave the building immediately!
17	Before	Refers to earlier time	I had seen that before.
18	Sooner	Comparative of "soon"	You should come sooner next time.
19	Eventually	Happening at last	He eventually got the job.
20	Once	Refers to one time in the past	I met him once in Delhi.

2. List of Commonly Used Adverbs of Place

Sr. No.	Adverb	Usage	Example
1	Here	Refers to the current location	Come here, please.
2	There	Refers to a distant location	She is waiting there.
3	Everywhere	Refers to all places	We looked everywhere for the keys.
4	Nowhere	Refers to no place	There is nowhere to hide.
5	Somewhere	Refers to an unknown place	He went somewhere after lunch.
6	Inside	Refers to being within something	The kids are playing inside.
7	Outside	Refers to the exterior of something	She is waiting outside the gate.
8	Upstairs	Refers to a higher level in a building	He is reading upstairs.
9	Downstairs	Refers to a lower level in a building	The kitchen is downstairs.
10	Above	Indicates a higher position	The fan is above the bed.
11	Below	Indicates a lower position	The basement is below the ground floor.
12	Nearby	Indicates a close location	The school is nearby.
13	Far	Indicates a distant location	The market is far from here.
14	Away	Indicates distance from a place	He walked away silently.
15	Backward	Indicates movement to the rear	Step backward slowly.
16	Forward	Indicates movement to the front	Move forward, please.
17	Abroad	Indicates a foreign place	She went abroad for studies.
18	Overseas	Refers to a location across the sea	He works overseas now.
19	In	Refers to being inside a place	The books are in the bag.
20	Out	Refers to being outside	The cat went out.

3. List of commonly used Adverbs of Manner

Sr. No.	Adverb	Usage	Example
1	Quickly	Describes fast action	She ran quickly to catch the bus.
2	Slowly	Describes slow action	The turtle moved slowly.
3	Carefully	Shows caution	He carefully painted the wall.
4	Neatly	Describes tidiness	She wrote the notes neatly.
5	Bravely	Describes courage	The soldier fought bravely.
6	Happily	Shows joy	They danced happily.
7	Sadly	Shows sadness	He spoke sadly about the news.
8	Loudly	Describes noise	The baby cried loudly.
9	Softly	Shows gentleness	She closed the door softly.
10	Kindly	Describes politeness	The teacher spoke kindly to the child.
11	Roughly	Describes force	He pushed the box roughly.
12	Calmly	Shows control	She answered the question calmly.
13	Clearly	Shows clarity	He explained the concept clearly.
14	Rudely	Shows impoliteness	She replied rudely.
15	Gently	Shows softness	He patted the puppy gently.
16	Accurately	Shows precision	The machine works accurately.
17	Clumsily	Shows awkwardness	He dropped the cup clumsily.
18	Quick-wittedly	Shows cleverness	She replied quick-wittedly.
19	Warmly	Shows warmth or friendliness	He greeted us warmly.
20	Eagerly	Shows enthusiasm	The students answered eagerly.

4. List of Commonly Used Adverbs of Degree

Sr. No.	Adverb	Usage	Example
1	Very	Strengthens an adjective or another adverb	She is very happy.
2	Too	Indicates excess	It’s too hot today.
3	Quite	Indicates moderate degree	The room is quite clean.
4	Almost	Indicates nearly or not completely	I almost missed the bus.
5	Enough	Indicates sufficiency	He is strong enough to lift it.
6	Just	Indicates a small amount or recent action	I just finished the work.
7	Nearly	Indicates close to a certain point	He nearly fell off the ladder.
8	Almost	Indicates very close to completion	She almost cried.
9	So	Emphasizes degree	He is so funny!
10	Absolutely	Used to show complete agreement or degree	She is absolutely right.
11	Completely	Shows completeness	The room is completely dark.
12	Extremely	Shows a high degree	That test was extremely difficult.
13	Totally	Shows full extent	I totally forgot the meeting.
14	Rather	Indicates slight emphasis	He’s rather tall for his age.
15	Fairly	Shows a reasonable degree	The task is fairly simple.
16	Highly	Indicates a great degree or level	It’s a highly rated show.
17	Scarcely	Indicates barely	I could scarcely hear her.
18	Hardly	Means almost not	He hardly knows her.
19	Undoubtedly	Expresses certainty	She is undoubtedly the best player.
20	Definitely	Expresses certainty	I will definitely call you.

5. List of Commonly Used Adverbs of Frequency

Sr. No.	Adverb	Usage	Example
1	Always	Indicates 100% of the time	She always wakes up early.
2	Usually	Indicates around 80–90% frequency	We usually go for a walk in the evening.
3	Frequently	Happens often	He frequently visits his grandparents.
4	Often	Happens many times	They often eat out on weekends.
5	Regularly	Happens at regular intervals	She exercises regularly.
6	Sometimes	Happens occasionally (about 50%)	I sometimes drink coffee at night.
7	Occasionally	Happens now and then	We occasionally visit the museum.
8	Rarely	Happens very infrequently	He rarely eats junk food.
9	Seldom	Happens less than rarely	They seldom play video games.
10	Hardly ever	Happens almost never	She hardly ever arrives late.
11	Never	Indicates 0% of the time	I never lie to my parents.
12	Every day	Happens daily	He reads the newspaper every day.
13	Once	Happens one time	I’ve visited Paris once.
14	Twice	Happens two times	She has been there twice this year.
15	Weekly	Happens every week	We have a team meeting weekly.
16	Monthly	Happens every month	Rent is paid monthly.
17	Yearly	Happens every year	We go to our village yearly.
18	Eventually	Happens at some point in time	He will eventually understand.
19	Periodically	Happens at intervals	The machine needs to be cleaned periodically.
20	Annually	Occurs once a year	We celebrate this event annually.

6. List of Commonly Used Interrogative Adverbs

Sr. No.	Adverb	Usage	Example
1	When	Asks about time	When are you coming home?
2	Where	Asks about place	Where do you live?
3	Why	Asks about reason	Why are you late?
4	How	Asks about manner or method	How did you solve the problem?
5	How much	Asks about quantity	How much money do you need?
6	How many	Asks about countable quantity	How many apples are in the basket?
7	How often	Asks about frequency	How often do you exercise?
8	How long	Asks about duration	How long is the movie?
9	How far	Asks about distance	How far is the school from here?
10	How fast	Asks about speed	How fast can you run?
11	How old	Asks about age	How old are you?
12	How come	Asks about unexpected reason or situation	How come you didn't call?

7. List of Commonly Used Relative Adverbs

Sr. No.	Adverb	Usage	Example
1	Where	Refers to place in relative clauses	This is the house where I grew up.
2	When	Refers to time in relative clauses	Sunday is the day when we meet.
3	Why	Refers to reason in relative clauses	I don't know the reason why he left.

7. Conclusion

Adverbs are the versatile words that elevate our language, making it more expressive and engaging. They modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs, adding valuable details about time, place, manner, and degree. 

Adverbs are like the spice that brings zest to our sentences, turning simple expressions into captivating narratives. 

So, let adverbs be your creative allies, infusing your language with flair and excitement!

See Also : Preposition

8. Adverb Worksheet/ Exercise

Instructions: Read each sentence carefully and identify the adverb.

1. She speaks softly to her baby.
2. He quickly finished his homework.
3. The car moved slowly through the traffic.
4. They carefully planned their trip to Europe.
5. The children played happily in the park.
6. She danced gracefully across the stage.
7. He eagerly volunteered to help with the project.
8. The teacher spoke clearly to the students.
9. They arrived late to the party.
10. The rain fell steadily throughout the night.

Answers:

1. Adverb: softly
2. Adverb: quickly
3. Adverb: slowly
4. Adverb: carefully
5. Adverb: happily
6. Adverb: gracefully
7. Adverb: eagerly
8. Adverb: clearly
9. Adverb: late
10. Adverb: steadily

(Note: Adverbs typically describe how, when, where, or to what extent an action is performed.)

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📚 Learn All 8 Parts of Speech:

🧠 Parts of Speech: Overview
1️. Noun – Definition, Types, Gender, Number & Examples
2️. Pronoun – Definition, Types & Usage
3️. Adjective – Types, Degrees & Examples
4️. Verb – Types, Tenses & Examples
5️. Adverb – Kinds, Functions & Examples
6️. Preposition – Usage, Types & Examples
7️. Conjunction – Types & Uses
8️. Interjection – Meaning & Examples

FAQs: Adverb

1. What is an adverb?

An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, adjective, or other adverb, providing more information about how, when, where, or to what extent something happens. Examples include "quickly," "very," "yesterday," and "here."

2. What are the different types of adverbs?

There are several types of adverbs, including adverbs of manner, time, place, degree, frequency, and reason.

3. What is an adverb of manner?

An adverb of manner describes how an action is performed. Examples include "slowly," "carefully," "happily," and "well."

4. What is an adverb of time?

An adverb of time tells us when an action happens. Examples include "now," "soon," "yesterday," "later," and "always."

5. What is an adverb of place?

An adverb of place indicates where an action occurs. Examples include "here," "there," "everywhere," "outside," and "nearby."

6. What is an adverb of degree?

An adverb of degree explains the intensity or degree of an action, adjective, or another adverb. Examples include "very," "quite," "too," "almost," and "extremely."

7. What is an adverb of frequency?

An adverb of frequency tells us how often an action occurs. Examples include "always," "never," "often," "sometimes," and "rarely."

8. What is an adverb of reason?

An adverb of reason explains why an action happens. Examples include "therefore," "thus," "because," and "hence."

9. Can adverbs modify adjectives and other adverbs?

Yes, adverbs can modify adjectives and other adverbs. For example, in "She is very tall," the adverb "very" modifies the adjective "tall." In "He runs incredibly quickly," the adverb "incredibly" modifies the adverb "quickly."

10. How do you form adverbs from adjectives?

Many adverbs are formed by adding "-ly" to the end of an adjective. For example, "quick" becomes "quickly," and "happy" becomes "happily." However, some adverbs are irregular and do not follow this rule, such as "well" (from "good") and "fast" (same form as the adjective).

References

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2. Quirk R., Greenbaum S., Leech G. & Svartvik J. (1985). A comprehensive grammar of the English language. Longman.
3. Huddleston R. & Pullum G. K. (2002). The Cambridge grammar of the English language. Cambridge University Press.
4. Swan M. (2016). Practical English usage (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.
5. Carter R. & McCarthy M. (2006). Cambridge grammar of English: A comprehensive guide. Cambridge University Press.
6. Parrott M. (2010). Grammar for English language teachers (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.