• 5-minute read
• 31st March 2023

Grammar Tips: What Is an Adverb?

If you’re not sure what an adverb is or how to use one in a sentence, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’re looking at nine types of adverbs, their correct use (including examples), and some common adverb-related mistakes.

Adverbs Explained

In English, adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, clauses, and other adverbs. They’re not adjectives, which modify nouns or pronouns only. However, adverbs function similarly to adjectives because they both give additional details or information. For example, adverbs can describe how an action is performed (adverb of manner), how often an action occurs (adverb of frequency), or where an action happens (adverb of place).

Generally, adverbs end in ly, (slowly, quickly, usually, extremely, etc.). However, some don’t end in ly: very, quite, yesterday, therefore, fast, etc. Sometimes, adverbs even look like prepositions!

Nine Types of Adverbs

Adverbs of Manner

Adverbs of manner describe how an action (verb) is performed: quickly, slowly, carefully, happily, sadly, etc. They generally answer the question, How? For example, How did the dog run? Answer: The dog ran fast.

More examples follow:

Placement of Adverbs of Manner

Adverbs of manner generally go after the verb they modify. For example, The dog fast ran is incorrect. You’ll also often find them at the end of a sentence. In the example above, we could move slowly to the end of the sentence: The turtle walked to his food slowly. That would also be correct.

Adverbs of Frequency

Adverbs of frequency indicate how often an action occurs: always, often, sometimes, rarely, never, etc.

Here are some examples:

Placement of Adverbs of Frequency

We generally place adverbs of frequency before the action they modify, as in the examples above. However, these adverbs can also go at the beginning or the end of a sentence when you’re making general statements:

Pro tip: rarely, always, ever, seldom, and never can’t go at the end or the beginning of a sentence.

Adverbs of Time

These adverbs describe when an action occurs: yesterday, today, tomorrow, now, later, etc. They usually go at or near the end of a sentence:

Adverbs of Place

Adverbs of place (e.g., here, there, near, far) indicate where an action occurs. They generally go after the main verb:

Adverbs of Degree

Adverbs of degree indicate the intensity or degree of an action, an adjective, or another adverb: very, quite, extremely, almost, hardly, etc.

A few more examples follow:

Pro tip: adverbs go before the adjective they modify, as in a very attractive couple.

Interrogative Adverbs

We use interrogative adverbs to ask questions that often begin with when, where, why, how, or what:

Relative Adverbs

Relative adverbs, such as when, where, and why, introduce relative clauses:

Conjunctive Adverbs

We use conjunctive adverbs to connect two independent clauses (sentences that can stand alone as complete thoughts). We can also use them to show how two ideas or clauses are related: cause and effect, contrast, similarity, etc.

Here are some conjunctive adverbs and their meanings:

●  However: shows contrast between two ideas or clauses

●  Therefore: shows a cause-and-effect relationship between two ideas or clauses

●  Meanwhile: shows two actions happening at the same time

●  Moreover: shows addition or emphasis

●  Nevertheless: shows a contrast or concession

And here are a few examples of conjunctive adverbs in sentences:

Placement of Conjunctive Adverbs

We can place conjunctive adverbs at the beginning or in the middle of a sentence, but we usually separate them from the rest of the sentence with a semicolon or a comma. It’s important to note that the two independent clauses a conjunctive adverb connects should be related in meaning, and the sentence should be grammatically correct.

Adverbs of Affirmation and Negation

These adverbs indicate agreement or disagreement with a statement: yes, no, certainly, probably, unlikely, etc.:

Placement of Adverbs of Affirmation and Negation

We usually place adverbs of affirmation and negation before the main verb in a sentence. When the verb is a helping verb, such as can, will, should, or must, the adverb of affirmation or negation comes before that verb, as in the above examples.

Common Mistakes with Adverbs

Misplacing Adverbs

You should be careful to place adverbs correctly; otherwise, the sentence may sound awkward or confusing. For example:

In the first sentence, only is next to the word it modifies, but only eats doesn’t sound correct. And in the second example, readers may think that the subject eats nothing but pizza on Fridays.

Using Adjectives Instead of Adverbs

Adverbs have different forms, depending on the words they modify. For example, good is an adjective, and well is an adverb.

Overusing Adverbs

While adverbs can add emphasis and descriptiveness to a sentence, using too many can make the sentence sound cluttered and awkward. Choosing the most appropriate adverb for the situation is key:

Using Double Negatives

Using two negative words in the same sentence can create confusion and ambiguity. For example, with the negative adverb “not” (i.e., “do not” or “don’t”), adding another negative word is unnecessary.

Conclusion

There are many types of adverbs in English, and they have different uses and meanings. It’s extra confusing when one adverb can have different meanings or placements depending on the sentence. So, learning to use adverbs correctly in English takes time and practice.

If you want to learn more about English grammar, check out our Grammar Tips page, where you’ll find hundreds of entries on how to use nouns, articles, conjunctions, and much more.