What is an Adverb?
An adverb is a word that tells us more about a verb, an adjective or another adverb.
Read the following examples.
a. Tom was very sleepy.
b. She laughed timidly.
c. Dia was walking rapidly.
Kinds of Adverbs
A. Adverb of Manner
- Adverb of Manner tells us how something is done or happens.
- These adverbs answer the question ‘how’.
Example: Rita sings beautifully. (The Verb here is ‘sing’ and the Adverb is ‘beautifully’ and the question being asked is: How does she sing?)
- Most of the adverbs of manner are formed by adding –ly to the adjectives.
- Some commonly used adverbs of manner include words like eagerly, anxiously, patiently, quickly, correctly, simply, easily, fast, well, loudly, completely, etc.
Some more examples
- The lady grumbled loudly while cleaning the floor.
- The boys were seriously injured in the fight.
- At the advanced age of 88, she still sang very well.
- The mechanic fixed the problem easily.
B. Adverb of Place
- Adverb of Place tells us where something is done or happens.
- These adverbs answer the question ‘where’.
Example: He kept his keys somewhere. (Here the Verb is ‘kept’ and the Adverb is ‘somewhere’.)
- Some commonly used adverbs of place include words like somewhere, here, there, upwards, downwards, in, out, abroad, underground, upstairs, home, anywhere, nowhere, etc.
Some more examples
- In spring, flowers bloom everywhere.
- They serve hot chocolate fudge there.
- I am waiting here for my mom.
- She is standing outside.
C. Adverb of Time
- Adverb of Time tells us when something done or happens.
- These adverbs answer the question ‘when’.
Example: We will leave today. (Here the Verb is ‘leave’ and the Adverb is ‘today’.)
- Some commonly used adverbs of time include words like after, already, finally, next, later, last, yesterday, tomorrow, early, immediately, when, while, recently, now, just, during, then, soon, never, before, etc.
- We use it at the beginning or at the end of a sentence. We use it as a form of emphasis when we place it at the beginning.
Some more examples
- She went to the market in the evening.
- A five-storey collapsed yesterday.
- Last week, we were stuck in the traffic jam for an hour.
D. Adverb of Frequency
- Adverb of Frequency tells us how often something happens.
- They answer the question ‘how often’.
- These Adverbs are used to show the duration or timing of the action that is happening/had happened/will happen.
Example: She likes to watch movie every day. (Here the Verb is ‘watch’ and the Adverb is ‘every day’.)
- Some commonly used adverbs of frequency include words like always, rarely, sometimes, often, usually, seldom, occasionally, frequently, yearly etc.
Some more examples
- My grandparents live in Patna. I visit them often.
- She watches Tamil films occasionally.
- They rarely go for outing.
- He always brush his teeth before he go to bed.
- I have been to Mumbai just once.
- I sometimes go for a walk in the nearby park.
E. Adverb of Degree
- Adverb of Degree tells us to show to what extent or how much has an action been done or will be done.
- They answer the question ‘how much’.
Example: The accident victim nearly died from his injuries. (Here the Verb is ‘died’ and the Adverb is ‘nearly’.)
- Some commonly used adverbs of degree include words like almost, entirely, somewhat, very, much, too, rather, nearly, least, yet, completely, partially, fully, etc.
Some more examples
- Dia almost finished the work.
- She was very impressed with her results.
- It is extremely cold today.
F. Adverb of Reason or purpose
- Adverb of Reason or purpose tells us why something is done or something has happened.
- They answer the question ‘why’.
Example: The bus was late, so I missed my meeting. (Here the Verb is ‘missed’ and the Adverb is ‘so’.)
- Some commonly used adverbs of reason include words like therefore, so, hence, subsequently, conversely, nevertheless, despite, etc.
Some more examples
- I was not well, hence didn’t go to school today.
- Lady heard a loud noise; therefore, she called the police.
- Because he was sick, he stayed home.
Practice Exercise
Q1) Fill in the blanks with the Adverbs.
a. The boy ran ____________.
b. Ria is really _________________.
c. It works ____________ well.
d. Rishi speaks ________________.
e. Dia lives _____________ door.
f. Ravi ran _____________ to the room.
g. It is a ____________ beautiful dress.
h. Ram’s victory is ______________ magnificent.
i. It is ______________ peaceful here.
j. She works ________________ hard.
k. Tina listened ________________.
l. Ria sings ______________.
a. The boy ran ____________.
b. Ria is really _________________.
c. It works ____________ well.
d. Rishi speaks ________________.
e. Dia lives _____________ door.
f. Ravi ran _____________ to the room.
g. It is a ____________ beautiful dress.
h. Ram’s victory is ______________ magnificent.
i. It is ______________ peaceful here.
j. She works ________________ hard.
k. Tina listened ________________.
l. Ria sings ______________.
m. He returned ____________ at night.
Q2) Identify the adverbs and their kinds and write.
a. The boy was sitting lazily in the shade of the tree. __________________
b. I usually go to bed at 10 o’clock. __________________________
c. I have never been to the Australia. ________________________
d. Please wait patiently. ______________________________
e. The results were announced yesterday. _______________________
f. She works fast. _____________________________
g. He almost finished his work. __________________________
h. The police looked for the missing child everywhere. __________________
i. The project is partly over. __________________________
j. Dia is too tired. ________________________________
k. Kareena left office early. ______________________________
l. His factory was shut down a few months ago. _______________________
m. We can stop here for dinner. _______________________