An adverb is a word that modifies or gives more information about a verb, an adjective or another adverb. They express when, where, why, how and how often an action happens.
According to their function, adverbs can be differentiated into several types like:
- adverbs of time.
- adverbs of place.
- adverbs of manner.
- adverbs of degree.
- adverbs of frequency.
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An adverb is situated either after the verb it changes or before the adjective or before the adverb it changes. Examples of adverbs of time, place, manner, frequency and degree as used in sentences are given in this article for your better knowledge.
Examples of Adverbs
Adverbs make sentences finer and your writing more interesting and descriptive. Let us look at the examples of adverbs given below.
Few Examples of Adverbs of Time in English Sentences – When an Action Is Happening
- Come and have dinner now.
- I go to office every day.
- Sandra will go to America next month.
- I came home yesterday.
- We went to the hospital last week.
- Last year, we visited our grandparents in India.
- My friends are going to see a movie tomorrow.
- Aman came home late.
- The food we ordered will be here soon.
- Will you come along with me to the shopping mall the day after tomorrow?
List of Examples of Adverbs of Manner in Sentences – How an Action Is Taking Place
- Rohan stopped the car abruptly.
- Aman was walking slowly.
- Rahul waited eagerly to see what was inside the biggest box.
- Diana spoke boldly in front of a huge audience.
- My uncle smiled cheerfully.
- The little boy smiled awkwardly after having pushed down a rack of toys.
- They got here easily.
- Amina drove cautiously as the road was steep.
- Little Diana had dressed elegantly for her third birthday party.
- My friend and I ran quickly to get the taxi.
List of Examples of Adverbs of Place in Sentences – Answer the Question ‘Where’
- She would like to go somewhere to free her mind.
- Amina had to go downstairs to collect the mail.
- Aman carried his umbrella with him when he went outside.
- We have to keep walking downhill till we find a place to rest.
- We had been waiting for them for a long time. Here they are.
- Rahul searched everywhere for the missing key.
- She opened a shop nearby.
- Sandra took her brother inside when it started raining.
- The baby girl crawled towards her mother.
- What are you doing here?
Adverbs of Degree Examples in Sentences – The Extent to Which an Action Takes Place
- Sandra barely knew the guy next door.
- Sarah was completely satisfied with the end result.
- Dad arrived home late, and he was extremely tired.
- Rayan regretted deeply for his mistake.
- How far did you go to find this?
- The teacher was highly appreciated for her constant efforts to produce good results.
- The doctors did not think it would be nearly possible to save him.
- The outfit fit her perfectly well.
- The doctor was not fully aware of the patient’s previous medical history.
- The little girl was least bothered about the mess she had created.
List of Examples of Adverbs of Frequency in Sentences – How Often an Action Takes Place
- Sarah take the taxi daily.
- Diana seldom finds it difficult to finish her work on time.
- I have always wanted to go on a roller coaster.
- James often goes to work on his motorcycle.
- John and Diana take this bus regularly.
- Sid, Sam and Brady never liked to go swimming.
- The teacher rarely found students running around in the ground.
- Jonah hardly ever found the right answer.
- Tom got caught frequently.
- The lady wore traditional clothes occasionally.
What is an adverb?
An adverb is a word that alters (describes) a verb (he sings loudly), an adjective (very tall), another adverb (ended too quickly), or even a whole sentence (Fortunately, I had brought an umbrella). Adverbs usually end in –ly, but some (such as fast) look exactly the same as their adjective counterparts.
- Tom Longboat did not run badly. Tom is very tall.
- The race finished too quickly.
- Fortunately, Lucy recorded Tom’s win.
It’s easy to point out adverbs in these sentences.
Adverbs and verbs
Adverbs often changes verbs. This means that they define the way an action is happening.
Examples:
- Phillip sings loudly in the shower.
- My cat waits impatiently for his food.
- I will seriously consider your suggestion.
The adverbs in the sentences given above answer the question in what manner? How does Phillip sing? Loudly. How does my cat wait? Impatiently. How will I consider your suggestion? Seriously. Adverbs can answer other types of questions about how an action was carried out. They can also tell you when and where.
Anyhow, there is one type of verb that doesn’t mix well with adverbs. Linking verbs, such as feel, smell, sound, seem, and appear, generally need adjectives, not adverbs. A very common example of this type of mixup is
Incorrect I feel badly about what happened.
Correct I feel bad about what happened.
Because “feel” is a verb, it usually calls for an adverb more than an adjective. But “feel” is a linking verb. An adverb would define how you execute the action of feeling—an adjective defines what you feel. “I feel badly” means that you are bad at feeling things. But if you’re saying that you are experiencing negative emotions, “I feel bad” is the correct way to tell.
Adverbs and adjectives
Adverbs can also alter adjectives and other adverbs. Usually, the need of the adverb is to add a degree of intensity to the adjective.
Examples
- The woman is quite pretty.
- This book is more interesting than the last one.
- The weather report is almost always right.
The adverb almost is altering the adverb always, and they’re both altering right.
Examples
- “Is my singing too loud?” asked Phillip.
- My cat is incredibly happy to have his dinner.
- We will be slightly late to the meeting.
- This bridesmaid dress is a very unflattering shade of puce.
Adverbs and sentences
Some adverbs can alter entire sentences, these are called sentence adverbs. Common ones include generally, fortunately, interestingly, and accordingly. Sentence adverbs don’t define one particular thing in the sentence instead, they define a general feeling about all of the information in the sentence.
Examples
- Fortunately, we got there in time.
- Interestingly, no one at the auction seemed interested in bidding on the antique spoon collection.
Degrees of comparison
Like adjectives, adverbs can show degrees of comparison, although it’s less common to use them this way. With some “flat adverbs” (adverbs that look exactly the same as their adjective counterparts), the comparative and superlative forms look the same as the adjective comparative and superlative forms. It’s often better to use stronger adverbs (or stronger adjectives and verbs) rather than relying on comparative and superlative adverbs.
An absolute adverb defines something in its own right:
Examples
- He smiled warmly.
- A hastily written note.
Add the word more, to make the comparative form of an adverb that ends in -ly:
Examples
- He smiled more warmly than the others.
- The more hastily written note had the clue.
Add the word most, to make the superlative form of an adverb that ends in -ly:
Examples
- He smiled most warmly of them all.
- The most hastily written note on the table was overlooked.
Placement of adverbs
Place adverbs are as close as possible to the words they are supposed to modify. Placing the adverb in the wrong place can produce an awkward sentence and completely change the meaning. Especially be careful about the word only, which is one of the most frequently misplaced modifiers. Consider the difference between these two sentences given below:
Phillip only fed the cat.
Phillip fed only the cat.
The first sentence means that all Phillip did was feed the cat. He didn’t pet the cat or pick it up or anything else. The second sentence means that Phillip fed the cat, but he didn’t feed the dog, the bird, or anyone else other than a cat.
When an adverb is modifying a verb phrase, the most natural place for the adverb is usually the middle of the phrase.
Examples
- We are quickly approaching the deadline.
- Jane has always loved singing.
- I will happily assist you.
When to avoid adverbs?
Ernest Hemingway is generally held up as an example of a great writer who rejected adverbs and advised other writers not to use them. In real life, it’s not possible to avoid adverbs completely. Sometimes we need them, and all writers (even Hemingway) use them sometimes. The trick is to avoid unnecessary adverbs. When your verb or adjective doesn’t seem powerful enough, rather than reaching for an adverb to add more color, try reaching for a stronger verb or adjective instead. Most of the time, you’ll come up with a better word and your writing will be stronger for it.
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