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Adverbs and Adverbials

Lesson 13

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Terms
• Adverb: describes or limits verbs, adjectives,
other adverbs or entire sentences.
• descriptive adverbs
• conjunctive adverbs
• relative adverbs
• Qualifier
• A word which modifies an adverb or
adjective. eg. very, much, etc.

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Terms
• Adverbial: a group of words (phrase) which function
like an adverb (Prepositional Phrase)
• Adjunct: “any word, phrase or clause joined to
another word or phrase to qualify or modify it”
• Conjunct: an adjunct that states the logical
relationship between ideas.
• Disjunct: an adjunct that adds parenthetical
information to the sentence.

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Formation
• Derivation: suffix -ly
• quickly, happily, slowly, clearly, etc.
• n.b. not all words that end in -ly are
adverbs. e.g. motherly, orderly
• Conversion: (no ending)
• fast, hard, fair, late
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Position of adverbs

A
S Ax V O B C

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Position of adverbs
Definite time: now, today, yesterday
A C Frequency phrases: every day, once a
week

Manner (phrase): on foot, by car

Place: to the store
Time: at five o’clock, last night

Frequency: usually, often, never, always

B
Manner: slowly, quickly, quietly
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Versatile adverbs
• Some adverbs may take all three positions
naturally
• now, soon, at once, at last, at first,
afterwards, here, still
• Some adverbs may be emphatic in other
positions
• Negative adverbs cause an inversion of
subject and verb in the initial position

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Position of adverbs
with infinitives

A
to V O B C

B a split infinitive

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Specific cases

• very vs. much

• only (adv. vs. adj.)
• early vs. soon
• still vs. yet

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VERY vs. MUCH
• VERY is used to modify adjectival participles
• He was very tired after the hike
• (this is not passive voice)
• MUCH is used to modify verbal participles
• He was much liked by all his fellow
students.
• They all liked him very much.
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ONLY

• ONLY as an adjective
• She watches only three hours of television
every day.
• ONLY as an adverb
• She could only sing when she was by
herself.

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EARLY vs. SOON
• EARLY
• Before the scheduled time
• SOON
• In a very short while
• “The class will end early today.” (even
though it just started)
• “The class will end soon.” (it is almost over)
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STILL vs.YET
• STILL refers to an action that continues.
• He still writes all of his notes out.
• STILL/YET may be an adversive conjunt.
• Still/Yet, he never gets tired of it.
• YET refers to an action which has not yet begun.
• He has yet to complain about it.
• Have you been to class yet?
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Adverbs and Adverbials
Lesson 13

English Grammar