02-05 - Adverbs - Forms - English Grammar Today - Cambridge Dictionary

5/29/2020 Adverbs: forms - English Grammar Today - Cambridge Dictionary
Search Grammar  
  

Adverbs: forms  
Grammar > Adjectives and adverbs > Adverbs > Adverbs: forms
from English Grammar Today
Adverbs ending in -ly

Adverbs have a strong connection with adjectives. Adjectives and adverbs are usually based on the
same word. Adverbs often have the form of an adjective + -ly.
Compare
adjective adverb
He was calm when I told him. He behaved calmly.
That was a beautiful presentation, Carla. Your work is beautifully presented, Carla.
Adverbs ending in -ly are usually adverbs of manner (slowly) and degree (completely, fairly).
Adverbs formed from adjectives ending in -l have double l:
beautiful → beautifully, careful → carefully, hopeful → hopefully, historical → historically
Magda looked hopefully at her mother.

Historically, there was never any conflict between the two communities.
Adverbs formed from adjectives ending in -y change the y to i:

easy → easily, busy → busily, lucky → luckily, angry → angrily
Luckily, I had a backup copy of the data on a disk.

I’vewebsite
This never seen
useshim react so
cookies. Forangrily.
more information, please visit the Privacy and Cookies Policy.
Accept and hide this message 
Adverbs ending in a consonant +e keep the e:
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/adverbs-forms 1/7
definite → definitely, fortunate → fortunately, extreme → extremely, absolute → absolutely

Search Grammar    

I am extremely grateful to you.
We were absolutely exhausted at the end of it all.
Adverbs ending in -ward(s) or -wise

There is a small group of adverbs which end in -ward(s) or -wise. The -ward(s) words can end in
either -ward or -wards (inward, inwards).
1. -wards: inwards, eastwards, upwards, downwards
2. -wise: clockwise, lengthwise, likewise
The doctor asked her to move her head upwards but she couldn’t.
Turn the handle clockwise to start it.

He’s the one that they all love. Whatever he does, they do likewise. (They do the same thing.)
Adverbs with the same form as adjectives

Some adverbs have the same form as adjectives. The most common are: fast (not fastly), left, hard,
outside, right, straight, late, well, and time words such as daily, weekly, monthly, yearly.
Compare
adjective adverb
This coconut is really hard. You’ll need a hammer You have to bang the door hard to shut
to break it up. it.
She drives a fast car. They can swim quite fast now actually.
An outside light would be a really good idea for When I went outside, the light came on
our house. automatically.
I get a monthly pay cheque. My company pays me monthly.
This website uses cookies. For more information, please visit the Privacy and Cookies Policy.
Search Grammar
Warning:  
  

Don’t confuse adjectives and adverbs. Adjectives modify nouns or are used after verbs such
as be, become, seem, look, smell, taste.
She walks very elegantly. (adverb of manner, describing how she walks)
He wore an elegant suit and a silk tie. (adjective describing the suit)
She looks very elegant in that long skirt. (adjective after look)
Adjectives ending in -ly

Some adjectives end in -ly, e.g. lively, lonely, ugly. We don’t form adverbs from these adjectives
because they are not easy to pronounce. We usually reword what we want to say instead.
Don’t act in a silly way.
Not: Don’t act sillily.

She said it in a friendly way.
Not: She said it friendlily.
Adverbs not related to adjectives

Some adverbs (e.g. just, quite, so, soon, too, very) are not directly related to adjectives:
This isContents
just what I am looking for. (just = exactly) To top 
These cups are not quite the same. (not quite = not exactly)
Why is this road so narrow?
I look forward to seeing you soon.

That’s too expensive.
That’s a very strange story.
Gradable adverbs
Most adverbs, like most adjectives, are gradable (they can express different degrees of qualities,
properties, states, conditions and relations). We can modify adverbs using other types of adverbs and
comparative forms to make longer adverb phrases.
Compare
He plays the piano amazingly. really is a degree adverb

  

He plays the piano really amazingly.
She played golf skilfully this time. more is a degree adverb

She played golf more skilfully this time. more skilfully is a comparative form
Popular searches
01 Advice or advise?
02 As well (as)
03 Word formation
04 Adverbs and adverb phrases: position
05 At, on and in (place)
06 Open or opened?
07 Discourse markers (so, right, okay)
08 Verbs
09 As … as
10 If or whether?
Test your vocabulary with our fun image quizzes
Image credits
Try a quiz now
  

BLOG
Going forward, sooner or later (Expressions to talk about the future)

May 27, 2020
Read More
Accept and hide this message
NEW WORDS

  

 
WORD OF THE DAY
peacekeeper
a person who tries to prevent or stop arguments or fighting between two or more people or
groups
About this
Zoombombing
  

May 24, 2020
More new words
Get our free widgets

Add the power of Cambridge Dictionary to your website using our free search box widgets.
Dictionary apps
Browse our dictionary apps today and ensure you are never again lost for words.
LEARN 
DEVELOP 
ABOUT 
  
© Cambridge University Press 2020

02-05 - Adverbs - Forms - English Grammar Today - Cambridge Dictionary

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

02-05 - Adverbs - Forms - English Grammar Today - Cambridge Dictionary

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

5/29/2020 Adverbs: forms - English Grammar Today - Cambridge Dictionary

from English Grammar Today

Adverbs ending in -ly

He was calm when I told him. He behaved calmly.

Magda looked hopefully at her mother.

Adverbs formed from adjectives ending in -y change the y to i:

Luckily, I had a backup copy of the data on a disk.

definite → definitely, fortunate → fortunately, extreme → extremely, absolute → absolutely

Adverbs ending in -ward(s) or -wise

1. -wards: inwards, eastwards, upwards, downwards

2. -wise: clockwise, lengthwise, likewise

Turn the handle clockwise to start it.

Adverbs with the same form as adjectives

I get a monthly pay cheque. My company pays me monthly.

Adjectives ending in -ly

Don’t act in a silly way.

Not: Don’t act sillily.

Not: She said it friendlily.

Adverbs not related to adjectives

I look forward to seeing you soon.

That’s a very strange story.

He plays the piano amazingly. really is a degree adverb

She played golf skilfully this time. more is a degree adverb

04 Adverbs and adverb phrases: position

05 At, on and in (place)

07 Discourse markers (so, right, okay)

Test your vocabulary with our fun image quizzes

Going forward, sooner or later (Expressions to talk about the future)

WORD OF THE DAY

May 24, 2020

More new words

Get our free widgets

© Cambridge University Press 2020

You might also like