ADVERBS

An adverb is a word used to modify a verb, an adjective or another adverb.

Examples:

1. They live together happily.

2. He is a very rich man.
3. Jason walks extremely rapidly.

Adverbs can be divided into the following types according to meanings.

 Manner
Examples:
o The soldiers fought bravely.
o John studied hard.
 Time
Examples:
o I have heard this before.
o The guest will come soon.
 Place
Examples:
o The horse galloped away.
o Step back, please!
 Frequency
Examples:
o David always tries to help me.
o Nancy sometimes made silly mistakes.
 Degree
Examples:
o The sea is very deep.
o Some people worked too slowly.
 Interrogative
Examples:
o When did he come?
o Where are you going?
 Relative
Examples:
o This is the reason why he was angry.
o Do you want to visit the place where you lived before?

Order of adverbs
There is a basic order in which adverbs will appear when there is more than one. It is similar to the order of
adjectives. But it is even more flexible.

Sentence : 1

Vikas swims enthusiastically in the pool every morning before dawn to keep in shape.
  Verb : Vikas swims
 Manner : enthusiastically
 Place : in the pool
 Frequency : every morning
 Time : before dawn
 Purpose : to keep in shape

Sentence : 2

Tarani naps in her room every morning before lunch.

 Verb : Tarani naps

 Manner :
 Place : in her room
 Frequency : every morning
 Time : before lunch
 Purpose :

In actual practice, of course, it would be highly unusual to have a string of adverbial modifiers beyond two or
three (at the most) because the placement of adverbs is so flexible, one or two of the modifiers would
probably move to the beginning of the sentence.

For example :

Every morning before dawn, Vikas swims enthusiastically in the pool to keep shape.

1. She usually shops for clothes at the nearby store.

2. Usually she shops for clothes at the nearby store.

3. My father was born in Chennai in the backroom of a baker.

4. My father was born in the backroom of a bakery in Chennai.

5. Dry the car carefully with a soft fluffy towel.

6. Carefully dry the car with a soft fluffy towel.

7. He found the golf clubs that his father had used to win the tournament in the car trunk.

8. In the car trunk, he found the golf clubs that his father had used to win the tournament.

Comparison of Adverbs
Like adjectives, adverbs of manner and time also have three degrees of comparison.

The basic rules for comparison are the same as those for the comparison of adjective. For adverbs of one
syllable, we form the comparative degree by adding '-er' and the superlative degree by adding '-est' to the
adverb.

Examples:

1. Tom ran fast.

2. Jim ran faster.
3. John ran the fastest of all.
Adverbs of manner ending in '-ly' form the comparative degree with 'more' and the superlative degree with
'most'.

1. Bob played basketball skillfully.

2. Tom played it more skillfully.
3. John played it the most skillfully of all.

The opposite of 'more' and 'most' are 'less' and 'least'.

1. I worked successfully. He worked less successfully. She worked the least successfully.
2. Jim shouted loudly. Sam shouted less loudly. Dan shouted the least loudly of all.

Some adverbs form their comparative and superlative degrees irregularly.

1. I write better. She writes better. He writes the best of all.

2. I slept little last night. She slept less. He slept the least.
3. Tom did the work badly. Tony did it worse. James did it the worst of all.