WHAT IS AN ADVERB WITH EXAMPLES?

In this article, we discuss what is an Adverb with examples. An adverb is a word or phrase that modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb. Some adverbs can also add more detail to a phrase, a clause, or an entire sentence. While most adverbs are easy to recognize since they finish in -ly, others are more difficult to locate.

Adverbs, like nouns, adjectives, and verbs, are one of the four main components of speech. They provide more information about an action or notion. Adverbs change various aspects of speech but commonly modify verbs.

My chubby cat eats slowly. (“slowly” modifies “eats”)
That friendly man moves mischievously (“mischievously” modifies “moves”)
The brilliant lady walks smartly. (“smartly” modifies “walks”)

Adverbs also act as intensifiers to modify adjectives.

My overly chubby cat eats slowly. (“overly” modifies “chubby”)
That rather friendly man moves mischievously. (“rather” modifies “friendly”)
The very brilliant lady walks smartly. (“very” modifies “brilliant”)

Adverbs modify other adverbs and form an adverbial phrase.

My chubby cat eats quite slowly. (“quite” modifies “slowly”)
The brilliant lady walks so smartly. (“so” modifies “smartly”)

Adverbs modify clauses as well.

Fortunately, the man did not die. (“fortunately” modifies “the man did not die”)

Most adverbs end with -ly, including most adverbs that modify verbs. On the other hand, other adverbs do not follow the same norm. Identifying an adverb is easier by determining its function in the sentence.

Types of Adverbs

Adverbs have five types, each of which answers a different question. They comprise:

Adverbs of Manner
Adverbs of Time
Adverbs of Place
Adverbs of Degree
Adverbs of Frequency
Conjunctive Adverbs

Adverb of Manner

An adverb of manner modifies or alters a sentence to describe how something occurs, such as how swiftly or slowly it happened. They frequently come after the main verb or the object.

Example:

John runs swiftly.
She smiles beautifully.

Adverb of Time

These adverbs indicate when something occurs. They include words signalling specific times and more broad spans.

Example:

Peter came yesterday.
Have they not arrived yet?

Adverb of Place

Adverbs of place describe where things happened – At times, they are called spatial adverbs. Adverbs of place usually appear after the main verb or clause they modify.

Example:

Gerald has not gone anywhere.
They turned east to the big city.

Adverbs of Degree

Adverbs of degree depict the magnitude of quality or action. They seldom function to describe adjectives and other adverbs.

Example:

This food is incredibly sour.
These prices are fairly cheap.

Adverbs of Frequency

These adverbs portray the rate of an occurrence. By doing so, these adverbs describe how often something happens. There are six primary adverbs of frequency in English – often, usually, always, rarely, never and sometimes.

Example:

She often calls me.
They never go for lectures.

Conjunctive Adverbs

Primarily, a conjunctive adverb is an adverb that functions as a conjunction. It joins two clauses or two sentences.