What is an adverb?

An adverb is a word that modifies or describes a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. Adverbs often tell us how, when, where, or to what extent something was done. For example, in the sentence "She sings beautifully," the word "beautifully" is an adverb that modifies the verb "sings." In the sentence "The very tired dog slept soundly," the word "very" is an adverb that modifies the adjective "tired," and the word "soundly" is an adverb that modifies the verb "slept."

Adverbs are typically formed by adding -ly to an adjective. For example, the adverb form of the adjective "quick" is "quickly." However, not all adverbs end in -ly. For example, the adverbs "here," "there," and "now" do not end in -ly.

Here are a few more things you might find helpful to know about adverbs:

Adverbs can be placed in different positions in a sentence depending on the adverb and the sentence structure. For example, an adverb of frequency (such as "always" or "never") is typically placed before the main verb: "I always brush my teeth before bed." An adverb of manner (such as "quickly" or "carefully") is usually placed after the verb: "I brush my teeth quickly." An adverb of place (such as "here" or "there") is usually placed after the verb: "I put the book there."

Some adverbs can be used as adjectives. For example, in the sentence "I have a hard exam tomorrow," the word "hard" is an adjective that modifies the noun "exam." However, in the sentence "I'm studying hard for the exam," the word "hard" is an adverb that modifies the verb "studying."

Some words can be used as both adverbs and adjectives. For example, the word "fast" can be used as an adjective ("The fast car raced down the street") or as an adverb ("She runs fast").

Adverbs can be comparative (showing comparison between two things) or superlative (showing the highest degree). For example, the adverbs "faster," "fastest," "more quickly," and "most quickly" are all comparative or superlative forms of the adverb "quickly."

Some adverbs can be used to add emphasis to a sentence. For example, the adverb "really" can be used to add emphasis to an adjective or another adverb: "I'm really tired" or "She sings really beautifully."

Some adverbs can be used to show doubt or disbelief. For example, the adverbs "perhaps" and "possibly" can be used to show that something is uncertain: "Perhaps it will rain tomorrow" or "I might possibly be able to come to your party."

Some adverbs can be used to show certainty or certainty in the opposite. For example, the adverbs "definitely" and "certainly" can be used to show that something is certain: "I will definitely be there" or "She certainly knows how to sing." The adverbs "clearly" and "obviously" can be used to show that something is obvious: "It's clearly a beautiful day" or "He obviously knows what he's doing." The adverb "certainly not" can be used to show that something is definitely not true: "I will certainly not be late."

Some adverbs are used to show a relationship between clauses or sentences. For example, the adverbs "because," "since," and "as" can be used to show cause and effect: "I'm tired because I stayed up late" or "Since it's raining, we can't go to the park." The adverbs "although," "though," and "while" can be used to show contrast: "Although I'm tired, I'll stay up late" or "While it's raining, we can stay inside." The adverb "so" can be used to show a result: "I'm tired, so I'll go to bed early."

Some adverbs are used to give instructions or to make requests. For example, the adverbs "please" and "kindly" can be used to make requests more polite: "Please pass the salt" or "Would you kindly close the window?" The adverbs "now" and "quickly" can be used to give instructions or to show that something needs to be done immediately: "Close the window now" or "Do it quickly."

Some adverbs are used to show the speaker's attitude or emotions. For example, the adverbs "happily," "sadly," "angrily," and "calmly" can be used to show the speaker's emotional state: "I happily accepted the invitation" or "She sadly shook her head." The adverb "luckily" can be used to show that something good happened by chance: "I luckily found my keys."

Some adverbs are used to show the speaker's level of certainty or confidence. For example, the adverbs "certainly," "definitely," "absolutely," and "positively" can be used to show that the speaker is very sure about something: "I certainly will be there" or "She definitely knows how to sing." The adverbs "maybe" and "possibly" can be used to show that the speaker is not sure about something: "Maybe it will rain tomorrow" or "I possibly can come to your party."

Some adverbs are used to show the speaker's level of politeness or formality. For example, the adverbs "please" and "thank you" are often used to make requests or show gratitude in a polite way: "Please pass the salt" or "Thank you for your help." The adverb "excuse me" is often used to politely interrupt or get someone's attention: "Excuse me, could you tell me the time?"

Some adverbs are used to show the speaker's level of surprise or emphasis. For example, the adverbs "really," "totally," and "completely" can be used to add emphasis to a statement: "I'm really tired" or "She totally messed up the presentation." The adverbs "surprisingly" and "unexpectedly" can be used to show that the speaker was surprised by something: "Surprisingly, I won the lottery" or "Unexpectedly, it started raining."