English Adverbs: Definition, Types & Examples

An Adverb is a word that modifies an adjective, a verb, another adverb, a sentence or a preposition. In simple words, the main purpose of Adverbs is to provide additional context to something such as when, how, where, and to what extent. These can be categorized into various types according to their functions such as time, duration, frequency, place, degree, etc. 

A simple way to understand an Adverb and what it denotes is given below:

What is an Adverb?
An Adverb is a word that modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb. It tells the context about when, how, where, how much, or how often something happens.
When?	How?	Where?	How Much?	How Often?
Already	Carefully	Away	Barely	Annually
Afterward	Badly	Away	Almost	Always
Eventually	Closely	Behind	Entirely	Hardly
Early	Cheerfully	Down	Completely	Frequently
Later	Fast	Far	Fairly	Often
Recently	Easily	Here	Slightly	Occasionally
Soon	Loudly	There	Too	Rarely

Also Read: 

• Phrases
• One-Word Substitution
• Simile

As per the Oxford Dictionary, Adverbs is “a word that adds more information about place, time, manner, cause or degree to a verb, an adjective, a phrase or another adverb”

Pronunciation: /ˈædvɜːrb/

Word Origin: Late Middle English: from Latin adverbium , from ad- ‘to’ (expressing addition) + verbum ‘word, verb’.

Adverb Example:

My grandmother visited my house yesterday. (Here, yesterday depicts when something happened. So, yesterday is the Adverb of Time)

Adverb: Definition according to Collins Dictionary

According to Collins Dictionary, “An Adverb is a word such as ‘slowly’, ‘now’, ‘very’, ‘politically’ or ‘fortunately’ which adds information about the action, event, or situation mentioned in a clause”.

Broadly, Adverbs in English can be divided into six categories as per what kind of details they are providing. The six common types of Adverbs are Adverbs of Manner, Adverbs of Time, Adverbs of Place, Adverbs of Degree, Adverbs of Frequency, and Conjunctive Adverbs. The types of adverbs are categorized below in detail:

Adverbs of Manner

Adverbs of Manner basically describe the manner in which an action is done. It primarily answers the question ‘how’.

Examples: Clearly, Quickly, Gradually, Rapidly, Instantly, etc.

• Rachel bravely rescued a kitten from a tree
• The fire spread rapidly in the room
• She crossed the road carefully
• He spoke loudly to make his point

Adverbs of Time

In simple words, Adverbs of Time describes when an action or situation has happened. These could include words that describe the specific time or general time periods.

Examples: Yesterday, Tomorrow, Soon, Tonight, Since, Recently, Today, etc.

• We will reach Rishikesh tomorrow
• Tonight, I have a Doctor’s appointment
• Yesterday, I went to the market
• Chandler moved to a new city recently

Adverbs of Frequency

Adverbs of Frequency can be used to describe how often an action has been performed or is happening. These adverbs can be recognized by asking the question ‘how often’.

Examples: Rarely, Seldom, Monthly, Weekly, Annually, Usually, Sometimes, etc.

• My mother and I often go out for dinner
• Leonard occasionally eats junk food
• Amy seldom read the newspaper
• I rarely practice my piano lessons in the morning

Adverbs of Degree

Usually, Adverbs of Degree describe the intensity of an action or quality. They could be used as intensifiers to describe adjectives and other adverbs.

Examples: Really, Very, Extremely, Fairly, Somewhat, Too, Much, Quite, etc.

• He is very excited about the Manali trip
• The management at the concert was extremely helpful
• It is very hot outside today
• Monica is quite satisfied with her CAT results

Adverbs of Place

As the name suggests, the Adverbs of Place are used to indicate where the mentioned action is taking place or has taken place. These adverbs can be identified by asking the question ‘where’.

Examples: Outside, Inside, Somewhere, North, South, Somewhere, Left, Right, East, West, etc.

• Samantha is not able to find her keys anywhere
• She is waiting for you outside
• The dog hid underneath the bed
• The children are playing upstairs

Conjunctive Adverbs

A Conjunctive Adverb is an adverb that links different clauses or sentences, to show cause and effect, sequence, and contrast between the two clauses or sentences. It has a characteristic of a conjunction.

Examples:

• She was sick, therefore, she stayed home
• He wanted to go, however, it was raining
• All of us cleaned the house, then, we went shopping
• Nitin has to work hard, otherwise, he will not be able to score good marks

Here is a table depicting the Types of Adverbs along with their functions and examples.

Type of Adverb	Function	Examples in Sentences
Adverb of Manner	How something happens	Divya sings beautifully
Adverb of Place	Where something happens	My parents are sitting outside
Adverb of Time	When something happens	She arrived yesterday
Adverb of Frequency	How often something happens	He always prays before going to sleep
Adverb of Degree	To what extent does something happens	It is raining heavily
Conjunctive Adverb	Connects two independent clauses or sentences	She was tired, still, she completed her deadlines

 

Given below are the details as to how Adverbs modify adjectives, verbs, other adverbs, and sentences:

• Verb: An adverb describes when, how, where, and to what extent the action happens (Example: He runs quickly)
• Adjective: An adverb adds degree or intensity to an adjective. (Example: That painting is very beautiful)
• Adverb: When an adverb modifies another adverb, it intensifies or clarifies it. (Example: She sings very beautifully)
• Sentence: An adverb used in a sentence expresses or conveys the speaker’s attitude or provides a general perspective on the statement (Example: The weather report is almost always right)

Also Read: 

• What are Figures of Speech?
• Formal Letter Writing
• Metonymy

There are some of the basic rules that a student must know to use Adverbs correctly in English Grammar. These are:

1. Most Adverbs End in –ly

Several Adverbs are formed by adding –ly to adjectives.

Adjective	Adverb
Happy	Happily
Quick	Quickly
Slow	Slowly
Careful	Carefully

Example:

• He runs quickly
• Samantha spoke softly in the assembly

2. Adverbs answer significant questions

The types of Adverbs basically answer the questions like how, when, where, how often, and to what extent.

Types of Adverbs	Question Answered
Place	Where?
Manner	How?
Time	When?
Frequency	How often?
Degree / intensity	To what extent?

Example:

• He completed the task happily
• My parents live nearby
• She arrived late
• She is always on time
• Rahul is extremely tired

3. Position of Adverbs in Sentences

A. Adverbs of Manner, Place, and Time generally go after the verb or are placed at the end of the sentence

Examples:

• Rekha danced gracefully
• She goes to bed late

B. Adverbs of Frequency are placed before the main verb, but, after ‘be’ verbs

Examples:

• She is never late to the office
• He always wakes up early

C. Adverbs of Degree usually go before adjectives or other adverbs

Examples:

• It is extremely hot today
• She worked very hard during her CAT preparation

Also Read: English Tenses

Adverbs in English grammar provide the context in a sentence by describing when, how, where, and to what extent something happens. They are used to modify adjectives, verbs, and even other adverbs. Majorly, Adverbs in English Grammar are used for the following purposes:

To add detail and precision to something: Adverbs tell about how something happens, where it happens, when it happens, how often, and to what extent. This makes the communication clearer and more specific.

Examples:

• Sanya laughed loudly
• Joe is extremely talented
• She ran very quickly

They modify various parts of speech: Adverbs can modify adjectives, verbs, and other adverbs. This makes adverbs important for expressing complicated ideas.

Examples:

• Reema sings beautifully
• Both of them travel often during holidays
• She will leave tomorrow

Adverbs express emotion, tone, or attitude: Many adverbs can help express the opinion or tone of the speaker. This adds emotion and depth to both speech and writing.

Examples:  

• Unfortunately, I cannot come to the office today
• Reena is probably right
• I am extremely disappointed with her behavior

Adverbs improve style and fluency: A depth and rhythm to sentences can be added with the help of Adverbs. This can make any speech or writing more engaging.

Examples:

• Basic: He walked
• More expressive: He walked confidently and gracefully out of the interview

In all, Adverbs are important for better storytelling, precise descriptions, clearer instructions, and more natural conversations. Adverbs in English are important while reading, writing, speaking, and listening.

Also Read: English Grammar: Conjunctions

The major difference between an Adjective and an Adverb is the type of words they describe. Adjectives describe Nouns and Pronouns, whereas Adverbs describe Verbs, Other Adverbs, and Adjectives.

The table given below can be referred to know the basic difference between an Adverb in English Grammar and an Adjective.

Particulars	Adverb	Adjective
What it describes	An adjective, verb, or other adverb	A noun or  pronoun
What it tells	When, how, where, how often, to what extent	Which one, what kind, how many, etc.
Examples	She danced beautifully	The cake was delicious