Adverb Notes Definition An adverb is a word
Adverb Notes
Definition • An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb
Adverbs answer the following questions: Where? How often? or how long? When? To What extent? How? or how much?
Examples 1. The sprinter ran swiftly. [The adverb swiftly modifies the verb ran and hells how. ] 2. I read the funny pages early on Sunday morning. [The adverb early modifies the adjective small and tells to what extent. ]
Examples 3. Jolene was comforting a very small child. [The adverb very modifies the adjective small and tells to what extent. ] 4. The fire blazed too wildly for anyone to enter. [The adverb too modifies the adverb wildly and tells to what extent. The adverb wildly modifies the verb blazed and tells how. ]
Examples 5. Dad will sometimes quote from Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s speech. [The adverb sometimes modifies the verb will quote and tells how often. ] 6. Put the apples there, and we will eat them later. [The adverb there modifies the verb put and tells where. The adverb later modifies the verb will eat and tells when. ]
Words Often Used as Adverbs
Where? • • • Away Here Inside There Up
When? • • • Later Now Soon Then Tomorrow
How? • • Clearly Easily Quietly Slowly
How often? or how long? • • • Always Usually Continuously Never Forever Briefly
To what extent? or How much? • • • Almost So Too More Least Extremely Quite Very Not
Take Note The word not is nearly always used as an adverb modifying a verb. When not is part of a contraction, as in hadn’t, aren’t, and didn’t, the –n’t is still an adverb and is not part of the verb.
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