Adverbs

Definition: Adverbs are words that modify

• A verb
  • He drove slowly. — How did he drive?
• An adjective
  • He drove a very fast car. — How fast was his car?
• Another adverb
  • She moved quite slowly down the aisle. — How slowly did she move?

Adverbs often tell when, where, why, or under what conditions something occurs and frequently end in “ly”. However, many adverbs and adverb phrases do not end in -ly so this is not an absolute rule. The words lovely, lonely, motherly, friendly, neighborly, for instance, are adjectives:

That lovely woman lives in a friendly neighborhood.

If a phrase containing a subject and verb acts as an adverb (modifying a verb), it is an Adverb Clause:

When this class is over, we're going to the movies.

When a phrase that does not contain a subject and verb acts as an adverb, it is an adverbial phrase. Prepositional phrases frequently act as adverbs:

• He went to the movies.
• She works on holidays.
• They lived in Canada during the war.

Infinitive phrases can also act as adverbs:

• She flew home to China to see her brother.
• The student ran to catch the bus.

But there are other kinds of adverbial phrases:

• He calls his mother as often as possible.

Like adjectives, adverbs can have comparative and superlative forms to show degree.

• Walk faster if you want to keep up with me.
• The student who reads fastest will finish first.

We often use more and most, less and least to show degree with adverbs:

• With sneakers on, she could move more quickly among the patients.
• The flowers were the most beautifully arranged creations I've ever seen.
• She worked less confidently after her accident.
• That was the least skillfully done performance I've seen in years.

The as — as adverb form can be used to create an expression of sameness or equality:

• He can't run as fast as his sister.

A handful of adverbs have two forms, one that ends in “ly” and one that doesn't. In certain cases, the two forms have different meanings:

• He arrived late.
• Lately, he couldn't seem to be on time for anything.

In most cases, however, the form without “ly” is reserved for casual situations:

• She certainly drives slow in that old Buick of hers.
• He did wrong by her.
• He spoke sharp, quick, and to the point.