adverb

[ ad-vurb ]

noun

, Grammar.

1. any member of a class of words that function as modifiers of verbs or clauses, and in some languages, as Latin and English, as modifiers of adjectives, other adverbs, or adverbial phrases, as very in very nice, much in much more impressive, and tomorrow in She'll write to you tomorrow. They relate to what they modify by indicating place (I promise to be there ), time (Do your homework now! ), manner (She sings beautifully ), circumstance (He accidentally dropped the glass when the bell rang), degree (I'm very happy to see you), or cause (I draw, although badly).

adverb

/ ˈædˌvɜːb /

noun

1. adv
   1. a word or group of words that serves to modify a whole sentence, a verb, another adverb, or an adjective; for example, probably, easily, very, and happily respectively in the sentence They could probably easily envy the very happily married couple
   2. ( as modifier )

      an adverb marker

adverb

1. A part of speech that modifies a verb , an adjective , or another adverb. Adverbs usually answer such questions as “How?” “Where?” “When?” or “To what degree?” The following italicized words are adverbs: “He ran well ”; “She ran very well ”; “The mayor is highly capable.”

Grammar Note

For some, distinguishing adjectives from adverbs is impossibly confusing. Yet telling them apart should be easy. Adjectives modify nouns or pronouns ( tight shoes, She is brilliant! ), while adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs (drive carefully, rather hasty, more rapidly). Adjectives provide answers to “what kind,” “which one,” and “how many,” while adverbs answer “how,” “when,” and “where” (to boldly go, see you later, happening here ). Simply put, adverbs modify everything that adjectives don’t—including whole sentences! They are a grammatical wastebasket—the part of speech into which you toss anything you can’t otherwise categorize. The source of bewilderment, then, may not be function but form. We think of adverbs as typically ending in -ly ( badly, quickly, completely ), unlike their adjective counterparts ( bad, quick, complete ). But some adjectives end in -ly ( cowardly lion, motherly affection, friendly persuasion), while some adverbs, called “flat” adverbs, do not (sit up straight, work hard, aim high ). To add to the ambiguity, a small number of words can function as adverbs with or without the classic ending (walk slow on the ice / speak more slowly; hold me close / a closely knit family). Still others shift meaning as they change form (She arrived late. Lately, she’s been doing that). And some are both adjectival and adverbial without changing form ( fast trains, run fast; early morning, wake up early ). No wonder the mind boggles. Perhaps in response, there has been a resurgence of common adjectives used adverbially (You played amazing. It worked out fantastic. ) Similar flat adverbs, like sudden, extreme, and wondrous, were standard in early Modern English. But in the 18th century, grammar mavens began to disparage them, insisting on the -ly form, and for certain adverbs, that is now the norm. While our language may be shifting back toward increasing use of flat adverbs, an adjective where an adverb is expected may still be subject to criticism. It’s fine to use these newly flattened adverbs with friends, on social media, etc. But traditional cautions apply. It’s probably best to stay with established forms in academic writing, during a job interview, and in other circumstances that call for more formal language. You’re bound to do “great”!

Notes

Adverbs are often formed by adding -ly to an adjective, as in truly or deeply .

Other Words From

• adverb·less adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of adverb¹

First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin adverbium, equivalent to ad- “toward” + verb(um) “word, verb” + -ium noun suffix; loan translation of Greek epírrhēma; ad-, verb, -ium

Word History and Origins

Origin of adverb¹

C15–C16: from Latin adverbium adverb, literally: added word, a translation of Greek epirrhēma a word spoken afterwards

Example Sentences

A line such as this one, from Carrickfergus, a traditional ballad Shane admired, says more about state of mind than any sentence loaded with adjectives and adverbs.

From BBC

The bound words were nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs that always existed with markers indicating a relation to other objects, events or states.

From Scientific American

She then asked whether the word “structure” was a noun, verb, adjective or adverb.

From Seattle Times

Reading her articles aloud, Ms. Rubin said, helps her cut superfluous adverbs like “very” and “really” — or break up long paragraphs that provide context but can quickly become unwieldy.

From New York Times

For them, it is just an adverb or verb they use calmly and constantly.

From Washington Post

More About Adverb

What is an adverb?

An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, clause, adjective, or another adverb. Adverbs tell us how, when, or where.

Adverbs can modify verbs to give us more information about an action. In the sentence She walked quickly, the adverb quickly tells us how she walked. In the sentence The car turned left, the adverb left tells us where the car went.

Adverbs can also modify adjectives, usually to indicate degree or intensity, as in I was very happy. The adverb very tells us more about the happy feeling.

Adverbs can also modify other adverbs, as in She drove very carefully. Here, the adverb very tells us more about the adverb carefully.

Typically, you want to place an adverb next to the word it is modifying. In a verb phrase, the adverb is usually placed immediately before the action verb, as in We were pleasantly watching the birds.

Sometimes, an adverb describes an entire clause. Rather than modify a single word, the adverb is instead describing the general mood or feeling of the clause, as in Amazingly, the zookeeper wrangled the lion without getting injured.

Many adverbs end in –ly and many adjectives can be turned into adverbs by adding –ly to them. For example, slow becomes slowly and happy becomes happily.

Learn even more about adverbs in our extensive article.

Why are adverbs important?

The first records of the term adverb come from around 1520. It comes from the Latin adverbium, which means “added word.” Adverbs can follow verbs and are added on to a sentence to provide more information.

You need to be careful when using sentences that contain linking verbs, like be, seem, or look. Often, what comes after a linking verb modifies the subject of the sentence, which is a noun or pronoun. Adjectives modify nouns and pronouns, while adverbs modify verbs. For example, we would say The flowers smelled nice not The flowers smelled nicely. This is because we want a word to describe the noun flowers, not the verb smelled. The flowers aren’t actually smelling anything.

Did you know … ?

Sometimes, where the adverb is in the sentence can change the meaning of the sentence. The adverb only is a common example of this. For example, the sentence I only baked the cake means that all you did was bake the cake and you didn’t eat it or do anything else to it. I baked only the cake means that the cake was the only thing you baked and you didn’t bake the pies or cookies.

What are real-life examples of adverbs?

Here are some examples of the different ways we use adverbs:

<img loading="lazy" src="https://www.onlinemathlearning.com/image-files/xadverb.png.pagespeed.ic.X7pbV63GfM.png" alt="" width="844" height="339" />

OnlineMathlearning.com

We use adverbs to spice up our sentences.

Millennials love adverbs. Seriously.

— Joanne Nosuchinsky (@JoNosuchinsky) June 16, 2016

Acknowledge quietly and move on quickly. It's all in the adverbs.

— John T. Biggs (@biggspirit) September 14, 2020

 

What other words are related to adverb?

• verb
• adjective
• clause
• modifier
• description
• grammar

Quiz yourself!

Which of the following words is an adverb?

A. he
B. was
C. very
D. sad