Introduction to Grammar - Adverbs | Verbal for GMAT PDF Download

What are Adverbs?

Adverbs are words that describe or modify verbs, adjectives, other adverbs or clauses. They can be a single word, a phrase or a clause. Adverbs generally answer one of these four questions about the entity they modify: How? When? Where? and Why?

For example:
1. Kim quickly grabbed the last cookie left on the plate.
In this sentence, the adverb “quickly” modifies the verb “grabbed” by defining the How aspect of the action. How did Kim grab the last cookie? She grabbed it “quickly”.

2. In the game of hide and seek, Amy decided to hide in a completely dark room in the basement.
Here, the adverb “completely” modifies the adjective “dark”. How dark was the room? It was completely dark.

3. Ria happily accepted the new project.
In this sentence, the adverb “happily” describes the verb “accepted”. How did Ria accept the new project? She did so happily.

4. Ria very happily accepted the new project.
In this sentence, the adverb “very” describes the adverb “happily”. How happily did Ria accept the new project? She did so very happily. So here the adverb presents the extent or degree of happiness.

5. Surprisingly, our Indian food stall had the maximum footfall in the World Gourmet Fest.
Here, “Surprisingly” describes the entire main clause.

How are Adverbs formed?

• Most of the single-word adverbs end with “ly”. For example, “quickly”, “completely”, “happily”, and “surprisingly” are all adverbs ending with “ly”.
• However, there are a few words that are not adverbs despite ending with “ly”. For example, “lonely”, “lively”, “lovely”. Even if they end with “ly”, these words are adjectives that modify nouns or pronouns. So you must not blindly consider any “ly” ending word an adverb. Always go by the meaning and role of the word!
• Furthermore, there are many adverbs that do not have a specific ending. For example: next, often, very, seldom etc.
• So as you saw above, adverbs can describe any entity in the sentence except nouns and pronouns. They can describe verbs, adjectives, other adverbs, and even complete clauses. You also saw that the adverbs in these examples are single words. Now, apart from single words, phrases and clauses can also act as adverbs.

Adverbs – Words, Phrases, and Clauses

We learned that adverbs are words that describe verbs, adjectives, other adverbs, and clauses. For example:

• Ria very happily accepted the new project.
  In this sentence, the adverb “happily” describes the verb “accepted”. How did Ria accept the new project? She did so happily. Furthermore, the adverb “very” describes the adverb “happily”. How happily did Ria accept the new project? She did so very happily. So here the adverb presents the extent or degree of happiness.

Now apart from just words, even phrases and clauses can act as adverbs. For example:

• Joe finished his dinner at 9 pm.
  Notice here that “at 9 pm” is a prepositional phrase. Prepositional phrases can modify nouns as well as verbs. Those prepositional phrases that modify verbs act as adverbs. In this sentence, the prepositional phrase “at 9 pm” modifies the verb “finished”. It talks about the “when” aspect of this action.
• Mary mixed the cake dough with an egg beater.
  In this sentence, the prepositional phrase “with an egg beater” describes how Mary mixed the cake.
• Nancy hid the marbles under the pillow because she did not want to give them to her brother.
  Here, the dependent clause “because she did not want to give them to her brother” is an adverb because it modifies the verb of the preceding main clause. Why did Nancy hide the marbles? She did so because she did not want to give them to her brother.

So as you saw in the above four example sentences, adverbs provide a little more information about the entity that they describe, and adverbs can be a single word or a phrase or a clause.

Adverbs can also be used to make comparisons. When we make comparisons, we need to use adverbs in their comparative or superlative forms.

Adverbs – for comparisons

• We learned that adverbs are used to describe other verbs, other adverbs, adjectives, or clauses. While describing these entities adverbs can also present comparison. And when they do so, they should be used in the appropriate comparative or superlative forms.
• When we compare an aspect of two entities, we add “more” or “less” before the adverb to make it a comparative adverb. For example:
  a. Jack goes to swim more frequently than his sister Jill.
  b. Jill understood the concept of probability less quickly than that of coordinate geometry.
• When we compare an aspect of more than two entities, then we use adverbs in the superlative form. In order to make an adverb superlative, we need to add “most” or “least” before the adverb. For example:
  a. The quality of the project showed that Amy’s was the most hastily done project in the class.
  b. Prof. Roy always raises the least frequently discussed topics in philosophy.

So always be sure to use adverbs in their correct form. Add the word “more” or “less” when you compare two entities. Likewise use the word “most” or “least” when you compare more than two entities.

Adverbs vs Adjectives

• While adverbs can modify verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and entire sentences, adjectives can only modify nouns and pronouns (e.g., “the red door”).
• Adverbs are often formed by adding “-ly” to the end of an adjective. However, adverbs can also be formed from adjectives in other ways, depending on the ending.
  
• Some adverbs use the same form as their corresponding adjectives. These are known as flat adverbs (e.g., “straight,” “fast,” “early”). Other adverbs (e.g., “never”) simply don’t have a corresponding adjective.

Tip
If you’re unsure whether a word is being used as an adverb or an adjective, look at the word that it’s modifying. If it’s modifying a noun or a pronoun, it’s an adjective. If it’s modifying anything else, it’s an adverb.
For example, in the sentence “Don’t drive fast,” the word “fast” is an adverb because it’s modifying the verb “drive.”
In the phrase “a fast car,” the word “fast” is an adjective because it’s describing the noun “car.”

Adverbs and Linking Verbs

• Adverbs are sometimes confused with adjectives when they are used with linking verbs (i.e. a verb that connects the subject of a sentence with a subject complement that describes it).
• While adverbs can be used to describe how an action is done, linking verbs (e.g., “look,” “feel,” “sound,” “be”) refer to states of being and therefore take an adjective rather than an adverb.
• Examples: Adverbs and adjectives with linking verbs
  Angela seems angrily.
  Angela seems angry.

Types of Adverbs

1. Adverbs of Manner

• An adverb of manner describes how an action is performed or how something happens. In most cases, adverbs of manner occur after the main verb.
• Examples: Adverbs of the manner in a sentence
  Jessie read quietly.
  Tom laughed loudly.
• If the verb has a direct object (a thing being acted upon), the adverb should be placed before the verb or at the end of the sentence. It should never be placed between the verb and its object (in the following examples, “the book” is the object).
  Examples: Adverbs of manner and direct objects
  Jessie read quietly the book.
  Jessie quietly read the book.
  Jessie read the book quietly.

2. Adverbs of Degree

• Adverbs of degree are used to qualify verbs, adjectives, or adverbs by expressing extent or degree. Some common adverbs of degree include: “extremely,” “absolutely,” “slightly,” “quite,” and “enough.”
• Examples: Adverbs of degree in a sentence
  The medication had a very positive effect.
  I’ll be ready soon; I’m almost finished.

3. Adverbs of Place

• An adverb of place provides information about the location of an action (e.g., position, distance, and direction). Adverbs of place typically occur after the main verb of a sentence.
• Examples: “Adverbs of place” in a sentence
  Go downstairs and open the door.
  Confetti was thrown everywhere.

Note
Some words can be used as both an adverb of place and a preposition. When the sentence has no object, it’s considered an adverb (e.g., “go inside”). If the sentence has an object, it’s considered a preposition (e.g., “go inside the house”)

4. Adverbs of Time

• Adverbs of time (e.g., “yesterday,” “today,” “tomorrow”) describe when something happens. They are typically placed at the end of a sentence.
• Examples: Adverbs of time in a sentence
  I have to run, but I’ll see you tomorrow.
  Dylan has a dentist appointment, so he will be late for school today.
• Adverbs of duration (e.g., “temporarily,” “forever,” “shortly”) are slightly different; they describe the length of time something happens for.
• Examples: Adverbs of duration in a sentence
  The power outage should be fixed shortly.
  I played football briefly, but I didn’t enjoy it.

5. Adverbs of Frequency

• Adverbs of frequency describe how often something happens. They can be divided into two categories based on how specific they are.
• Adverbs of indefinite frequency (e.g., “always,” “sometimes,” “never”) give an idea of how often something occurs, but they don’t give an exact timeframe. Adverbs of indefinite frequency are usually placed before the main verb.
• Examples: Adverbs of indefinite frequency in a sentence
  Anna always works on Saturdays.
  Jessica never washes the dishes.
• Adverbs of definite frequency (e.g., “hourly,” “daily,” “weekly”) give a more precise description of how often something happens. They typically occur at the end of a sentence.
• Examples: Adverbs of definite frequency
  I check my email hourly.
  We visit France yearly.

6. Adverbs of Purpose

• Adverbs of purpose (also called adverbs of reason) help to explain why something is the case. Many adverbs of purpose function as conjunctive adverbs. Other adverbs of purpose usually take the form of adverbial phrases instead of individual words.
• Examples: Adverbs of purpose in a sentence
  The company made a huge profit; therefore, the employees were given raises.
  Since you’re busy, I’ll call back later.

7. Other Types of Adverbs

There are a few additional types of adverbs that are worth considering:

Conjunctive adverbs

Focusing adverbs

Interrogative adverbs

Relative adverbs

Conjunctive adverbs

• Conjunctive adverbs (also called linking adverbs) connect two independent clauses by turning the second clause into an adverbial modifier of the first. They can be used as transition words to introduce consequence, condition, comparison, contrast, and clarification.
• Examples: Conjunctive adverbs in a sentence
  The wedding is scheduled for tomorrow. However, we no longer have a caterer.
  Kelly’s funding application was denied; therefore, she can not continue her research.

Note
Conjunctive adverbs are often confused with coordinating conjunctions (e.g., “and,” “but”). However, unlike coordinating conjunctions, conjunctive adverbs can’t connect two clauses grammatically.
Instead, conjunctive adverbs are typically separated from a preceding clause by a period or semicolon and followed by a comma.

Focusing adverbs

• Focusing adverbs are used to emphasize a particular part of a sentence. They’re typically positioned next to the word they’re drawing attention to. Some common focusing adverbs include: “only,” “just,” “especially,” “even,” “either,” and “neither.”
• Examples: Focusing adverbs in a sentence
  Natalia loves reading, especially fiction.
  Jen had a great time at the party; she even danced.

Interrogative adverbs

• The interrogative adverbs “when,” “where,” “why,” and “how” are used to introduce a question.
• Examples: Interrogative adverbs in a sentence
  When do you want to go shopping?
  Where did you get that doughnut?

Relative adverbs

• The relative adverbs “where,” “when,” and “why” are used to introduce dependent or relative clauses (i.e., clauses that contain a subject and verb but do not express a complete thought).
• Examples: Relative adverbs in a sentence
  This is the city where the soldiers were stationed.
  That was the moment when I first noticed him.