Adverb class 8 | English Olympiad for Class 8 PDF Download

Definition of Adverb

An adverb is a word that modifies the meaning of a verb or an adjective or another adverb.
Example:

1. Mandy is a very careful driver.
2. Mandy drives carefully.
3. Mandy drives very carefully.

In sentence (1), the word ‘very’ modifies the meaning of the adjective ‘careful’.
In sentence (2), the word ‘carefully’ modifies the meaning of the verb ‘drives’.
In sentence (3), the word ‘very’ modifies the meaning of another adverb ‘carefully’.
Hence, adverbs qualify verbs, adjectives or arother adverbs.
From the above sentences, we can also observe that, adverbs tell us ‘how’ an action is done or ‘to what extent’ or ‘how much’ the quality of a person is i.e. adverbs tell us about the manner, degree etc.

Types of Adverbs

The different types of adverbs are given below:

1. Adverbs of Time: They tell us when the action took place.
   Example:
   • I went for a movie yesterday.
   • Rick finishes all his tasks early.
   • They will rehearse for the show tonight.
2. Adverbs of Frequency: They tell us how often an action takes place,
   Example:
   • Jeet practices violin regularly.
   • Neil frequently makes such a comment.
   • Ninad will come again.
3. Adverbs of Place: They tell us where an action takes place.
   Example:
   • Arjun searched for water everywhere but he didn’t find it anywhere.
   • Come here at once!
   • She took the lady inside.
4. Adverbs of Manner: They tell us how or in what manner an action takes place.
   Example:
   • He is persistently making efforts to crack the exam.
   • The teachers and mentors are working hard on the project.
   • Amrita speaks English fluently.
5. Adverbs of Degree: They tell us about the extent or degree of a quality or an action.
   Example:
   • Shahista was a very beautiful girl.
   • The boys have danced fantastically well.
   • You should not be too careful about your attire.
6. Adverbs of Reason: They answer the question,’ ‘why an action took place’.
   Example:
   • Sudha has been shortlisted. Hence she has to prepare for the final round.
   • She has become weak. So she should have a proper diet.
7. Interrogative Adverbs: The words used to ask questions are interrogative adverbs.
   Example:
   • Where do you live? (Place)
   • When will Sara be back? (Time)
   • Why were you absent? (Reason)
   • How is she going to do this? (Manner)
   • How much effort does it require? (Degree)
   • How many siblings do you have? (Number)
8. Relative Adverbs: Adverbs that are used to join two sentences or two clauses. Relative adverbs indicate their antecedents in the process of joining.
   • This is the place where he was born.
   • Nobody knows the reason why Amit behaved that way.
   • Can you tell me the time when the manager may come?

Adverbs of degree should be used according to the intensity as follows:

1. Low Degree
   • The story you told is a bit disappointing.
   • I am least interested in it. Tell it to the marines.
   • The question is a little confusing.
   • This is slightly tilted.
2. Medium Degree
   • The sitting arrangement is fairly enough
   • This is sufficiently large.
   • They performed pretty well.
   • This book is rather nice.
3. High Degree
   • This is extremely beautiful.
   • I had done it quite before you asked.
   • The speech was fantastically awesome.
   • The man is too old.